I was raised in the woods by wolves.
we started at 10 or so with worn out Briggs lawn mower engines and bending pipe for frames...I'm not saying there weren't wheelbarrow wheels missing...I'm just saying it could have been anyone.

then we took these deadly devices into the woods and rode them like 2 wheeled tractors...the 5th try or so was some fairly impressive tote gotes...there was no learning curve when you have teenage hootzpa...then when dirt bikes came in we were already used to sliding sideways and trying to grab more.

you have to get the feel and skills in the dirt to have full control of these deadly machines even before you face the cell phone soccer moms, sand on curves, and ninja deer.

go buy a small dirt bike and hone your skills, learn the balance, what to do in off cambers while you laugh and have fun...that way there is no trauma in the learning and the falls are at a manageable speed and don't hurt as much.

main thing is to get comfortable so reactions are second nature...doesn't come from a book...comes from hours of doing and having fun. take the chore out of it.

take water with you cause you're going to sweat.

Started in the early 70's begging rides from friends who had dirt bikes. Then at 15 my dad got me a Honda CL175 so I could get myself to school & back. Been riding ever since except for a several year break after totalling my H1 t-boneing a lady "who didn't see him".

I took the msf course with my wife last year so she could get her license. It was a very fun and educational course. And like Wombat says, I was amazed at some of the things I was doing wrong all of these years! They didn't have any training except the school of hard knocks back in the 70's.
I would have taken the couse back then if it was available.

Block

Training is a very important part of riding - it's all very well having lots of experience - but lot's of bad experince just puts you in danger.

I started with the CBT in 1991, and after doing my test in the same year, sought extra help - payed some good money for it too. Did a course with an expert road rider over a weekend in cambrdigeshire, learned loads about bend planning,overtaking, hazard analysis, hard braking, slow riding and so on. Then followed up with the institute of advanced motoring motorcycle course, and RoSPA advanced motorcycling course.

Now, a lot of riders that do that tend to take a snobby attitude to other riders, as far as I'm concerned, do what you want, but man, my riding became smoother and safer and a lot more fun as a result of advanced training.

__________________
Buggrit

various seats,12V socket,gaiters,tach,city bags,UJ tank cover,knee pads,genmar risers,AI gone,dynojet kit,K&N filter,TORs, grin like a cheshire cat

Been riding for 48 years, since 1960. Started on motor scooters, silver pigeon and Cushman. First motorcycle in 1965. Crashed twice and both at low speed. Once on a 1970 Daytona in early 70s and once in a mud hole two up on a Honda dirt bike in the late 80s, also at low speed. Learned a lot recently by reading Houghs books. Never heard of countersteering and now do it all of the time. Never had any formal or informal training. Might be interested in some one on one, but am not going to push it in training or anywhere else and risk a fall. I fall too hard at 65. Well, I taught myself to be a mechanic, an ocean sailor and commercial boat captain, a celestial navigator, and a lot more stuff. I KNOW that I am not a particularly proficient rider and I know that I will never be, because I am a clumsy SOB. I am a pilot, but I most certainly did NOT teach myself how to do that. If I took training or a test, my 1979 XL250s would be hard to beat, but it is in Honduras.

__________________
2005 Green Bonnie, TORs and Unifilter, AI gone, Modre's peg kit, headlight modulator, brake modulator, tach, bright indicator leds, NC wind deflector, gaiters, Polaris bellmouth, steibel, vmax mirrors, dresser bars. http://TexasCoastGeology.com

I was taught, together with my brother, by a professional feet-up flat track (speedway for my British friends) racer. He was the most amazing rider I ever saw - one-handed sideways wheelies on a TM 400 which was, at the time, one of the most evil motocross bikes ever created. I asked him if he would teach me to do that and he responded "I'll teach you anything you like but if I ever see you sitting on a bike without a helmet on, I'll never speak to you again."

He could do mind-bending things on a motorcycle. Sponsored racers used to find reasons to "check their bikes" in the pits when Bob Gullick was on the track. He used to ride the bikes onto the trailer, usually on the back wheel. He held the track record on our local track on a 90cc bike that he built and later sold to us. Husqvarna 400s ran on this track at the same time and he passed them in the corners. He passed everyone in the corners. His pro racing days were over at that time and his full time occupation was Staff Sgt in the USMC. He was, at one time, a drill instructor.

Motocross was it. Bob watched over us like a hawk, instructing us on weight placement, throttle control, braking technique, sliding technique, jumping - everything a rider does on a motocross track. When we didn't learn properly, he never yelled. He asked questions about why we didn't do as instructed and that was enough to ensure we didn't repeat the mistake. Brakes were for turning the bike sideways and when we asked what to do in a certain situation, the answer was inevitably, "more throttle."

We were not allowed to sit down on a motorcycle - racers stand up. He saw me sitting one time when I thought I was out of his sight and promptly removed the seat from my bike. I never sat on a dirt bike again.

We were not allowed to put a foot down except when we stopped. There was a name he used for riders who put a foot down but I won't share it with you. I remember him asking me once why I put a foot down - "are you afraid of falling?" When I answered in the affirmative, his reply was "park that thing if you're afraid." No more feet down for me, ever, even in the chronic mud of eastern North Carolina. I insist that was the most valuable part of the training. I was sideways at all times, even on the straights and I was comfortable with that. Comfortable nothing - I loved it.

Sunday being race day, Saturday was PM day - preventative maintenance. We cooked chains in oil on the charcoal grill, cleaned and adjusted bikes, sprayed WD-40 on everything except the tires and seat. Bob hated chrome. Everything on our bikes was either yellow or flat black. Rims, bars, shocks, everything. I could do the top end - piston and rings - on my 185 in under 10 minutes starting from shutting the bike down. I know because he timed us. He would laugh and ask if those parts were hot. My brother and I learned to run when Bob entered the words "hold this for a minute." I learned to run because he would hand you an object - bars, head, whatever - and paint it with Yamaha flat black motorcycle paint while you held it. He would smile and paint your arm up to the elbow. "OK, looks good!"

This formal training went on for over two years and still serves me well today. I was sideways several times yesterday on gravel and never got my heart rate up. I was laughing too hard. Bob always told me I had "more b@lls than brains."

__________________
Could you see me if I was standing on your hood kicking in your windshield?

Started riding dirt bikes in fields at the age of 9. At the age of 10 I had a bad crash and had 3 degree burns up my leg, this taught me a lot to respect the bike. At the age of 16 I left school and went to college and past my City and Guilds exam in Motorcycle Engineering. Past my Motorcycle test in 1983 and have been riding ever since.
Moral of the story - riding in the fields in my younger days help me with clutch control

__________________
I do it at 40 P.S.I

I have been riding with a license for over 35 years. (Ever since I was 17) Before that Mini bikes . I have to say that I have learned from mistakes, others and just experience in general. I often wonder how in the hell I did not get killed when I was a kid. Silverado can back me up on that. I was very reckless, careless or just plain stupid when I was a younger me. I still like to go a little fast....but in a safe and prudent manner!

__________________

Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.