Part 2 - The Bike

Finding the right bike at the right price wasn't too difficult of a process.  As I already have street bike experience, it was suggested to me that I would be fine getting something like a 250 4-stroke, which would be enough power to allow me to keep up with the guys but not so powerful that I couldn't handle it.  It was described to me as starting out on something like my street bike, which is a Kawasaki ZZR 600.  I was also steered away from anything like a 100 cc or 150 cc bike as it would likely be too short to be comfortable for me (I'm ~5'8" with a 33" inseam, so, longer legs than most guys my height).  I was also steered towards Honda, and was leaning that way anyway, as I've heard so many people talk about the reliability of Honda as a brand.  I'm sure other brands like Kawasaki and Suzuki would have been fine too, but I kept hearing Honda from other people over those two brands, so that is what I looked for.

So I hit Craigslist (see Side Notes - Part 2) and bookmarked like crazy; I was primarily looking for a used Honda CRF 250f.  However, a friend that is in a similar situation mentioned that she was possibly looking at Honda 230 trail bikes as they are a little more forgiving and also have an electric start, as opposed to the kick-start the 250f has.  She pointed out that it would be more difficult to kick start the bike as I would ride throughout the day from becoming more and more fatigued.  That was an extremely good point that I had not considered, so I added the Honda 230 to my Craigslist search.

I was noticing that most of the used bikes I was looking at were ranging from $1200 - $3500 with most of them hovering around $2000 - $2200; I was expecting to pay up to $2000-$2200 but hoped (of course) I could find a better deal than that.  My friend that is helping me through this process ended up calling about a 2005 Honda 230 we saw online that was still pretty much stock and hadn't been ridden much; a couple had bought it for their son who rode it a little bit and then lost interest and it ended up sitting in their garage (which seemed to be the story for quite a number of bikes on craigslist).  My friend went and looked at it, called me and said he thought it looked like a good deal, so that evening we went and bought it for $1400 and brought it home.  It happened to be Black Friday that day (and I don't "do" Black Friday) so I felt like I got my own version of a good Black Friday deal, lol.

So here it is - my new (to me) 2005 Honda 230 - bone stock and in pretty good condition.  It could use a new left rearset, left clutch, and the handlebars could stand to be a little straighter (I'm guessing someone took a pretty nasty spill or hit a tree on the left side), and parts are on order, but what is there now works just fine.  We also had to give the chain a serious cleaning and lubing, and the bike a bath.  I have also been told by my friend - in no uncertain terms - that I am responsible for the care and maintenance of this bike. I'll get more into my own personal Zen and the Art of Dirt Bike Maintenance in a later section. So far I'm just in learning mode - I watched the chain getting cleaned and lubed, watched the oil filter get cleaned and re-oiled, and watched how to clean the bike. 

The other two things my bike got in short order were a name, Kit Katt, and a Girl Riders sticker.  I'm actually surprised this bike got a name so quickly - I've never named any of my cars, my first street bike never had a name, it took 2 or so years before a name popped into my head for my current street bike (although, again, I wasn't planning on naming it).  Again, I wasn't planning on naming this bike - but there it was in my head that weekend, so Kit Katt it is.  Oh, and the GR sticker is just the first of what I expect to be many - I can't wait to sticker this thing up (I'm gonna have so much added hp  with all those stickers, lol!)  (see Side Notes - Part 2)

Next step - go for a ride!  

Part 1 - The Gear

This was the fun part - there seem to be so many more options and styles for dirt than there are for street!  I probably, OK - I did, go a little overboard with the gear.  I could have spent quite a bit less than I did, but I ended up buying the items I wanted and liked - and none of it was cost conscious I'll admit. 

I did a bit of online shopping and asking around first to see what brands were out there and which ones were "better" than others.  O'Neil, Fox, Alpinestars seem to be the prevalent and decent/better brands; although I'm sure there are others.  I then went to Cycle Gear to start trying on items for sizing and was planning on ordering what I wanted either from CG or online based on that.   I ended up being able to order everything from Cycle Gear and was able to get pretty much the same or better pricing than I would have on any of the items from online sources.

Here is what I ended up getting and what my thoughts are so far on them:

Alpinestars Tech 3 boots - A* makes great boots, the fit is true to size.  They do not have flexibility like street or track boots, so they're taking some getting used to.  Price was higher than brands like O'Neill.

Alpinestars Stella Bionic 2 jacket/armor - I could have gotten chest and other armor protection in separate pieces, but I've always liked the look of this and have been told that it's a little simpler and nicer to have armor held together by mesh like this.  I couldn't find this in any stores to try on, so I had to guess on size.  I ordered a medium and had a couple of the guys that ride dirt at the CG store take a look at the fit (on me) when it came in.  Their judgment was that it fit fine; however I wasn't entirely convinced.  After having ridden once now with it on, I'm still not convinced and plan on ordering one size up.  I think that it's riding too high overall and that even though it just fits around my arms and chest, because of my height I might need one size larger and then use the straps to cinch it in where needed.  So the jury is still out on this one.  I didn't price out separate armor but I"m going to guess since this is A* it's higher priced than other brands.

