Black Dawn
I'm a girl, 15 years old, 5 foot 6 and 107 pounds and I was wondering what equipment and bike I would need to start motocross, Thanks!
Answer
Someone and Tin Can Sailor have steered you right.
Bike: Under 125cc's. You don't have to buy new, purchase used and save some money. Most people won't admit it, but horsepower and suspension travel haven't greatly increased in the last 10 years. This means you could purchase a 10 year old bike and still be competitive at local amateur events (2 weeks ago I took out my 1980 Kawasaki KX250 to a local track and beat some guys on 2009 & 2010 open class thumpers that were there. Rider ability does come into play, but my bike is literally 30 years old! That Kaw isn't even my race bike, it's a used bike I picked up on Ebay for $475.00 about 3 months ago). Buy a shop manual for the bike you purchase. Shop time is over $85.00 an hour now, so unless you are wealthy you will be doing most of the work yourself.
Gear: Helmet (SNELL approved), goggles, long sleeve shirt, long pants, gloves and boots are the bare minimum. Make sure your boots are Motocross boots, motocross boots have smooth bottoms for sliding in the turns. Enduro boots have cleats or treads for gripping like a normal boot. You don't want your foot gripping in a turn, you want your foot to slide. I would suggest shoulder pads with a chest protector, racing pants with knee and hip protection and a kidney belt. Racing gear is expensive. You can save money buy purchasing used. Check Ebay, Craigslist, yard sales, flea markets, etc.
Practice: You will need to ride/practice. You need to ride in a variety of conditions and terrain. Weather conditions - hot, cold, raining, etc. Get used to riding in all sorts of weather, that way on race day it won't bother you because you've already done it before. Terrain - You want to ride on sand, dirt, grass, mud, etc to get used to how your bike runs in those conditions. This way you will be able to ride a variety of tracks and even be able to handle if the weather changes during a race.
Variety - You want to practice jumps, left turns, right turns, whoops, etc. You want to be able to handle the bike on all types of tracks.
Local tracks for practice: I am sure you have a place that you can ride at already. If not, check with the local shops or people at school to see where they are riding at. When you go out riding, walk the track first. Most "local" tracks where people go out and ride at are usually dumping grounds. This means that the track has changed from yesterday. People who don't want to pay to dump garbage will dump it on the motocross track. This means your landing area for your double jump might now have a kitchen stove at the bottom. Always walk the track, even at a sanctioned event.
If you do decide to start racing, you will have to join the AMA (American Motorcycle Association). Local tracks hold "sanctioned events" and you have to be a member to race.
I realize that you are 15, but you are "light" for your age. You should be weighing close to 130lbs. You need to put on some muscle mass. Motocross is the 2nd most physically demanding sport in the world, you need to be in top physical condition. You should start running (at least 2 miles a day - under 8 minute miles), lifting weights (bench press, shoulder press, squats, chin ups, etc). You should be able to bench press your own body weight and leg press twice your body weight. You are also probably going to have to do some sort of grip strength exercises. Most riders find that their grip gives out long before the rest of their bodies. Work on grip and forearm exercises to increase your grip strength and endurance.
There is an old book out there titled: "how to win at motocross" by Gary Bailey. It is the most accurate book on riding I have ever read,
Good luck and have fun.
Someone and Tin Can Sailor have steered you right.
Bike: Under 125cc's. You don't have to buy new, purchase used and save some money. Most people won't admit it, but horsepower and suspension travel haven't greatly increased in the last 10 years. This means you could purchase a 10 year old bike and still be competitive at local amateur events (2 weeks ago I took out my 1980 Kawasaki KX250 to a local track and beat some guys on 2009 & 2010 open class thumpers that were there. Rider ability does come into play, but my bike is literally 30 years old! That Kaw isn't even my race bike, it's a used bike I picked up on Ebay for $475.00 about 3 months ago). Buy a shop manual for the bike you purchase. Shop time is over $85.00 an hour now, so unless you are wealthy you will be doing most of the work yourself.
