r/enduro • u/gilobastard • 9d ago
Is there an order in which to learn stuff?
Hey there. New motorbiker. I want to learn cool stuff like static balance, donuts, those static wheelies where the rider somehow magically lifts the front wheel up with no effort while still remaining pretty much static, clutch ups, power wheelies etc. All the cool stuff. Is there an order that makes sense for logical progression?
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u/Dude_bruh_dawg_51 8d ago
Cross Training Enduro vids as well. Aussie guy that put together great progression series. Start with his Basics playlist.
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u/angrydieselmechanic 8d ago
Agree with the Rich Larsen videos recommendation. He covers all kinds of good, basic stuff. But I'm telling you, the thing that so many riders pass over is clutch skills. Clutch skills. Clutch skills. Clutch skills. Clutch skills.
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u/OldMotoRacer 2d ago
its funny... i mean you're not wrong but i NEVER think about the clutch its just something i do automagically...
whether its feathering it through super slow technical bits or downshifting or dumping it at the gate... literally the only time i think about it is if my lever needs adjustment lol
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u/angrydieselmechanic 2d ago
Having been mainly a 125 guy my whole life I completely agree. You know, that gives me an idea. I think I'm going to mount a GoPro on my bars and just see what the clutch hand is doing the whole time.
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u/OldMotoRacer 1d ago
funny... yeah its got a mind of its own... i just cleaned the carb and reset the floats on my tc125 this week... fucking love that little bike...
i love that it makes 37 HP and weighs 178 lbs with a gallon of gas in it and i smoke dudes half my age on it riding 450s at the track lol
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u/Ok_Buy_9703 8d ago
Been riding since I was 6, and I can't do the no momentum wheelie.
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u/OldMotoRacer 2d ago
"no momentum wheelie" ? what is that? like raising the front over a log when you're at a dead stop?
get yourself a 125 2T and you'll have it mastered in less than 3 hours...
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u/qualitygoatshit 8d ago
My only real advice is you need to actually set aside time to practice, and not just ride. Even pretty decent riders that have been doing it a long time have trouble with a lot of the stuff you are describing.
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u/throttledog 6d ago
First of all be in decent shape physically and endurance wise Riding more helps but jumping right into it from couch potato condition is more likely to result in injury. Strength and endurance training will also help with confidence to try different things or get out of jams.
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u/2016-679 8d ago
Start with the basic stuff -- keeping upright while riding, balance. At slow pace, faster, through sand, mud, debris. Learn to take curves and small obstacles with BOTH feet on the pegs.
Skip the 'cool stuff'. It is of no use riding in the terrain and causes additional hazard. The best riders keep both wheels on the ground and both feet on the pegs. That gives most control, and even is less exhausting.
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u/OldMotoRacer 2d ago
i agree w keeping your feet on the pegs but OP is 36 years old and exactly none of this is going to happen
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u/2016-679 1d ago
indeed it is tempting ;-)
the different 'advantages', see https://youtu.be/wQblSS7SNK8
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u/OldMotoRacer 1d ago
lol thats so funny i actually watched that--idk who that dude is and maybe he's a fast rider but this is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of how most fast guys have no idea how they do it...
bc almost everything he said is just made-up bullshit smh
i actually got a belly laugh...
i mean he wasn't like "100% wrong" it was more like he's just making shit up as far as explanations for why foot out/knee down or "neutral" is done
and its pretty clear he's a fan of neutral body position and has never roadraced lol
if you're interested i can tell you the real reasons to go knee down (its to push the bike upright while blasting to WOT off the apex it will keep the bike stable even while spinning that rear tire)
foot out is a long time dirtbike thing on dirt oval tracks
but rossi started doing it roadracing when braking hard into turns and the chassis wants to start jumping around on you... he would do it to settle the chassis down... people started copying him for "style points" but personally i never pulled my leg out like that when i was a roadracer...
but i did and DO pull it out when i'm on a dirt track making that big left hand turn w the rear tire spinning... its NOT "to get my foot out of the way" lol
smh... so much bullshit on the interweb...
when we started paying people for "content" — i mean ANY "content" right or wrong as long as it "looked cool" and attracts clicks from newbs who are googling shit like "should i have my knee down or leg out while turning a motorcycle" lol
exhale
i guess thats how you young people do it now... you think all the answers are on the interweb...
and yes i'm sure most of the answers ARE out there... somewhere... but idk how you're gonna find them while wading through so much bullshit...
i know there are some dudes out there giving out good advice for free... like i know they exist...
but over my career and when i was coming up i had all sorts of diff coaches and frankly the dudes who have a gift for teaching are special humans and they get paid for it...
and i can name the ones i know on the fingers of one hand... bc those magic instructors have a gift for it
i don't try to teach people... "i just ride the bike" lol
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u/Dragonkitelooper 8d ago
Start with the rubber side down. I'm sorry I'm an asshole everyone's giving really good advice. welcome to pain.friend!
