Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Riding off-raod is probably one of the best ways of learning to ride. I know i've said this before, but i'll say it again. Nothing else helps you learn to compensate for sudden obstacles like riding off road. And also, the ground may feel really hard, but it's softer (in most cases) than concrete. Also is less abrasive. But riding dirt only WON'T completely prepare you for riding street. Which is why DP bikes are so great, you can toss them down a trail, then ride it to a gas station to fuel up yourself and the bike. Legally (I'd do this with my dirtbike if there waasn't the risk of cops).

PS - WhyteGryphon, the squirrelyness and slipping in mud and sand is quite natural. Part of it IS in fact a lack of off-road experiance, but it's mostly the tires. Yes, your bike DOES have knobbies, but they're street rated knobbies. And if you're running the original tires (or equivlent) they don't seem to be very agressive (at least from looking at kawasaki.com). Meaning, the knobs aren't as agressive or as big as knobbies designed specifically for off road. If you were to toss on some really aggressive knobbies and went mudding or plain old trail riding, you'd notice a HUGE differance in control and performance. Eventually, you'll get to the point when you can drift around muddy corners with the bike, it's quite fun when you pull it off. Ever see a bike do donuts in the mud? It's fun doing them

As a side note, real knobbies are considered bald after 10 hours or so of hard riding.

Tell you what, as a second bike for use on the dirt and tar I would have no problem buying this bike, in fact I want one.

yah, real knobbies aren't going to be part of my riding gear. I'm far too much of a long distance rider and I need rubber that is going to go the distance. I'm not going to search out really nasty stuff to try riding in, but if my travels take me through some 'less maintained' routes, at least I know that the bike will be capable of doing it.

Besides, I just don't have the money to be buying new tires every couple of days, which is what I would have to do if I went with off-road knobbies.

WhyteGryphon wrote:yah, real knobbies aren't going to be part of my riding gear. I'm far too much of a long distance rider and I need rubber that is going to go the distance. I'm not going to search out really nasty stuff to try riding in, but if my travels take me through some 'less maintained' routes, at least I know that the bike will be capable of doing it.

Besides, I just don't have the money to be buying new tires every couple of days, which is what I would have to do if I went with off-road knobbies.

haha yeah. That and pavement + rain + off-road knobbies = RR sport bike + drag slicks + wet grass. Just doesn't work. After the 10 hours they're still good and still give you good grip, they just don't have the same bite into the ground, that's all. I duno about in canada, but over here it's illegal to run straight up non-DOT approved knobs on the street, and for good reason.