Dirt Bike / Mini Bike for Training?

[tsorfas]

Does anyone do that? Cones and a small dirt bike (TTR 125/XR110) or a mini bike (<100) for training at all?

I think Part of advanced in penguin was figure 8s on a TRR 125?

How exactly does it help? What is the goal?

[Kurlon]

The advantage to training on a small bike is all the techniques are the same, but you have a much larger safety margin by virtue of lower speeds when experimenting. The cost to operate is near zero, and if you keep it quiet you can pretty much play anywhere without annoying people. You've ridden my old 70, that's what I learned on. You've seen my TTR, while I don't do as many drills on it as I should, I can absolutely point to improvements in my LRRS perf that are from things I learned racing the TTR at Boxshop.

[Paul_E_D]

Yes, pretty much every good rider does it. The goal is to improves your skills while having fun and not taking huge risk. Traction sense, balance, recovery from slides, throttle timing, braking. You can practice a lot of skills in a small area.

[tsorfas]

Any specific drills you guys recommend?

[breakdirt916]

watch gary semics videos...he has a bunch of exercises for you to help you break old/bad habits

[Paul_E_D]

Shane Watts' video has good drills. riding tight figure 8s is good. A basic 10 ft slalom course where you pivot each turn with throttle inputs, then do the same slalom pivoting each turn with the rear brake. Front brake slide drills. Allply the front brake til you stoppie, or slide the front wheel. You can even practice riding as long as you can with the front locked.

THe best "drill" of all though is probably just flat track riding or racing.

[maxim_X]

You don't 'need' a small bike to cross train. Flat track and ice riding is great, but dirt riding or MX and even mountain biking and cycling are going to help. Any time in two wheels is time conditioning your body on two wheels. The small bikes and the mini-moto are cheap, effective ways to do it. But, you already have a bike ready to hit the dirt or the supermoto course and start immediately.

[Pigman]

Ride anything and everything...they all have a Diff skill to learn on


or buy a Grom

[Paul_E_D]

Full size dirtbikes don't offer the same learning opportunity for people who didn't grow up on dirt IMO. It is VERY hard to override a modern mx bike. To me, that's where the opportunity is. Going right past the bikes limits. Low center of gravity is critical to get to that point.

[tsorfas]

What Paul said. Plus I am looking for a training opportunity within 2 minutes from my house. Not having to load bike and gear up and drive two hours every time.

[Ductard]

Does anyone do that? Cones and a small dirt bike (TTR 125/XR110) or a mini bike (<100) for training at all?

I think Part of advanced in penguin was figure 8s on a TRR 125?

How exactly does it help? What is the goal?

One comment on the Penguin small-bike training...when I did it IIRC, they had a guy on a sumo out there demonstrating, then Eric said something to the effect of, "You see now nice he looks dragging a knee, well his bike is set up to make that easy. You're going to be riding this...which is set up to make it harder."

Not sure if it was a function of not setting up the bike or if they intentionally set up the bike to ride "loose" but I remember that it didn't take much input at all to upset that bike and make it slide. I'd imagine the crappier the setup, the more you can learn at a slower speed.

That said, I feel like the TTR figure 8 at PRS was great for learning to be smooth to AVOID a slide, but ice biking (and and dirt-tracking, I assume) was better for learning how to CONTROL/RECOVER FROM a slide. Maybe it was just me, but there wasn't a lot of time to react on the TTR before you were on your head, but on the ice you were sliding in one way or another most of the time.

[nhbubba]

The penguin TTR had a "shagged dirt track tire" on the front with "virtually no traction". Or at least that's how it was advertised to me.

I rode it 5 minutes after it started raining. It lived up to how it was advertised.
First motorcycle I ever crashed. (Sorry Penguin!)

[Rada]

All dirt bikes are mini bikes...


Most any drill where you violate traction limits will help condition your brain to not freak out when it happens.
One thing I tried to work on some this winter on the ice was getting my foot up and finishing my turn/slide with both feet on the pegs as early as possible.
It helps subdue those survival instincts that can be detrimental on two wheels.

[Tas]

Damn it I need a dirty bike. Hopefully after I get this SV setup then I can look forward to getting the dirt bike.

[breakdirt916]

good fo' wheeliezzz

I am allll about the mini/XR100/TTR on your own property...I had one at my parent's house in MA and I rode 3-4x/week and honestly had more fun power (?) sliding and wheeling and crashing that thing 3-4x/week than all the big bike riding I do now

[audi]

I've been thinking about picking up a little dirt bike for awhile, this thread pushed me over the edge and I just picked up a little XR100. Spent an hour tearing around the yard on it yesterday evening.

I've got minimal dirt bike experience (maybe 5-6 hours ever), but wanted to practice slipping and sliding in a manageable way - this thing is a hoot!

Once last night's snow melts I'll set up more structured areas in the yard to run some drills.