Looking for 1st dirt bike.

cool.... thanks.

Oh yeah...
I rode a 2005 KTM 525EXC yesterday. Holy jebesus... that thing was like a rocketship!!!! made my bike feel like a toy... he he he..

made my bike feel the same way!



Riding was a blast. I still have a lot to learn, that was only my third time on a motorcycle so it was pretty scary at first, especially encountering the sand.

I think the boots will help me out alot as well. Just too bad the weather is getting colder.

Turning is hard I do those wide sweeping turns and I need to work on standing up more but more time out on the bike will help us out.

If you can ride in the deep sand, you can ride ANYWHERE. I learned to ride my DRZ in the sand (1st bike as well) and it was tough at first...Now I actually enjoy riding in the sugar as it keeps you on your toes..

there were times with the dr-z that the front wheel would actually lock up in the sand and start plowing! :shocked:

that 200 will ride like its made for you....6 months from now it will be a whole different ballgame and you will be able to own any condition you encounter

IMO the sand is the BEST place to learn!
 
made my bike feel the same way!





If you can ride in the deep sand, you can ride ANYWHERE. I learned to ride my DRZ in the sand (1st bike as well) and it was tough at first...Now I actually enjoy riding in the sugar as it keeps you on your toes..

there were times with the dr-z that the front wheel would actually lock up in the sand and start plowing! :shocked:

that 200 will ride like its made for you....6 months from now it will be a whole different ballgame and you will be able to own any condition you encounter

IMO the sand is the BEST place to learn
!

it's soft when you bust ass too.....

:biggrin:
 

Mark44

Katie's Boss
Location
100% one place
i

another tip riding in the sand and whoops............if you ever start to swap out( @ss end hopping from left to right violently) PIN IT!!!!
its one of the scariest things that you will encounter when learning to ride. when it happens your natural reaction is to let off the gas to slow down, when you do, you swap even more violently and end up high siding and crash............oweeee......... i know it sounds odd but im tellin you......when you start to swap, PIN IT AND LEAN BACK!


in the sand your gonna want to stand but lean back, have your butt 2-3 inches from the seat and in turns put your butt on the seat and hang a cheek off the isnide part of the seat( turning left in sand at a high speed, hang a cheeck off to the left)

on big sweeping turns, lets say a left sweeper in third, come in to the turn with good speed, start turning left by giving a blip on the throttle,throw a cheeck off to the inside slightly and drop your left shoulder slightly. your rear end will than break loose, when it does put pressure on your right foot peg and bring your shoulder back up. keep your bars pointed and the end of the turn and look THROUGH the turn not at the dirt infront of your tire. keep your bike drifting through the turn until you've completed the turn and are heading straight again.
it will take practice but once you get that down you'll have a blast. that turn would be done with both feet on the pegs. you can practice with your inside foot off the peg but be in like second,not going to fast, and have your foot flat on the dirt and your knee slightly bent. but be careful not to put to much weight on the inside foot cuz it will cause you to slide out. keep pressure on the right peg.

it takes practice and takes bike controll and balance but youll get it!


Great tips
Thanks!

Mark44
 

Mark44

Katie's Boss
Location
100% one place
u

it's soft when you bust ass too.....

:biggrin:

I was attempting a tight 4’ banked turn in the sand and got half way through it and lost concentration and went up the bank so I decided to ride it out and go off the top of the bank. The bike high sided and gently bucked me off and I just rolled down the soft sand.

Total newbie looking move but at the same time I was laying on the ground I look over and about 50' away Katie is picking her self back up out of the sand. LOL

Mark44
 

tightithrash

Zack Bright. I Thrash.
Site Supporter
Location
Oceanside, CA
I was attempting a tight 4’ banked turn in the sand and got half way through it and lost concentration and went up the bank so I decided to ride it out and go off the top of the bank. The bike high sided and gently bucked me off and I just rolled down the soft sand.

Total newbie looking move but at the same time I was laying on the ground I look over and about 50' away Katie is picking her self back up out of the sand. LOL

Mark44
so did your front tire go over the berm or did your body go right while the bike went left and you fell over the other side?
 
