“First Time on a Dirt Bike” Stories

My buddy whiskey throttled my brand new 250 XC into his dad's garage door

Held that Honda 50 wide open until I rode straight into a bulldozer. Had the time of my life and scared my parents to death

Summer of ‘91 I was 9 years old and staying with my great grandmother for a few weeks at her house (trailer park) on Cedar Creek Lake. They had a little “park” near the boat ramp that I rode my bicycle around a lot. Som kids there were riding a newish RM80 and I was eyeing it up but didn’t know them. My experience with riding was limited to a 1979 Yamaha Champ scooter (no clutch, think really old Honda Ruckus). The kid who owned the RM80 asked if I wanted to ride it which I responded with an immediate “YEAH!” He asked if I had ridden before and if I knew how to use a clutch. I said, “Yeah. I ride all the time.”

I had no idea how to use a clutch but had the basic idea of it and didn’t want to stall it. I managed to take off pretty well without stalling it but was going MUCH faster than I had intended and quickly approached a rutted corner directly in front of a chain link fence. I panicked and never let off and miraculously hit the rut and 180’d right back to where the older kids were standing and stopped to hand the bike back off. My heart was racing and I had no idea how I didn’t eat shit into that fence (no helmet, no adults around anywhere). I just acted cool and said, “Cool bike. It’s faster than I thought it would be.”

I rode a total of maybe 150 feet. They tried to get me to ride again and I declined. Figured my luck had run out that day. Total PeeWee Herman moment. I was absolutely hooked (saved every dollar I made working each summer) but much more cautious when I got my own “real bike” a ‘95 KX100 a few years later.

Still very proud of myself that I worked for and bought my own first bike and my first truck. Even more than being the first person in my bloodline to graduate college. It was a different time in the 90’s.

I used to work at Freestate when they moved to Capitol Heights, worked there for about 6 years actually!  That story sounds like a Bob Myers story for sure! We used to race XR 50s and Go Peds through the shop when we would close, it was hilarious! 

It was definitely Bob Myers, a great guy. He taught me how to ride my XR, and used to ride an ATC90 around the lot on two wheels when he was bored.

I was 10 years old and my parents went out and got my brother a brands new 79 CR125, this was a huge deal as we did not have money growing up. They could not afford one for me at the same time so I was bummed. My moms mom would not have any of him having one and not me, so she took us down to the local Honda store and bought me a brand new Honda CR80R Elsinore. I couldn't ride it until the next day when my dads was home, so I spent the evening revving the $hit out of it in the carport. This was one of my best days ever and I am still riding to this day.

1975, 11 years old, seymour missouri

Believe it ot not, a Church picnic.

There was a guy and his wife that both raced and they brought there bikes out for everybody to ride.

Hers was one of the mx125s. Shorter than modern 85cc.

They put an oversized helmet on me. I understood the workings of a clutch and shifter. I had been driving dads old chevy with 3 on the tree for several years.

I had even had to drive him home from a roller skating rink we went to where he fell and broke his arm.

Anyway, the guy gives me the rundown on shifting and stabalizes it as i put my feet on the pegs and take off.

The first time that little bike hit the power band i knew that had to be the most awesome thing ever created by man.

Got braver as my few minutes wound down. Probably got up to 4th gear.

I have always been grateful to mr. And mrs. Mcwilliams for sharing their love of moto and getting me hooked on something that had brung so much fun into ky life 

I didn't fall or get hurt but I was hooked for sure. I just suck ass at riding a dirt bike but I appreciate the skill, talent and hard work all these guys put in. 

Nothing beats the smell of two-stroke exhaust. Golden Spectro ftw! 

Christmas morning, 1974. 1975 Yamaha GTMX80. Dad fired it up in the living room, as you should. Then we took it outside to the concrete pathway leading up the steps of our house. I had ridden a lawn-mower-engine powered mini-bike, but this was real. After 2 minutes of my dad straddling the front wheel and showing me how the clutch worked, I was off. First around the driveway, then up and down the street for what seemed like only minutes, but at that the same time seemed like hours. Covered a lot of ground since that day.

7 years old, parents got me an xr80.  My dad insisted I start on a clutch.  I couldn't start it but once it was fired up I just sorta took off.  Never stopped riding after that.

My first time on a dirt bike was around 1982. My brother took me to open field on my dad’s old Kawasaki 125 enduro. I couldn’t touch the ground so I had to start and stop on a milk crate. Had plenty of spills and plenty of smiles. My family couldn’t afford good dirt bikes , but we made due with dual shock 70’s bikes that my dad would come across. My brother and I would wear them out just as fast. Didn’t have my first modern dirt bike until I graduated college at age 23, but there was no stopping me after that. 

