Myswaggers that ride dirt bikes

[Bird]

I wonder how many people here honestly think they get 100% out of their bikes... or even 75% - specially open class bikes.. In other words, how many Aussie champions are here? If you *honestly think* you are gettin 75% out of it, go racing, you will do extremely well.  

Many people would ride faster on smaller bikes, they are easier to ride. I saw this regularly over the years while racing and while organising race meetings.

You dont need open class bikes for trail riding IMWO. I reckon for 95% of trail riders buying a cheaper used mid sized jap bike is a good option...

Corsers old man was a perfect example at a Aussie Champs meet at the creek, when Troys brother was tellin his dad buy him a NEW model race bike not a 2yr old one... Troys old man turned to him and said, 'when your doing laptimes same as the front runners, or gettin the most out of your bike you can have one'.

[darrenh]

Hi Darren,
Don't suppose you'd have any close up pics of your motorbike rack.
Brilliant idea, first Jayco hat I have seen with this mod.
Did you make it yourself?
Did the rear bar have to be strengthened up at all?
 
Glenn

here are couple of shots. I can sketch it up with dimensions if you want. I haven't strengthened the chasis and it has travelled at least a couple of thousand kays so far

[Swogjb]

here are couple of shots. I can sketch it up with dimensions if you want. I haven't strengthened the chasis and it has travelled at least a couple of thousand kays so far

Mate, rack looks fantastic. Thanks for the pics they give me a real good idea of how to go about things.
Better get off my arse and get a bike.
I love the idea of taking a bike away with us on holidays.
SWMBO even likes the idea.
 

[watto11]

It's great to have the option of taking bike with u while u travel thats why I made a rack for my CT it's not something that will come every time but a awesome option to be able to load it up and go I'd love to go to
Cape again and unload bike and ride some of the tracks my wife is a competent 4wder which means if I find somewhere I'd like to ride I can meet them alone track best of both worlds

[swanny]

"I wonder how many people here honestly think they get 100% out of their bikes... or even 75% - specially open class bikes.. In other words, how many Aussie champions are here? If you *honestly think* you are gettin 75% out of it, go racing, you will do extremely well."

Lost, i do race, but i didnt relise that we as swaggers had to justify having a dirt bike as part of the thread , i thought the thread was about who has a dirt bike and enjoys taking it away camping and riding.

Stick to the the title, please.

Regards Swanny

[Swogjb]

I wonder how many people here honestly think they get 100% out of their bikes... or even 75% -

The same could be said about 4wd's and camper trailers.

'Different strokes for different folks'

 

[Moopla]

Have ridden dirt bikes all my life and love it. I ride a kxf50f mxer and with the raw power the new 4strokes have i know a lot of the time i'm just a passenger trying to hang on. But christ it gets the heart going. Whenever she's wide open it scares the crap outta ya. It's good to be alive!

[watto11]

Have ridden dirt bikes all my life and love it. I ride a kxf50f mxer and with the raw power the new 4strokes have i know a lot of the time i'm just a passenger trying to hang on. But christ it gets the heart going. Whenever she's wide open it scares the crap outta ya. It's good to be alive!

Perfect way to describe it moolpa I only hope it's a kx450f and not a 50cc lmao ?

[Geoffwin]

I decided to stop coming off many years ago :-)

[lilstookie]

We're road riders from way back and have gone with a compromise....we've had KLR650s and now have a DR650. We make them do things they're not supposed to do and have a ball. Most of our camping has been on the bikes and we had it down to a pretty fine art (obviously pre-kids ).

Creb Track


Mungo NP


'The Boys' Campsite off the Great Alpine Road


Our CT has been ordered with a bike rack 

[Stormchaser]

I ride a 2008 Yamaha WR250F occasionally or at least try to keep it upright with forward momentum.
She isnt too flash pretty much bog stock standard and only has just clicked over 600k's shows how much I get to ride :'(

We recently did the annual trek to Sunny Corner (near Portland NSW) for the Central Tablelands MCC "Sunny Corner Trail Bike Ride" what an awesome weekend although it was a tad bit dusty

[Racer]

We like our dirt bikes 

Jeeze Danny, I see a few pumpkins there...

I had an '07 300....didn't really take much care of it but it never missed a beat in the old donk....You knew it was a good thing when I was the first off the line beating electric starts racing at Coffs one year...

