Dirt Bike FAQ

Specialized make great bikes.

Never to late to learn.

As for racing, you need to be damm good to shine above younger and better riders.

With his height and age, if he wants to start racing then you should look at any of the 85cc 2 strokes and in particular the kx85 as it is slightly easier for a beginner to manage. Another option would be the crf150r which is also a mx race bike but a 4 stroke so would also be a bit easier for a beginner to manage.

Look up local tracks in your area. Two sites that have track info are www.wheretomx.com and www.dirtwerkz.com . Find out about joining up so then you can take your son along to practice days to get used to being on the track with other riders. The club secretary will also be able to give you information in regards to what licencing you need to be able to race and how to get a race number. Ask about the rules of racing and find out what all the flags mean so as your son knows what to do when one is waved at him. Also see if the club has a club coach so you can get some lessons for your son.

If you are buying second hand try and take someone along with you who knows about bikes so they can check the bike over as there is no point buying a bike and then finding out that it has major problems as you usually get what you pay for

Is it a 2 stroke or 4 stroke.
generally 2 strokes aren't supposed to idle so they won't foul sparkplugs.

More than a daredevil, Evel Knievel combined sportsmanship and show business to become one of the most famous performers in America. The perils of his sport—making a motorcycle "fly" over a row of vehicles—clearly were not for the average rider. Many of his jumps were successful; but in some spectacular crashes, Knievel fractured 35 to 40 bones. His visually stunning, suspenseful performances were perfectly suited to television and were especially exciting because of the chance that he might crash. Knievel's shows were a celebration of America's love affair with motor vehicles. His pre-jump show featured motorcycle "wheelies" and off-beat vehicles, and he jumped almost exclusively over rows of automobiles, trucks, and buses. By performing at stadiums and coliseums, Knievel perpetuated the tradition of live thrill shows for local audiences. But national and international media coverage of his jumps placed him in a league with some of the world's best-known entertainers. Knievel rode this motorcycle during some of his most spectacular jumps. By carefully coordinating his angle, thrust, and speed, which reached 90 to 100 miles per hour at takeoff, he remained in the air for as far as 165 feet. He chose (and customized) this motorcycle, a 1972 Harley-Davidson XR-750, because it was a light, dependable racing machine. Made of steel, aluminum, and fiberglass, it weighs approximately 300 pounds.

His first motorcycle was a BSA-125 Bantam(His Dad gave to him)
He use to race Norton Scramblers(AMA Circuit)
He use to use Triumph T-120 Bonneville and 650 Bonneville(Early Jumps)

If you are only intending upon doing trails have a look at the CRF230 as that is a trail bike and size wise should suit you. If you intend upon doing a bit of track riding and racing or just want a bike that can take a jump as it has the proper suspension then look at any of the known brand 250f's. But your best bet is to go along to some dealerships and sit on a few to try them for size. You don't have to purchase new from them, but just get an idea of what you are after and then look around for second hand. If you have been riding the yz125 you may find the crf230 a bit of a disappointment and want a 250f.
Good luck anyway

After racing off-road most of my life I find myself at a loss here… What exactly is a "Semi Pro"?

I professional semi truck driver?

A pro that only gets paid part of the time?

99.9% of all sanctioning bodies I've raced with and am familiar with basically break the classes up into C (or beginner), B (novice), A (expert) & Pro or AA (money class). A few run both AA and Pro with the AA being a trophy paying class for fast riders who want to retain their amature status.

Most organizations will allow anyone off the street to sign up in the faster classes, especially and in particularly the pro/money class, so the easiest answer to your question is simple.

Go sign up.

Then, unless your a truely gifted rider whom the likes of come around one in a life time, be prepared to have your ass handed to you on a platter. These guys don't play. In fact, I'm convienced that most of them change into thier riding gear in phone booths… (Look! Up in the sky! …)

Train, ride, race. Repeat.

If your good, folks will notice. If your average, the worse thing that can happen is you have a ball and spend a wad of money.

Good luck!

Well I would honestly think its not about the bike being fastest as it is the rider. If someone is stronger and more technically sound than other riders he would probably be faster.

You also have to consider do you want to put all your money into the lightest weight bike out there and take the chance that you break it as your learning to ride or do you want to go with a heavier bike and let it stand up to the abuse but slow you down a bit because of the weight. You have to take all of this into consideration, since I'm not really into dirt bike racing I really don't know a lot of the lines out there so I can't really recommend anything. Might try asking other BMX racers out there what they are racing on to get their opinions.

Or if your looking for questions on MOTORcycle dirt bikes you might want to try the MOTORcycle section since this is the bicycle area.

If you are serious about dirt bike racing etc……..ask the riders at a race meeting about their experience and go from there….If you just want a dirt bike for riding around local fields etc then take advice from the bike shop as you would not need anything special.

Honda CR 250 or Yamaha YZ 250. Normally I would say that a 250 would be too big for a 15yo, but you are a big boy with 8 years of experience. So a 250 should be OK. Go get one and show the other kids what you can do.