Posts
1189
Joined
7/8/2016
Location
Belton, MO
US
Edited Date/Time
6/15/2019 8:51pm
I've realigned with Swap Moto again this year to host more opinions and travel pieces.
First one of the season is my take on hiring a riding instructor being more important than a new lit sticker kit or a powerflow radiator shroud set.
Read it here: click this link here and then come back and discuss.
Also- thanks Steve for allowing outbound links.
First one of the season is my take on hiring a riding instructor being more important than a new lit sticker kit or a powerflow radiator shroud set.
Read it here: click this link here and then come back and discuss.
Also- thanks Steve for allowing outbound links.
...off to find a good off-road coach now
Suspension - obviously, this will help you go fast, even with bad technique.
remapped ignition - you may be able to take a heavy hitting map and turn it into a smoother map to help you be smoother throughout the track. The opposite could be true as well.
exhaust - similar to above. I've had two bikes with stock exhaust that I may have sold if I didn't try an exhaust first.
I’ve spent my money on tires, suspension, and a proper handle bar set up.
I keep the bike running good and maintained. My focus is on my riding, not how my bike looks or how “fast” it is.
My $1500 bike and cheap gear has me going faster than I ever have!
The Shop
That's where this article bugs me, most people don't race, they are just out their for fun and they will likely never hire a riding coach because they just don't care enough. Let them buy all the stuff they want, support the industry where they want.
If someday I am old and slow and I want A-kit suspension cause it looks badass and I have spare cash to buy it, why not.
Really it’s just a thought exercise NOT a holy commandment. I always encourage people to take classes. But if you have to decide on an accessory or a riding class- I’d suggest the class every time.
Being a formal instructor in another industry on the Range training side getting clients to embrace the value over all else is the real challenge.
I have tried a variety of methods to get firearm owners to get out and receive formal instruction.
After all the price for a negligent discharge can be death or severe bodily injury.
Fortunately not enough persons shoot themselves to really see much value in avoiding this.
A quick example of the struggles in being involved in the training side would be just how many persons have firearms and have never taken formal instruction to include out on a square range shooting. I suggest maybe 1-100. That sampling may actually be too small of 100.
I’ll be very interested in other means to get persons interested in formal instruction outside what I have tried... Low cost, weekly emails to demonstrate importance and advantages to instruction, promoting on forums, promoting in firearm stores and word of mouth.
At least it’s being discussed. There should either be a sub forum dedicated to training or at least a sticky.
This way members here could have a resource to which States offer rider instruction and along with outfits dedicated to it.
Most gun enthusiast forums already have this.
Pit Row
I took some cars around a track last time I was in Vegas (A Mercedes SLS AMG and a Porsche 911) with an instructor sitting in the passenger seat.. I did my best to listen to all he told me to do, and he said that my speed around the track increased by about 15 mph on average in just a few laps. That was possibly the most fun I've ever had, and having a pro there to show me how to do it right was great. Having a pro show me how to ride my bike right might be just the ticket!
Laugh all you want dude, doesn't affect my day at all, and yeah, I've been there.
I love performance. I love bling. I want the best equipment. I'm also 53 and a fast C rider. I had a 2008 KTM 250XC and upgraded it to a brand new (at the time) 2017 KTM 300XC (Net cost of almost 6k for the swap and "upgrade").
Is the new bike better? Faster? Lighter? ABSOFREAKINGLOUTLY! Are my lap times any better?... no.
I'm generally an offroad guy (and a 2T fanboy at heart) but my buddy and I did an MX race recently and as we pulled into the pits after practice we both (simultaneously) complained about how on our two strokes we didn't have the torque to get over the two doubles on the track.
Just as we had convinced ourselves that we needed to dump our 2017 two stokes and go get a 2020 KTM 350F , the 85cc A practice started.
Every one of those little buggers cleared those two triples!!! Yeah, I love the bling but I just did a training class a few weeks ago with Justin Buckelew at the WORCS race in Mesquite.
All I can say is, for the cost of a new set of tires, it was well worth it.
Soooo many butt-hurt angry folks.
Generally speaking the bikes I see that have more hop up parts (or bling-ed out) are typically the slower riders.
As a teenager into my mid twenties, I was a fast local kid that really didn’t give two shits about trick bikes, mainly because I didn’t have knowledge of what all was out there for parts, money or inclination to indulge. I took a Donnie Hansen school when I was 15 and all I cared about was going fast and having good form. My definition of a modded bike back then was a pipe\silencer, ported cylinder and bars.
Now that I’m older, I have an established career and a little money and dressing up my bikes is something that I enjoy and more importantly, am financially capable of doing.
TL;DR: if it has to be one or the other, go for the coaching. If you’re financially capable, buy all the bells and whistles, and maybe consider some coaching, if you’re into that kind of thing. Or don’t.
How would it?
On the other hand, sending three bikes to PC to have them built puts food on the table for everyone involved in Pro Circuit (as company and race team). You know, those guys that you watch on TV every weekend...
I don't have a shitload of money, nor am I a pro speed rider (or even remotely close), but I always enjoyed having the bikes well taken care of, with some nice parts on them, and it always felt awesome to drop the coin on my bikes. I don't care if it's worth 2 seconds a lap, or not. I just like having nice stuff.
Not too serious about racing either, I race/ride and build my bikes for fun, sounds like you should try too
If I was more serious about racing, I'd definitely take lessons more often though. Taking lessons is very time consuming, but you can pimp out your ride in the middle of the night
Just got back from a 3-day MX riding school where this old dog is FINALLY learning to ride ruts a little better. By mid-Day 2, I was so much better that the instructor pulled me off and said "That was beautiful!!! Dude!!!" Photo is from Day 1.
I still don't spend much $$$ on bling, though. I'm concerned about mechanical reliability and function over anything else.
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