Dirt Bike Skills Day
Way back in 1983, I sold my Yamaha XT500 dirtbike. It was the first motorbike I’d owned, and I’d had it for two years. I loved that bike, and regretted selling it, but I had my heart set on a roadbike, and my budget only had room for one bike.
Fast forward to 2009. I’d been thinking for some time that it would be good to get another trail bike – something with a bit of grunt, but not as heavy as those “Long Way Around/Down/Across/Whatever” adventure bikes. My mate, Scott, convinced me that I should do a dirt bike skills day, which included hire of the bike and all the safety gear. So, on Good Friday (10 April), I booked myself in.
The Skills Day was held in the Watagan State Forest, which is southwest of Newcastle. I booked in with Trailworx Dirt Bike Tours who hire out Suzuki DRZ400s. Adrian Hargreaves runs the company when he’s not out installing roofs.
A little paperwork first, then we're on our way!
We spent the morning doing some basic skills, such as learning how to put your weight over the front wheel for better cornering, why it’s better to stand up when on the dirt, and how to climb up (and down) gullys.
I think this was my second attempt
Scott had brought his KTM along as a “tag along” rider. As a “tag along” rider, you get the same skills training, plus lunch, and fuel refills if needed.
Scott on his KTM 640 Adventure
After about four hours of riding in the morning, we pulled in for lunch. Adrian’s wife had arrived at the campsite before us, and had a BBQ in full swing. After a couple of burgers, we headed out for a trail ride – a nice loop from the Watagan Park, down to the valley and back.
The view over the valley was fabulous!
I learned a lot on this ride, and would fully recommend it to anyone who’s looking to get back into dirtbike riding after a long break, or anyone who’s never done this before. It’s also worthwhile for those who just want to freshen up their skills.
The End of the Day
The other thing that I liked about this was the fact that I could not only hire the bike and the gear, but was able to have a real good chat with Adrian about the Suzuki DRZ400 trail bikes. I pretty much decided at the end of the day that this bike was a good, reliable, fun choice.