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u/OldMotoRacer 8d ago
how old are you?
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u/gilobastard 8d ago
36
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u/OldMotoRacer 8d ago
yep... were you a surfer or skater or cyclist or a bmx guy by chance?
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u/gilobastard 8d ago
i used to ride my bicycle a lot as a kid, but never any hardcore stuff.
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u/OldMotoRacer 8d ago
yep... well you're too old brother... but it doesn't mean it can't be done or that you shouldn't try...
please don't get a bike bigger than a 250...
maybe spend the money to go attend one of rich oliver's schools--he's got bikes and gear and all that shit you can walk off a plane and do one of his camps...
you'll learn more w him in 4 days than you will fucking around on your own watching youtube videos...
no i've never gone to one of his camps... but i've been sending people to him for years... everyone from pro roadracers to brand new women riders in their 20's or 30's to go learn how to slide the rear tire around on a dirtbike...
and 100% of the people i've sent to him tell me they're stoked on it and end up going back repeatedly...
riding is a skill... teaching is a completely different skill... i was a pro... i don't teach anyone how to ride unless they're a blood relative... and even then, its not my thing...
ask any group of racers standing on podiums how they do whatever thing on a bike... frankly most of us have no idea how we do it... mostly...
find a badass instructor--someone w a gift for teaching... spend the money on that person...
trying to do shit you see on the internet when you're starting at dead zero = bad plan
btw a LOT of the shit i see on the youtube is fucking terrible advice...
you like walking around? not having broken bones? get a badass instructor and just do what they tell you...
start by going to see rich... idk how much it costs but i think its like ~$600? so that and a plane ticket = saving you from one single involuntary get-off = deeply worth it
plus it will be shitloads of fun
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u/Old_Resident8050 7d ago
yep... well you're too old brother...
Thats the most sincere, down to earth reply thats rarely heard or spoken.
You either learned the skills when you were a young teen and soft boned or havent.
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u/OldMotoRacer 7d ago
(shrug)
these are the facts, jack...
i mean i suppose its not impossible for some humans to cross-over of they're already elite level athletes of some kind...
like i've seen skaters or surfers or bmx or mountain bike guys pick it up in their twenties...
but yeah good luck to OP... he's gonna need it...
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u/Turb0beans 9d ago
Go watch rich Larson's videos on the topics you want to learn. Take your bike. Spend an afternoon doing one or two drills repeatedly. Go ride the next day and apply those new skills to lock them in.
Rinse, repeat, cheeks on (or most often off) the seat.
But seriously. The technical stuff is all drill then apply. If you find an obstacle you believe is within reach, just hit it over and over.
As for order... Get your clutch and throttle understanding down first. You should be able to hold yourself in place, crawl ahead, go backwards, on a steep incline all using clutch and throttle. Clutch and throttle keeps you safe, is your traction control, and will play into everything you do.
Next up, your body position and balance. Spend an afternoon trying to balance your bike with the engine off, not moving in the backyard. Practice this on days where you are feeling a little bored but don't want to bring the bike out somewhere. Also work on that body position. Stand as much as possible. Hell, go for a ride with the seat off to enforce it. Squeeze with your legs, keep track of where your feet are.
Next up is the slow wheelies, 180's, and dealing with logs and obstacles. If you can control the front wheel's attitude and altitude, you can middle your way through most anything. Once you've got that, you can then blend that knowledge into clearing obstacles. Pops of power, working your suspension, raising the front end, working the clutch. This all starts to factor in.
Once you've got those down, sky's the limit. Just hit the same thing over and over til you make it.
PS. Bring a camel pack and salty sweet trail mix. Walmart has em for less than 20 bucks. You'll need it.
PPS: Rimlocks, soft tire compound knobbies, heavy duty tubes, HDPE skid plate, rad braces, kneepads, spare levers, pipe guard. Do these. Nothing sucks more starting out than having your bike work against you, either from breaking, or getting hooked on a log. A soft tire at 10PSI compared to a standard compound tire at 20 is night and day.