quad rider feeling strange urges about bikes

SeNate
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Sandy, UT US
5/6/2011 7:41pm Edited Date/Time 1/26/2012 9:55am
I'm new here. In fact, I just made this profile. I am hoping that I don't get flamed for this, because I know how much noise there is between sub-communities of riders.

I'll try to explain this, but I'm not even sure what it means.

I've been riding quads for some time, though never really into racing, I get my thrills elsewhere. (Quarry, Dunes, Trails)

All of my friends have quads, and their friends have quads. I own a Honda TRX 450 with some work put into it. I love being sideways and jumping, but I look at bikes and they just make so much more sense to me. You are limited on where you can go with a quad, and when you commit to something scary, you REALLY commit - or you get hurt.

Keep in mind, I've never ridden a dirt bike, but when I sit and watch them (on videos, point of view cameras, during mx races etc); I can only think of what I'm missing out on.

I may be rambling a bit, and that's only because I cannot pin point exactly what I mean. I may end up renting a bike just to see what I am missing, and maybe there are things that dirtbikes cannot do that quads can. I can't imagine much, to be honest. I've had quads kick my ass before, and I'm very aware of their limitations. When I see a dirtbike rider bail off or lay the bike over, I am jealous of how easily a bad situation can be avoided. It's the same reason I try to convince friends not to rent UTV's when they want to ride with us in the dunes. "you're not following me up and along that huge sand wall in that... I promise".

I don't think bikes are easier to ride by any means, or that quads require more skill. I think they are both different monsters; but I believe the quad is limited to drifting and short jumps. I've also known my share of mx quad racers to know that, when you fail, you fail hard.

Maybe someone can piece my thoughts together for me.

TL;DR - I've dumped a lot of money into quads and now I don't look at it the same. I'm eyeballing dirtbikes like a man covets his neighbors younger and more free-spirited wife.

Thanks for putting up with my rambling
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navalseabee
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Virginia Beach, VA US
5/9/2011 12:57pm
buy a cheap one on craigslist stop rambling and go ride Cool
mxb2
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Bowie, MD US
5/9/2011 1:20pm
Sell the couch, come over to the good side LOL!
SeNate
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4
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Location
Sandy, UT US
5/9/2011 1:36pm
mxb2 wrote:
Sell the couch, come over to the good side LOL!
never heard it called a couch before lol
Mr. Ted
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Atoka, TN US
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5/13/2011 12:15pm
Not as difficult as you think it is. If you are riding a quad the right way (which it seems you are), you know about body position, how movement affects the vehicle, throttle control, etc. You will just be learning some new skill sets to compliment what you have. I switched because I had back surgery and I could not ride my quad, but I can ride a dirt bike all day long. Sounds weird, but makes sense if you think about it. With bikes, a lot of stuff is easier, storage space is minimized, as well as when you travel, you have more places that you can ride and, IMO, they are less risky (especially if end up under the bike vs. quad). By a good learner bike and upgrade or trade up as you get better. Good luck.

The Shop

SeNate
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Location
Sandy, UT US
5/13/2011 11:54pm
Mr. Ted wrote:
Not as difficult as you think it is. If you are riding a quad the right way (which it seems you are), you know about body...
Not as difficult as you think it is. If you are riding a quad the right way (which it seems you are), you know about body position, how movement affects the vehicle, throttle control, etc. You will just be learning some new skill sets to compliment what you have. I switched because I had back surgery and I could not ride my quad, but I can ride a dirt bike all day long. Sounds weird, but makes sense if you think about it. With bikes, a lot of stuff is easier, storage space is minimized, as well as when you travel, you have more places that you can ride and, IMO, they are less risky (especially if end up under the bike vs. quad). By a good learner bike and upgrade or trade up as you get better. Good luck.
Thanks Mr. Ted, I appreciate the advice.

It's good to hear that I will not be reset to zero when I switch. I'm wondering if I should just start out with a 450. I'm a pretty big fan of Honda, but I think I'm done with carb bikes, and might go towards EFI. I'll prob keep the TRX for girlfriend to ride.

I'm glad you are able to ride after back surgery. It's weird that the bike is less strenuous.

I think I'll enjoy riding a lot more once I have a bike.
6/14/2011 11:38am
Hey , my situation was kindoff the same, my brother and all his freinds had bikes, i had a quad, and i now have a dirtbike, i mean, i doo miss the quad at times , like, Doughnuts and flying around a courner in a drift, but youll have soo much more fun flying by you're buddies on a bike, trust me
supah-gnarr
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31
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2/27/2011
Location
Midlothian, VA US
6/24/2011 8:35pm
looks like your guna start a new trend with all your friends and their friends. welcome to the fun!
7/11/2011 4:30am
I did to, the guy I ride with was always on a bike and it sucked seeing him move around so easily and go through the nasty ruts on the face of jumps while I had to roll them so I didn't go sideways!!!

Bought a CRF150 for 1100.00 bucks to try it out..... Those little "beginner" bikes hold their value pretty well....Got to the point I was comfortable keeping it on 2 wheels and started thinking about something else....

Back in March I finished my project KX250F and just last week (after trying for 7 months) I sold my quad!! LOL They are fun but you could do so much for with a good bike that's set up for you.....

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