Troy Lee Designs pants and jersey - As soon as I saw the Voodoo design in purple and orange, I knew I had to have it!  The pants run true to size; I tried on O'Neil 9/10 pants and the TLD 9/10 pants fit just the same.  I like that the waist has velcro straps to cinch it in.  I had to get a size XL jersey (the largest size they had for women) in order to fit over the armor.  I'm a little disappointed that they don't design the jerseys to fit over armor so that you can order your regular shirt/jacket size.  I normally wear a size medium top and usually a size large street jacket (so the sleeves fit - I have long arms); so I'm wondering if women any larger than I am need to wear men's jerseys for the fit.  The cost of the jersey was comparable, maybe slightly higher, to other brands such as O'Neill and Fox.  The pants were quite a bit more.

Troy Lee Designs gloves - Voodoo to match the pants and jersey :)  Tried on some O'Neill and Fox gloves in the store and found size 10 O'Neill fit perfectly.  The TLD 10 is a slight bit smaller but still wearable.  I did end up getting the O'Neill ones too though (just in case).  It's still a little weird to me that there isn't any real protection to the gloves; guess they're just to protect your hands from scratches and maybe to help soak up sweat?

Troy Lee Designs helmet - I sooo wanted the purple and orange PistonBone design - it was fabulously obnoxious (sparkly purple and bright orange!) but it was last year's model and no one had my size anymore.  So I went with this year's PistonBone in sparkly black/charcoal and bright orange - it's fabulous!  Small seems to be my size in any helmet, so I was pretty confident ordering a small - and it fits (and looks) great!  The helmet was honestly more than I wanted to pay for a dirt bike helmet - but since I could afford it, and it's just so fabulously obnoxious, I couldn't pass it up!

Oakley goggles - I decided to go with sand goggles since the trails at Croom are mostly sugar sand and I'll be wearing contacts when I ride.  They came with clear and smoke lenses along with some tear offs.  The one thing I've noticed so far is that they fogged up when I was stopped for a few minutes breathing hard.  Not sure if any goggles would have done that or if it's because they're sand goggles.

Other Thoughts - So the funniest part about most of my gear is the color - mostly white.  I find it quite funny that I hardly ever wear white on a general basis, but yet I buy white boots and outwear to specifically play in the dirt, lol! 

Something I think I'll have to report on later is the durability of the gear I got.  After one wear I already have a hole in my pants - but then again, if I hadn't pressed my knee up against the exhaust while picking my bike up after wiping out I probably wouldn't have burnt a hole in the pants (ooops!)  So, next thing I need to do is order one size larger A* armor and see how that goes!

The History and Why I'm Writing This

Adventures in Dirt Biking

(or, The 40 Year Old Dirt Bike Virgin)

Yes, I am 40; and, yes, I am a dirt bike "virgin."  This is an ongoing chronicle of my adventures in dirt biking as I am anticipating that this new pursuit will do one of two things:  kill me, or make me stronger.  I'm hoping for the latter!

The History and Why I'm Writing This:  I've been riding street for about 5 years now; started out completely from scratch - I didn't even have previous manual transmission car experience let alone two-wheel experience.  A few years in I tried the track and had a great experience until I made a stupid mistake and grabbed a handful of front brake in the grass (I should have known even as a street rider that this wasn't good to do, but I do feel I might not have done it if I had prior off-road experience).  I had heard a number of friends and acquaintances mention that they had started on dirt bikes before moving to street bikes and have felt more comfortable as a result.  Plus, being outdoors and being active appeals to me.  With all of these considerations in mind, I decided I'd like to try dirt biking, specifically trail riding.  Skip forward a couple years to now and I'm finally putting this into action!

I'm at a point in my life that if I don't do it now, I might not do it.  Plus I have the time to do this and the funds to make it happen.  The one thing I'm concerned about is the physical toll.  I've never been one to work-out or go to a gym; I've always relied on natural movements and activities to keep me active.  It's amazing how many of those disappear once you start working from home; so over the past few years I've lost a significant amount of energy and stamina.  So, as with many others that post on facebook or write a blog to keep them on track with diet or exercise efforts, I've decided to take a similar tack to keep me on track when I'm feeling frustrated.

So that, in a nutshell, is how this thread has come to be.  I hope you'll enjoy reading about my start, my frustrations, my victories, and my adventures.  Feel free to ask questions, add comments, advice, and stories of your own.  This is an ongoing story and I hope it will be an ongoing dialogue with you too!