Last edited:

Katie

Way cooler than Mark44
Location
Union, Missouri
I was attempting a tight 4’ banked turn in the sand and got half way through it and lost concentration and went up the bank so I decided to ride it out and go off the top of the bank. The bike high sided and gently bucked me off and I just rolled down the soft sand.

Total newbie looking move but at the same time I was laying on the ground I look over and about 50' away Katie is picking her self back up out of the sand. LOL

Mark44


LOL that was funny but I still crack up at riding on the trail and there is a big azz rock and a tree over it and I ended up hitting the huge rock and it launching me into the pine tree branches. I was just happy I was still on the bike somehow. The two things on the trail I wanted to avoid.
 

Mark44

Katie's Boss
Location
100% one place
so did your front tire go over the berm or did your body go right withe the bike was goin left and you fell over the other side?


I was in the center of the berm turning left and just lost all concentration so I decided to ride over it and out. Front tire went over the berm bike got centered on the top of the berm in the sand. Front tire in the air back tire in the air and me off the bike in the air.

Mark44
 

Mark44

Katie's Boss
Location
100% one place
o

LOL that was funny but I still crack up at riding on the trail and there is a big azz rock and a tree over it and I ended up hitting the huge rock and it launching me into the pine tree branches. I was just happy I was still on the bike somehow. The two things on the trail I wanted to avoid.

LOL and I got to see it happen. LOL But I give you props you didn't freak out you kept the bike up and under control and rode it out.

Mark44
 

tightithrash

Zack Bright. I Thrash.
Site Supporter
Location
Oceanside, CA
hahahaahaa!!!! gotta love that!!!!!

yeah like i said, look through the turn. i think you looked at the berm a little to long and that's what caused you to not turn..... hey it happens!

same with Katie hitting that rock. if your ridding on a trail and lets say you see a rock coming and you say in your head" wow, don't wanna hit that". you glance at it, look for and exit to NOT hit the rock and look through the trail, 90% of the time, you wont hit it.
But, if you see it and say "wow, don't wanna hit that" and just keep starring at the rock all the way until your looking DOWN at the rock......your going to hit it....guaranteed.

your body follows your head and your eyes......when you get nervous and just stare you kinda like unconsciously go towards whatever your stuck looking at.....

take for example your coming down a hill in 4th and there is a huge rain rut and its coming over on the trail and the trail is getting really narrow. if you asses the situation, make a decision on what your going to do to NOT end up in the rut, do it, and look THROUGH the trail..... and not looking back down at the rut.......you wont go in it.

BUT......lets say you come down the hill in 4th see the huge rain rut, kinda make a decision to veer left but just keep starring at the rut thinking of how big it is.....your going to be knee deep in the rut...... and hopefully not over the bars.

its just practicing staying focused...... once you lose focus and see danger and just stare at it.........your unconsciously going to head straight for it.

hope im helping!
 

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
LOL that was funny but I still crack up at riding on the trail and there is a big azz rock and a tree over it and I ended up hitting the huge rock and it launching me into the pine tree branches. I was just happy I was still on the bike somehow. The two things on the trail I wanted to avoid.

never look at the rocks or trees, you are guaranteed to hit one or both!!!!!!!!!!:bad3:
 

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
hahahaahaa!!!! gotta love that!!!!!

yeah like i said, look through the turn. i think you looked at the berm a little to long and that's what caused you to not turn..... hey it happens!

same with Katie hitting that rock. if your ridding on a trail and lets say you see a rock coming and you say in your head" wow, don't wanna hit that". you glance at it, look for and exit to NOT hit the rock and look through the trail, 90% of the time, you wont hit it.
But, if you see it and say "wow, don't wanna hit that" and just keep starring at the rock all the way until your looking DOWN at the rock......your going to hit it....guaranteed.

your body follows your head and your eyes......when you get nervous and just stare you kinda like unconsciously go towards whatever your stuck looking at.....

take for example your coming down a hill in 4th and there is a huge rain rut and its coming over on the trail and the trail is getting really narrow. if you asses the situation, make a decision on what your going to do to NOT end up in the rut, do it, and look THROUGH the trail..... and not looking back down at the rut.......you wont go in it.

