I’m no stranger to adventure, but kicking off a new life exploring via dirt bike is like any new endeavor; exciting and humbling all at once. After a weekend in St. George, Utah, riding alongside dear friends, here are some of my takeaways after putting in some miles in the dirt as a new rider.
It goes without saying, but let’s say it anyway: don’t ride alone. Seasoned riders may venture out on solo trips, but put elements into place to be sure their location is known and trackable. As a new rider, be sure you’ve got a friend or two in tow. If you have a friend with more experience, that’s even better!
We researched the areas we wanted to ride, but with a few exceptions, there were no comprehensive trail guides to give us an idea of what to truly expect. Even with trails that are marked with signs indicating trail difficulty, conditions can change quickly. Taking the time to walk trails to mitigate big surprises is a great way to avoid some sticky situations and/or injuries. Our morning location for riding reinforced this, so in the downtime of the afternoon, we drove to the location we wanted to ride in the evening to see what we were really up against. This made our evening ride extra enjoyable and smooth.
Don’t be afraid to turn back when the terrain is above your skill set. It’s exciting to push yourself, but not at the expense of injury. Taking your time to build confidence and gather experience is what will keep you riding! And there are plenty of classes you can take to continue to build on your skills and techniques.
In the overlanding world, handheld radios are a staple, and in the off-road riding community, they’re also utilized quite heavily. Starting the day out, although we all had radios on hand, we didn’t think to carry them along as we each went out for a run on the trail. After a mechanical issue surfaced, followed by a long, slow walk back to our little basecamp, it clicked that having comms was a no-brainer. (We were lucky we weren’t too far from basecamp. Did you know you can ride farther in one hour than you can walk in a day?) From that point on, we kept our radios with us and were easily able to check in, give a heads-up when out-of-view vehicles were en route, and actively ask for assistance when things didn’t go as planned.
The easiest way to ruin a great day of trail riding is for something to go wrong with your bike. You can prevent a lot of issues by looking over your bike before heading out. Make sure your tires are properly inflated and aren’t damaged. Make sure all your controls work, and check your electronics, lights, fuel, and other fluids. (You can click here to get a list of things to look over before you ride.) But things can sometimes go wrong on the trail, so it’s a good idea to keep a small tool kit with you on the ride in case you need to fix or adjust something. Along these same lines, be sure to review the specs on your bike to make sure you have the appropriate tools. You should also look over your owner’s manual so you are familiar with your bike’s features. For example, the TW200 I rode doesn’t have a kickstart should the electric start fail. We encountered a battery issue but luckily had a portable battery charger. If mechanical know-how pushes you outside your comfort zone, just be sure you’ve thought through a game plan on how to get help if you need it.
An immersive day out with the bikes was an incredible learning opportunity. I’m absolutely in love with riding trails, so next on my list is to find my nearest AdventureBike RiderCourse to start building fundamental skills for riding off-road. Want to see what we got up to in St. George? Check out our latest VLOG to see the fun we had in the desert.