Gear: Helmet (SNELL approved), goggles, long sleeve shirt, long pants, gloves and boots are the bare minimum. Make sure your boots are Motocross boots, motocross boots have smooth bottoms for sliding in the turns. Enduro boots have cleats or treads for gripping like a normal boot. You don't want your foot gripping in a turn, you want your foot to slide. I would suggest shoulder pads with a chest protector, racing pants with knee and hip protection and a kidney belt. Racing gear is expensive. You can save money buy purchasing used. Check Ebay, Craigslist, yard sales, flea markets, etc.
Practice: You will need to ride/practice. You need to ride in a variety of conditions and terrain. Weather conditions - hot, cold, raining, etc. Get used to riding in all sorts of weather, that way on race day it won't bother you because you've already done it before. Terrain - You want to ride on sand, dirt, grass, mud, etc to get used to how your bike runs in those conditions. This way you will be able to ride a variety of tracks and even be able to handle if the weather changes during a race.
Variety - You want to practice jumps, left turns, right turns, whoops, etc. You want to be able to handle the bike on all types of tracks.
Local tracks for practice: I am sure you have a place that you can ride at already. If not, check with the local shops or people at school to see where they are riding at. When you go out riding, walk the track first. Most "local" tracks where people go out and ride at are usually dumping grounds. This means that the track has changed from yesterday. People who don't want to pay to dump garbage will dump it on the motocross track. This means your landing area for your double jump might now have a kitchen stove at the bottom. Always walk the track, even at a sanctioned event.
If you do decide to start racing, you will have to join the AMA (American Motorcycle Association). Local tracks hold "sanctioned events" and you have to be a member to race.
I realize that you are 15, but you are "light" for your age. You should be weighing close to 130lbs. You need to put on some muscle mass. Motocross is the 2nd most physically demanding sport in the world, you need to be in top physical condition. You should start running (at least 2 miles a day - under 8 minute miles), lifting weights (bench press, shoulder press, squats, chin ups, etc). You should be able to bench press your own body weight and leg press twice your body weight. You are also probably going to have to do some sort of grip strength exercises. Most riders find that their grip gives out long before the rest of their bodies. Work on grip and forearm exercises to increase your grip strength and endurance.
There is an old book out there titled: "how to win at motocross" by Gary Bailey. It is the most accurate book on riding I have ever read,
Good luck and have fun.
What Are Some Good Beginner Sports Bikes?
Aubrey
I'm working with a $2,000-$2,500 budget-
What Should I be looking for when choosing a good first bike?
I'm looking for a sports bike/crotch rocket.
Answer
Winter is a good time to buy a used bike, as a lot of folks sell when the weather starts getting bad.
Sports bikes in general do not make good first bikes, just because new riders tend to lack some of the fine control skills that riding a sports bike requires. Also, the full fairings on a sport bike will be expensive if you drop the bike. A simple parking lot drop of the bike can do more than $1000 in cosmetic damage to a sport bike.
There are a few sport bikes that are setup as more beginner friendly, typically this means that the engine and suspension are setup to be a little more forgiving should you inadvertently make a mistake. Some of this might be available in the 2k-2.5k range. I would look for something like:
SV650S (the SV650 is the same bike, only as a standard (no fairing, more upright seating), which makes an excellent beginner bike).
FZ-6
Suzuki Bandit 600S (just like the SV, the Bandit 600 is a standard, the 600s is a sport).
Suzuki Katana 600
GS500F (the Suzuki GS500 has been in sportbike form for the last few years - older models will be standards).
Kawasaki Ninja 250 or 500. (The 250 might be a little small. Although you could probably get a fairly new one for $2500).
An older version of most of these bikes should be available in the $2000-2500 range. I would expect something from around 2000-2001 to cost around that much. I would start checking out classified ads, and online sites like craigslist, and even Ebay (you can use advanced options in Ebay to search for local listings).