Got surprised with a shiny new XR80 sitting in the shed on Christmas morning, snow and ice on the ground outside. Got it fired up, Dad explained the throttle and clutch, started in the shed pointing outside. Took about 30 seconds of veeeerry carefully letting the clutch out until I took off, at about 3 mph in 1st gear. Shed door was just to the right of another barn in front of it, with a box scraper parked on the backside of the barn. I very, very slowly marched forward, slowly hooking to the right, and proceeded to run into the back of the box scraper, bending the front fender up. 

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by how many people got started on little Hondas, but I am. I think it says a lot about Honda’s long-view thinking back then.

first ride was an up old clapped TS125 that my step dad and uncle helped me with.

Took time to get it rolling and I learned a lot in the process. Riding the oil fields of coalinga but on the way home a big problem with the back hub. I was so friggin bummed.

But I had freedom I never knew and now at 61 I’m still hooked.

Just loaded up my trailer for a race at DT1 tomorrow and can’t friggin wait for the gate drop and smack talk.

Toss in some full throttle ministry and it’s a solid Sunday.

My first ride was on a Honda minitrial that I had saved to buy and my dad and I fixed it up. Well I watched my dad and held a flashlight and handed him tools while he fixed it.  When we got it I was about 5 or 6 years old I think. And had saved money from doing yardwork and whatever I could do to get money as a little kid.  It had bent forks and broken bars , and it took a while for me to be able to buy the parts to fix it. But my parents helped me after a while. We hunted down some used forks and bars. And got new cables and tires.  

After what felt like forever, my Dad took me and one of  my older  sisters  to the elementary school parking lot to take it for a ride.  I rode about 50 feet in a straight line and stopped and revved the bike in gear. My dad yelled that I was going to burn out the clutch . I thought he was mad, but he was just making sure I heard him.  But I was hooked after that short ride.  He took it for a little ride after my revving and then my sister took a turn. After seeing them riding around I knew where to go and what to stay away from and the second attempt went much better. I cruised around and loved it. It became a thing that My dad did on Sundays with us.  For a few more times in the parking lot. Then we went to trails  that we had all walked and ridden bicycles on  and started taking turns . It felt so cool to be out and riding the trails. 

 Years after that I had been racing for a season and it was early winter and I was looking for somebody to ride with me for a quick couple moto's late one afternoon. My buddy that was a faster expert by that time didn't want to go ride the small woods track that was the only option that was close enough to get to before dark. And he told me his cousin would go with me if I let him ride my bike. He assured me he had ridden and would be fine. 

Turns out he  had never ridden before and had an interesting time riding my CR250 on a tighter woods track. I make this video around 2000 or so and then  a couple years ago  digitized it and put it on you tube. We rewatched it so many times back then. I had cut recording multiple times because I felt bad about how badly it was going. Now I wish I had recorded the entire session.  Glad I do have some of it and got some funny parts of the day.  

Even though I don't currently own one, I'm still partial to Hondas. Would love to restore any 01 model for the oem graphics nostalgia of my first bike.

I crashed hard my first ride and have been riding ever since lol. 

I was probably 3-4 years old and my dad bought me an old beater pw50 from the next door neighbor for my birthday. My mom was gone at the store and for a few hours my dad was teaching me the brakes and throttle while he was sitting on the back and I was working the controls. Then he finally let me ride myself and when hed yell brakes Id have to hit the brakes and come to a full stop. We did this like 100 times in a row and I really seemed to have it down so he started to let me do laps around the back yard grass. 

Finally my mom comes home and I’m all excited and she wants to see how much Ive learned and watch me ride the bike. So I take off and my dad yells brakes and I must have hit a bump or something but just like in all those videos you see online my body falls back off the bike and the throttle goes wide open and I’m just hanging on for dear life going full speed across the lawn out of control. My dad tries to grab me but no luck I fly past him. 

At our yard there was a hill at the end of the grass where the woods started and on the right side there was some granite pieces sticking out of the hill that made a small cliff. I go full throttle across the grass, up the hill, turn to the right and partially jump off the cliff and come back down off the hill, then crash into my swing-set. The bike falls over on me and burns my leg with the pipe while im laying there and my parents are running over… lol. It was an absolute disaster and the absolute worst case scenario is what happened. Luckily other than the burn on my leg I was completely fine. 

My mom couldnt believe it and was freaking out but luckily it looked much worse than it was. Somehow it didnt phase me and I just got back on the next day and have been riding ever since. 

^That's a great F'n story! 😄 My son wadded up and ended up underneath his PW50 too, although it wasn't his first day riding. Burned his leg on the pipe as well.