Leaving Mote due to injury, alternatives?

Give an e-mtb a try. It's the closest to a dirt bike. The weight gives the bike heft while the larger tires provide traction for days. The best part is the pedal assist motor. You can literally go anywhere you want just like a motorcycle. Attack any climb, mob downhills, go through sandwashes...and you still get a workout.
If I had was to hang up the dirt bike, the e-mtb would be my next goto!

Stretch daily and work on your core before giving up Mx.

But to answer your question racing/riding mountain bikes has been the closest thing I’ve found. XC or enduro style will give you your fix. If you really want the closest thing buy a long travel e-bike and hit the trails in turbo mode.

Try out an e-mtb. Crazy amounts of fun and you still get an workout! But getting a track bike is not a bad call. You should be able to pick up a decent GSXR600 or R6 from 07-> for about 4k? That isn't too bad, the issue is the cost of the actual track days...

Stand up Jet ski!

Kawasaki SXR 800, dont get anything less than that. Affordable, easy to find, and they are modernized enough to ride aggressively.

I promise once you get the hang of it and start draggin elbow you will get the feeling you did on a dirtbike.

BMX racing. You can still use all your moto gear but instead of twisting a throttle you pedal a bike.

Trials riding is a great alternative. Also more enjoyable. Less chance of injuries and safer than mtb. A big plus of a trials bike is one could ride in your backyard.

Buy a Miata. Thank me later.

Hi Tim, hope your well, other than this back crap.

Hang Gliding
Or
Powered Hang Gliders (Trikes) - 2 stroke motors and inherent danger - so the perfect replacement for MX!!

Seriously, my mum paid for my Hang Gliding lessons on the proviso I stopped racing MX. (Many years ago)
I flew Hang Gliders for years rather than Moto. The Competitions were great fun. Extremely time consuming and weather dependant.

I now work as a pilot, and race in the old mans MX class occasionally.

Seriously I would start flying Ultralights!

Since you're in England, I'd recommend observed trials and hard enduro. The enduro will keep you in shape and it's much safer than MX.

Your entire skill set developed from moto was all to make you a killer single track rider.

Thanks Dave

My excitement right now is watching adult soapbox derby and laying on ice packs. Thanks for your thoughts.

Actually, I'm thinking soapbox derby might be kind of fun.

I saw some of that, the Red Bull Soapbox...was in Rome, I think?

Looked fun

Get a pilots license.

If you’re considering mountain bikes and other physical and dangerous stuff you might as well just ride your dirtbike at 70% and have fun. Do you have a long history of crashes and injuries? What skill level are you? You only live once.

I have a UTV which is what I get to ride in the desert with my family. Not exactly moto, but you can still let your nuts hang.

I also ride my mtb at least 3 days a week when not in the gym. Occasionally go to a ski resort and do downhill which is the next best thing to moto in my opinion. Just like riding at the track with all the jumps and obstacles but less risk of grenading yourself.

I feel your pain regarding the back. I had bad back issues that culminated in a major decomp and fusion of my lower back 9 years ago. I also am plagued with bad knees (surface cartilage pretty much worn off). I have raced a number of different vehicles, so let me share my experiences. This may be more than you wanted to know, but here goes...

I started racing MX and trail riding in the desert in ’72. Then got into desert racing on a bike. Started with cars as well in the mid 80’s. Stopped racing a bike (along with cars) in the late 80’s. Raced cars until maybe 6-7 years ago.

I have raced off road cars in the desert; road raced Formula Fords, sports cars and a Roush-built Mustang; drag raced a couple of alcohol dragsters and a Super Stock door car; raced shifter karts; done track days in a couple of BMW cars and an R6 Yamaha, and raced and ridden road bicycles and mountain bikes.

You want to find something that is spine-friendly (major back surgery is a big deal, the risks are numerous and the recovery is intense), is wallet and time friendly (has low barriers to initial entry and is not a time and money pit for prep and travel), has a number of events and lots of folks to go play with.

Always remember that no racing is “cheap” although some types are relatively lower cost.

Off road car racing is a money, travel and maintenance pit. It also will hurt your spine big time.

Road racing cars is a blast. If you choose the right car and class (spec classes are good) it can be low maintenance and set-up. The initial car cost can be high. Getting a cheap and slow car is boring.

Shifter karts are big fun. Unless you get in a spec class with a spec tire rule, it can be a lot of work to find the elusive “right combination” for that particular track and weather on that day. If you run classes with a lot of teenagers who think that Rick Hendrick may call them on Monday if they win the local kart race on Sunday, the carnage can be high. I earned a broken back (pre-fusion) and a broken arm is separate crashes caused by others.

Drag racing is a lot of fun in a really fast car. For me, slower cars were boring. Once you have gone in the low 7’s at almost 200mph, anything else is boring. Once the car is built, maintenance time and cost in the right classes can be low. Lots of down time and you need a really big trailer.