A lot of the entry-level sportbikes have half fairings (like the FZ-6 or the SV650S), which means you have less plastic to damage if you happen to drop the bike. Even though they are setup to be more beginner friendly, these bikes will require more skill to operate than the bike you probably learned how to ride on.
In a perfect world, I think that new riders would focus on getting something functional as a first bike, and not worry about having something that looks sporty or attracts attention. As a new rider, you're likely to have a few "whoops" moments, and nothing is more heartbreaking than messing up a beautiful motorcycle - especially if it is flashy, and you wreck while a bunch of people are watching. There is always a strong market for beginner bikes, so you can sell your first bike to buy something better later on, and with maybe a year or so of riding under your belt, you'll be better able to handle much more bike than you can now.
Spend some good money on gear. Get a good, comfortable and safe helmet that fits well, and you will enjoy riding more. Sturdy riding pants and jacket will also keep you more comfortable, and make riding more enjoyable.
Last tip: I'm assuming you've taken a rider safety course. (if not, do this before you ride). Remember, the course is only a foundation. Pursue learning how to ride more safely and confidently. Consider taking an intermediate rider course once you've had your bike for a while. If you want to go fast, go to a track day, don't do it on the street. Don't get in the habit of "pushing it" on the street. Nobody gets more respect than someone who is truly a good rider, and doesn't feel the need to show off on public roads.
Winter is a good time to buy a used bike, as a lot of folks sell when the weather starts getting bad.
Sports bikes in general do not make good first bikes, just because new riders tend to lack some of the fine control skills that riding a sports bike requires. Also, the full fairings on a sport bike will be expensive if you drop the bike. A simple parking lot drop of the bike can do more than $1000 in cosmetic damage to a sport bike.
There are a few sport bikes that are setup as more beginner friendly, typically this means that the engine and suspension are setup to be a little more forgiving should you inadvertently make a mistake. Some of this might be available in the 2k-2.5k range. I would look for something like:
SV650S (the SV650 is the same bike, only as a standard (no fairing, more upright seating), which makes an excellent beginner bike).
FZ-6
Suzuki Bandit 600S (just like the SV, the Bandit 600 is a standard, the 600s is a sport).
Suzuki Katana 600
GS500F (the Suzuki GS500 has been in sportbike form for the last few years - older models will be standards).
Kawasaki Ninja 250 or 500. (The 250 might be a little small. Although you could probably get a fairly new one for $2500).
An older version of most of these bikes should be available in the $2000-2500 range. I would expect something from around 2000-2001 to cost around that much. I would start checking out classified ads, and online sites like craigslist, and even Ebay (you can use advanced options in Ebay to search for local listings).
A lot of the entry-level sportbikes have half fairings (like the FZ-6 or the SV650S), which means you have less plastic to damage if you happen to drop the bike. Even though they are setup to be more beginner friendly, these bikes will require more skill to operate than the bike you probably learned how to ride on.
In a perfect world, I think that new riders would focus on getting something functional as a first bike, and not worry about having something that looks sporty or attracts attention. As a new rider, you're likely to have a few "whoops" moments, and nothing is more heartbreaking than messing up a beautiful motorcycle - especially if it is flashy, and you wreck while a bunch of people are watching. There is always a strong market for beginner bikes, so you can sell your first bike to buy something better later on, and with maybe a year or so of riding under your belt, you'll be better able to handle much more bike than you can now.
Spend some good money on gear. Get a good, comfortable and safe helmet that fits well, and you will enjoy riding more. Sturdy riding pants and jacket will also keep you more comfortable, and make riding more enjoyable.
Last tip: I'm assuming you've taken a rider safety course. (if not, do this before you ride). Remember, the course is only a foundation. Pursue learning how to ride more safely and confidently. Consider taking an intermediate rider course once you've had your bike for a while. If you want to go fast, go to a track day, don't do it on the street. Don't get in the habit of "pushing it" on the street. Nobody gets more respect than someone who is truly a good rider, and doesn't feel the need to show off on public roads.
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Title Post: Motocross Bike and Equipment?
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