IF I WANTED TO GET INTO SERIOUS OFFROADING ..............??

[Wee Jack]

OK gang here we go !! I know there are some pretty serious offroaders contributing here ( Mudwiz and co) and I would like to seek your valued advice.

If the wee man was wanting to get into a bit of serious offroading , enduro type stuff for example , what would be the best way to go about it? I have never ridden (apart from forest access roads and the like) much off the tarmac , I've been a motorcyclist for 32 years (christ!!).

How does this sound for a plan ? .... I was thinking of doing an "offroad experience" day , say the Honda or Yamaha sponsored jobbies to get the very basics, and if I felt that it was still for me then get a cheapo 125 like those chinese XL copies you see for about £600 NEW !! Bounce around the fields on that for some months/years or until it died, to get practice.
Then if the old git had not done any serious damage and was still keen then try to pick up a real tool (a CRF 250 say?) and go large .

Am I just being silly at 48 years (still pretty fit and still bounce!!) and should I just forget it, bury the post Dakar crisis till next year and buy a trainset instead!! .

[chronyx]

I would say go for it 100% but do not touch those Chinese abominations with a 10ft chop stick.

[Lumiya]

Am I just being silly at 48 years

OK a couple of facts,

Worlds oldest marathon runner is 95 and didn,t start till he was 89
John Glenn returned to space at the age of 77

In the end it's not how old you are but what you are capabe of. If you feel upto it then do it, just take it easy at first, know your limits

Kymmy

[Wee Jack]

Am I just being silly at 48 years

OK a couple of facts,

Worlds oldest marathon runner is 95 and didn,t start till he was 89
John Glenn returned to space at the age of 77

In the end it's not how old you are but what you are capabe of. If you feel upto it then do it, just take it easy at first, know your limits

Kymmy

Gee thanks Kymmy !! you've cheered the old fart up no end.

Maybe you and Jenna could be the advisers/motivators/consultants for my Dakar challange !!

Woah!! wee man slow up there ........

[fewtrees]

Personally, I'd buy a 2nd hand Honda, not a CRF as those beasties are highly strung. Something old like an XL or XR.

Definitely do that off-road day though and then go to Toms Farm and ride it till your knackered.

[YEN_POWELL]

OK gang here we go !! I know there are some pretty serious offroaders contributing here ( Mudwiz and co) and I would like to seek your valued advice.

If the wee man was wanting to get into a bit of serious offroading , enduro type stuff for example , what would be the best way to go about it? I have never ridden (apart from forest access roads and the like) much off the tarmac , I've been a motorcyclist for 32 years (christ!!).

How does this sound for a plan ? .... I was thinking of doing an "offroad experience" day , say the Honda or Yamaha sponsored jobbies to get the very basics, and if I felt that it was still for me then get a cheapo 125 like those chinese XL copies you see for about £600 NEW !! Bounce around the fields on that for some months/years or until it died, to get practice.
Then if the old git had not done any serious damage and was still keen then try to pick up a real tool (a CRF 250 say?) and go large .

Am I just being silly at 48 years (still pretty fit and still bounce!!) and should I just forget it, bury the post Dakar crisis till next year and buy a trainset instead!! .

Sounds sensible to me. I know a bloke who's 65th birthday party started with a day's greenlaning in Hertfordshire, a pretty sticky area in the winter.

[Austin]

OK gang here we go !! I know there are some pretty serious offroaders contributing here ( Mudwiz and co) and I would like to seek your valued advice.

If the wee man was wanting to get into a bit of serious offroading , enduro type stuff for example , what would be the best way to go about it? I have never ridden (apart from forest access roads and the like) much off the tarmac , I've been a motorcyclist for 32 years (christ!!).

How does this sound for a plan ? .... I was thinking of doing an "offroad experience" day , say the Honda or Yamaha sponsored jobbies to get the very basics, and if I felt that it was still for me then get a cheapo 125 like those chinese XL copies you see for about £600 NEW !! Bounce around the fields on that for some months/years or until it died, to get practice.
Then if the old git had not done any serious damage and was still keen then try to pick up a real tool (a CRF 250 say?) and go large .

Am I just being silly at 48 years (still pretty fit and still bounce!!) and should I just forget it, bury the post Dakar crisis till next year and buy a trainset instead!! .

damn you Wee Jack, you've just given me an idea

[Xander]

stay off the dirt it is dangerous!!!! NOT GO FOR IT !!

[Xander]

I am with every one else here Go for it.. buy a nice reliable (4 stroke..) Honda! and play! take it slow (ish—i.e push it only when you are feeling like you can do it), buy all the silly looking off road armour, it will save you a lot of pain..(trust me on this one)

Reasons for 4 stroke. is a simple .. 1) you are riding one now so you will already have a feel for the engine (not exactly but close enough)-2 strokes can feel really different and you want to learn how to use your body to ride the dirt and having to learn a 2 stroke that will surge at unfamiliar times will just complicate things (slightly) when you feel like you got your wheels on the ground (or air depending on how you like things) then you can choose what you want.
2) 4 strokes tend to need a lot less maintenance then the 2s, so you will be spending more time getting muddy as opposed to greasy.. this is why I went back to 4s after a few years of 2s…
3) Honda cus they are really easy to get a cheapish one that will take you where you want…

I personally would not bother with a 125 though.. they are small bikes.. I would as fewtreees suggested get an XL / xr 250.. they are both 4 strokes with plenty of power but you will not feel like you are riding a bmx …okay you will but not your 10y –olds bmx…

[Dee Duble Yuh]

If you really can get a Chinese copy for £600, then I think Jack has a point. What kind of second-hand Honda are you gonna get for £600? Something with sawdust in the gearbox to hide the noises and clapped out tyres. Heck the new bike's new tyres alone must be worth a good bit of the £600. And it might come with a warranty... unless riding it off-road invalidates the warranty?

I started with a 175 trailie and it was great fun off-road. I'd be careful about getting anything too heavy as it'll be hard work for those of us with ageing muscles!