BUT......lets say you come down the hill in 4th see the huge rain rut, kinda make a decision to veer left but just keep starring at the rut thinking of how big it is.....your going to be knee deep in the rut...... and hopefully not over the bars.

its just practicing staying focused...... once you lose focus and see danger and just stare at it.........your unconsciously going to head straight for it.

hope im helping!

What he said, I stopped reading when I quoted......... that is so true, same with Mountain Biking, look ahead and where you want to go, not where you dont want to go.......
 

Mark44

Katie's Boss
Location
100% one place
p

hahahaahaa!!!! gotta love that!!!!!

yeah like i said, look through the turn. i think you looked at the berm a little to long and that's what caused you to not turn..... hey it happens!

same with Katie hitting that rock. if your ridding on a trail and lets say you see a rock coming and you say in your head" wow, don't wanna hit that". you glance at it, look for and exit to NOT hit the rock and look through the trail, 90% of the time, you wont hit it.
But, if you see it and say "wow, don't wanna hit that" and just keep starring at the rock all the way until your looking DOWN at the rock......your going to hit it....guaranteed.

your body follows your head and your eyes......when you get nervous and just stare you kinda like unconsciously go towards whatever your stuck looking at.....

take for example your coming down a hill in 4th and there is a huge rain rut and its coming over on the trail and the trail is getting really narrow. if you asses the situation, make a decision on what your going to do to NOT end up in the rut, do it, and look THROUGH the trail..... and not looking back down at the rut.......you wont go in it.

BUT......lets say you come down the hill in 4th see the huge rain rut, kinda make a decision to veer left but just keep starring at the rut thinking of how big it is.....your going to be knee deep in the rut...... and hopefully not over the bars.

its just practicing staying focused...... once you lose focus and see danger and just stare at it.........your unconsciously going to head straight for it.

hope im helping!


Thats is exactly what we did wrong we stared at what we didn't want to do and did it other than looking ahead and down the trail.

Again great tip!

Mark44
 
I was in the center of the berm turning left and just lost all concentration so I decided to ride over it and out. Front tire went over the berm bike got centered on the top of the berm in the sand. Front tire in the air back tire in the air and me off the bike in the air.

Mark44


look THRU the corner, not at it.......make sure to keep your speed up on a banked turn or you will fall to the inside


angled roots are as bad as the rocks



every time you think about sitting down, stand up.



the first 10 rides or so I remember always hearing everyone yell "STAND UP!!!!" as they blew by..:Banane19:
 

Mark44

Katie's Boss
Location
100% one place
Hey Nick.

I was doing a little reading on KTMtalk.com and they recommend Rotella T non synthetic in the gear case. FYI I don't know if it matters just thought I would post my findings.

Mark44
 

Mark44

Katie's Boss
Location
100% one place
p

yup... that's what I use. It's like 9$ a gallon... the other stuff is probably 40$

O ok I thought you were running synthetic. :biggthumpup:

There is so much info on that site it is mind boggling. My next plan it so set up our suspensions I still am trying to understand all the suspension info.

Mark44
 
O ok I thought you were running synthetic. :biggthumpup:

There is so much info on that site it is mind boggling. My next plan it so set up our suspensions I still am trying to understand all the suspension info.

Mark44

yeah... it's fun being a newby again, huh??? he he

sorry, yeah I am running the non-synthetic...

I am clueless on suspensions too... I did tighten mine up a bit by increasing the compression on the rear spring and the front forks... it helped me a bit and noticed it's a bit stiffer..
 

wydopen

onthepipe
yeah... it's fun being a newby again, huh??? he he

sorry, yeah I am running the non-synthetic...

I am clueless on suspensions too... I did tighten mine up a bit by increasing the compression on the rear spring and the front forks... it helped me a bit and noticed it's a bit stiffer..

did u set your sag??..thats the most important thing and very simple to do
 

Mark44

Katie's Boss
Location
100% one place
did u set your sag??..thats the most important thing and very simple to do


I have not done that yet but that will be the first thing I do. I have the KTM manual on the bikes so I was going to follow that for now.

I also need to pull Katie's rear spring and replace it with the stock spring.

Mark44
 
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