[sparksy]

I'm pretty much old school.
A XT500 Yamy that I dont ride much off road , too scared to dent the ally tank.
And a  1984 Suzuki DR250 that I use to get to work and shops occasionly.
I used to have both of these models before I got married. so when i got the chance to buy them I did.
The XT still scares me kick starting it but then I'm not as young as I used to be.

[Rowanb]

As an X racer as of last year, I gave it away after suffering a broken C7 on an enduro down Melb way I figured it was time to call it quits. Selling the bike was a hard think to do after racing for the past 30 odd years I have seen the transition from 4 strokes to 2 strokes now back to 4 strokes with a new resurgence in the 2T class TY to KTM.
So now I have switched to a much safer form of racing, road racing on my VTR100.
I'm so tempted to wade into the 100% 75% debate but I wont lol but I will say if I'm paying out of my pocket I'm buying the best frighting experience I can get.
And its called a regoed CR500.

[rotare]

I wonder how many people here honestly think they get 100% out of their bikes... or even 75% - specially open class bikes.. In other words, how many Aussie champions are here? If you *honestly think* you are gettin 75% out of it, go racing, you will do extremely well. 

Based on that simplistic philosophy most us wouldn't haved graduated from an 80cc yet.

I used to ride a WR250F.  Went everywhere and did everything the 450+ bikes were doing.  Terrific bike.  However, when you're doing lot's of kms of trail riding, or riding on the bitumen at highway speeds, the bigger bikes are so much better at this and just eat up the kms.

Surely I don't need to be ringing the neck of my bike within an inch of it's life, or riding like an Aussie champion to justify going to a 450? 

[Cloud Basher]

Funny people should say about faster lap times on a smaller bike.  As stated I am a novice and I did buy the mid sized 2nd hand tractor (XR400) as previously posted.  Out at Louee I can ride the fies TTR125 heaps quicker than the XR400, go up hills and down dale much easier.  But I look pretty damn gay on the TTR in my red moto riding kit.

And from what my neighbor told me, who has been into motorbike riding for 35 years and has raced road, track, drags, enduro, motorcross etc (he was the one who got us all into it) "Motorcross riding is all about how cool you look, nothing to do with how fast you are!"

So I went for the XR400.  An old tractor but still has a very large and loyal following.  It is easier to ride (so I am told) than the later model 4 strokes and you can't kill them. Bugger all maintenance needed, no adjusting shims, or rebuilding engines or valves or whatever other components are highly stressed in the newer 4 strokes.  Very important to me as I spend enough time maintaining the hunjy without having to rebuild or adjust a damn engine after every 12 hours or riding or whatever.  And the XR tries and kills me anyway and I am only about trying to kill myself on the bike and not the bike itself.  One cracked rib on last trip to Louee proves it!

Could care less about trying to get 75% or 50% or 10000% out of the bike.  I am currently getting 100% out of me and that scares the Shit out of me, with plenty more room for me to get more than a 100% and still scare the Shit out of me! 

But the most important thing is the beer tastes damn good in the pub at the end of the day around the fireplace and the tales I reckon are taller than fisherman tales!  All damn good clean (dirty!) fun. 

Just waiting until a I break a collar bone, leg, arm spleen etc before I realise I started riding too late and do not heal like I would have, had I really learned to ride when I was younger...  But as yet, just one very sore knee and a cracked rib!  Bike got bent handlebars and a busted rear left indicator light, plus a couple more scratches.  Are scratches on an XR cool, like I keep telling the wife the ones on the hunjy are?

Cheers
CB

[watto11]

Love the post cloud basher every word is true lmao

[DANBRI]

I can get a pretty good percentage out of the 450, though experience tells me to only ride at 60%. My only complaint is it's weight, I'm only 83kg and the added inertia of the 4 strokes slows corner entry speed too. Anything over 108kg and I struggle to maintain a decent entry speed. Just my experience. But they're a good 'all mountain' bike.

I was quickest on a 200 EXC, very consistant more so. High speed transit stages I'd get eaten but natural terrain, and single track it was a great match for my style. I have ridden and tested stacks of bike, some reviews are still on the net. But the bigger the bore, the easier it is to generally get a bit lazy and do big skids. Big 4 strokes suck in tight stuff, the low end stall - I hate it! They all feel like DRZs, ergh!

I used to do a lot of riding, worked in bike shops etc. I know what you mean Lost, but most people aren't really looking to be as fast as they can be, rather something that does big skids and they enjoy. I know elite riders, Merriman etc, and these are the folk that will be cautious with there engine selection, and these types are very few!

