If I were forced to live in a large city I probably wouldn’t ride motorcycles. Connected technology has brought us all closer together, so close that none of us really like what we see from our fellow man. This ubiquitous-connectedness has created a disconnect in a huge quantity of automobile drivers. Proximity sensors that auto-apply braking and lane-holding algorithms are responses to a driving populace that grows ever more disinterested in what is happening on the other side of the windshield. Self driving cars can’t get here soon enough for me.
Public roads are dangerous for motorcycles, no two ways about it, but there is a better place to ride. It’s a place where youthful hijinks don’t end in an expensive traffic citations or death by obliviousness. This place can be found everywhere, mere inches below the civilized world. This place is called The Dirt.
The Dirt is the true and holy Mother Road, unlike The Street, which relies completely on and has to be built on top of The Dirt. The Dirt stands on its own merits needing neither creation nor sustenance. Dirt will still be here long after the last human on Earth has crashed the last Volvo on Earth into the last telephone pole on Earth while sending the last text ever sent…on Earth.
The Dirt encompasses a wide variety of surfaces from graded county roads to nearly impassable paths more suitable to mountain goats. And you can ride a motorcycle over all of it. True, it’s getting harder to find places to ride near population centers. So pull up stakes and move to the less tony parts of the USA where there are miles and miles of dirt roads to explore.
Motorcyclists who start out in the dirt are simply better riders than those that don’t. Finding the limit on pavement is risky, expensive and painful. Those same limits can be exceeded and re-exceeded many times while riding in the dirt, sometimes without any input from the rider. Hell, sometimes the rider is tangled in a bush with a sprained thumb while the motorcycle explores the limits on its own. Crashing in The Dirt is less damaging to both body and bike. I’m not saying you can’t get killed dirt riding but it takes a determined effort to accomplish on your own what a drunken car driver will do for free.
The most interesting, less-picked-over sites are accessible only by dirt roads. Fencing and authorities are few and far between. If you see an abandoned mine shaft that needs falling into or a rusty car that needs a few more bullet holes you can fall or shoot with complete freedom.
Listen, don’t let street riding scares put you off motorcycles. Pick up an old dual purpose bike for a thousand or two and start finding your groove out where it’s safe to do the things you like to do.
True, living in the city is not much incentive for motorcycle riding. In my case putting LA in the rear view mirror is one of the prettiest sights I’ve ever seen. What follows is the open road through deserts, mountains, small towns, and friendly people. That’s the gift of asphalt. I done a lot of long distance riding and I wouldn’t change a bit of it. With luck I’ll do more in the future.
You and me both, Marty!
Predictably excellent.
Hey, it’s Joe Gresh! What else could it be?
I love where we live now. Almost zero traffic, Rush hour is 5 minutes long. You can go to the mountains or the desert.
If we had a beach you wouldn’t be able to afford a cardboard box.
The top photo of this post (the dirt road) is a historic site in Lordsburg New Mexico.
Marty and I stayed there (Lordsburg) one night on the way back from the Rattlesnake Roundup. We got snowed in that night and had to wait for the snow to melt the next morning. We were lucky; we got the last hotel room in town. There’s a blog on here somewhere about that.
In the late 50’s and early 60’s here in the Midwest trails and enduro’s were the cool things to do with a scrambles or TT short track thrown in!
What did we ride?
What ever we could put a set of knobby or universal tires on and fit a larger rear sprocket on.
Not being wealthy in those days, we often rode to and from local events on the same bikes we competed on!
Bottom line: it’s way more fun in the dirt!
Those were good days, Carl.
In 1989 I wanted to replicate this bike.
I bought an 89 FXLR and wanted to get 100 hp from the 80 ci motor.
I installed The Fueling 4 valve heads and dual carb manifold with oversized Delorto carbs.
I came real close to the 100 hp and even gained a little more torque.
I wish I’d kept it….it’s the bike I miss the most.