Track days in a responsive, quick street car can be the ticket if you have a track near you. You can drive your daily driver to the track and back home w/o the need for a trailer (unless you wall the little devil). Only real expense is tires. Lots of organizations group people by overall speed (car + ability) and it is virtually a race.

There are some club-type tracks around where you can keep a race car or bike in a garage and just show up to play. They can be pricey to join.

Track days on a street bike is a thrill a minute. I am sorry I did not try it when I was younger rather than in my early 60’s. Way cheaper than road racing or track daying race cars. That said, get offs are a big deal. There is a world of difference between a 100+ get off on asphalt compared to a 30-40 mph crash on a dirt bike. Once I had my back surgery and a great recovery, I did not need to take that chance.

Racing and riding road bicycles is fun and the cheapest thing you can do. Great cardio as well. MTB’s are the same, but not back friendly on gnarly tracks or trails. Nowadays I ride and race road bikes and trail ride MTB’s.

I have been drawn to a trials bike (cheap and back friendly), but there are no events in Tucson and I have not hooked up with any others yet who do it regularly here.

Look at what you want insofar as the return is, what you can afford, how much time you have, what the travel is and if there are others to do it with, and pull the trigger.

All of that said: Riding and racing a dirt bike with your buddies is the most fun that I have ever had. Compared to car racing that is 85% car and car set up/15% driver, a dirt bike is 85% rider/15% the rest. I wish I could still ride/race dirt bikes…

For some people, myself included, riding at 70% just isn’t fun. I can ride at Mtb at 100% though and feel much safer and have more fun than riding moto at 70%.

Give it some time....My son broke his back and he took up golf for a while. Things change and so does life....

Blasting around my local trails on an e bike Gave me the same feeling that moto does. I did the e bike race at the gncc this past weekend it was close, but riding real mtb trails on an e bike is really similar to moto for me. Heck my arms pump up more riding an e bike than a dirt bike!

I got back into drag racing again but i.miss it like crazy and still follow it. I couldnt risk losing my job to a injury again. If I had a desk job probably ok

Lots of great recommendations here, pretty much everything I’d have suggested.

I have quit riding/racing several times in my 28 years of riding. The longest I was away was 5 years, ‘13-‘18.

For me, I’ve tried many things-RC and real airplanes (owned a C182 from 15-18), mountain biking, Hot rods, etc etc.

Unfortunately, for my budget, I’ll probably never leave MX. IF I had the funds, I am pretty sure car or motorcycle road racing would fill the void.

The problem with cars, ESPECIALLY drag racing, is that the machine is more critical than it is in MX. So going faster eventually becomes a never-ending spending spree. Of course you can just do it for fun and take a more casual approach, but most of us have a competitive side that will nag us to upgrade this or that.

The difference for you is a severe injury, not a series of smaller ones like mine were, so I can’t truly say I’ve been in your shoes. Good luck and don’t rule out being able to ride again with time and/or new treatments.

Get an E mountain bike and go crazy

At 18 I went under the knife for a Microdiscectomy because of herniated discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1. It was caused by improper work out techniques.(Trying to get that 6 pack the wrong way) I did as the Doctor prescribed and did my PT and have been riding ever since. I have back pain every now and then and am not going to be an Olympic gymnast, but moto life is good. Get a stiffer bed. That was the best thing for me. I use a sleep number, ie an air mattress that does not conform to your body. Don't sleep on your back and do whatever you can to strengthen your mid section. Hope you stay in it or find something you love. Good luck!!!

I broke my back in 96 at work in a different state , after 2 days l could move my legs. So I went back to work on the hhg drill rig. Bone spurs grew threw the fractures, threw my ruptured disk, and into the nerves. Total hell, 3-4 weeks where it takes 5 hrs to get out of bed or you can,t so you craw on your hands and knees. I had surgery on 10-2-02, I did my own therapy at the ymca. I blacked out from pain, doing stretches 1 day. I spent thousands on therapy, b4 surgery. I had back specialist say my stomach muscles where too strong. 5 months after surgery I was easily dunking a basketball. I have left leg cramps in calf and foot from surgery ever since. Leg cramps by hylands works great.
Just ride a 125 less weight to pound your back. Take a baseball bat and beat, your seat to get it softer. I spent all Sunday diving off the boat, swimming and jet skiing. It takes a while to figure out, what you need to do. And then always do that, to keep a healthy back. To the op, I was 29 when I had that injury, I,m 53 now.

You can’t afford to pay the shipping like you said you would on the boots I sent you. Need to stick your broke ass to basketball. PM’d, and called you out on here, you just ignore it. I’m not trippin on the $49 I spent to get you the boots, just shows what kind of a man you are. If you say you’re gonna do something, be a man, keep your word.