I always liked bikes and learned to never estimate a riders capability by their bike or gear. I was taken by suprise when in NZ one time, I was riding there with some farmers, doing a tour on their property with a few boys from the shop I worked in at the time. I was competing here at the time and training 3 nights a week, so I had good fitness. Akubra and all, I couldn't keep up with a farmer who had never raced a day in his life, both on 450WRs so no bike advantage - just awesome!

[Campfire]

I have 2 dirt bikes and a quad. I can carry up to 2 bikes or 1 quad on my camper trailer.

The family does trips away in the camper trailer and we take bikes or quad with us on occasion.

Enjoyable past time.

I fan of Suzuki and KTM bikes.

Campfire

[scotto62]

well im looking to get back into trail bike riding and after having a wr400 a few years ago i think a DR400 or XR 400/650 (electric start preferibly) would suit my needs 

[watto11]

Hey scotto I had a 99 wr400 I think it was I believe they first released in 98 were real weapons back then with no tameness about them they have managed to refine that power over the evolution and now they r just all fast and smooth if u decide to head in direction of drz 400 you'll love it they r a smooth bike to ride all day same with xr's of course which have done a fantastic job for getting into decades now.

[Bird]

I was quickest on a 200 EXC, very consistant more so.

It's funny how people think you need huge neddies to go fast... You really don't. Which was my point at the start. "My mate has a YAMAZUKNDASAKIKTMBURG 50000 I need one to keep up with him"....

I used to race a TT720 (600 with some work and factory bits )... We did MX (they think Thumper racing is reasonably new!), Enduro, and even Club roadraces at Oran/Amaroo Parks mainly figure 8 track at Oran with sucess... Always wanted one of the CR500's the boys were road racing, they were insanely fast.. But even with 100's spend on suspension, I was always rooted at the end of a meet, or even a weekend trail riding. Having said that, we didnt hang around either

Until I took a mates KDX200 for a club run down at Yerriyong...  I couldn't believe how insanely easy this thing was to ride anywhere. The MX track down there for the special, or just out in the trees in tight stuff over logs the works... My old boss at the bike shop told me this was the case for ages, and to stop blowing $ on the TT, but wouldnt believe him At the end of the day I felt like I'd hardly done anything... My times were heaps quicker too Hated admitting it to him...

Out of the ~50 odd bikes I've had, the KTM 300 was easiest to ride offroad, the 400WR Husky was before the TT, but I used to ride sand a lot back then, so large neddies were the talk of the day. The Super 10 I just sold was amazingly agile for a tank on wheels.

If I still had 4 limbs that worked I reckon I'd keep the XR400 or if I could lose a few ton I'd love a WR200 or KTM/Husky 125 just for High Country fun They are just so easy to pickup and throw around with little effort.. Go Rec Rego, and not worry, just have fun ... or possibly a 4 stroke 250 of some format, but not one of the modern things that need rebuildin every few weeks.

[watto11]

I definitely agree with the ease of riding of small bore bike I wish for tight stuff I had a 300 or smaller when I put the drz down on a hill climb it takes everything I can to turn it around were as guys with lighter bikes just pick them up on there shoulders

[swanny]

I think a lot has to do with the type of riding u like doing, for me i like long haul stuff, also desert/endruo riding, and the bike i ride is suited perfectly (XR650R). Its not uncommon for me and the guys i ride with to do 400-500ks on a ride, a big day.

Im not saying that smaller bikes couldnt do this, they could, in fact the modern 450 has more then enough power etc to do it, IMO i think that my bike eats those Kms, and i feel far less fatiuged at the end of the day, and this due to the size of my bike.

They other deciding factor for me is cost, and looking after it, a new 450 is somewhere around the 12k mark, and that was way to much at the time, and the ease at which u can keep the mighty XR going is fantastic, oil and filter every 500ks, and then a bit of preventitive stuff regularly and ur done, and thats wat i like.

Then again u throw me in tight stuff and me and the bike sucks, this type of riding is not wat i like, so all good get out on the open stuff.

I guess at the end of the day its about fun, i'm defo not Ben Grabbham. but i still love gettin out there and hanging on by the seat of my pants, and doin the stuff i like.

Cheers Swanny

[DANBRI]

I would love a new XT660, the new dual sport things. Big KM touring days in summer, sensational!