DirtBag

While many of us are eagerly anticipating the next time we’re able to go out and have a proper ride, we’re probably not thinking a lot about rider training right now. After all, that involves other people, right? Even if you love to take hands-on rider training courses and advance your skills, other people just aren’t a good idea right now. Thankfully, while a certain degree of hands-on training is undoubtedly helpful, not everything has to be that way. It also doesn’t have to involve another person, particularly if you’re the kind of rider who can pick stuff up from watching helpful coaching videos during your down time. That’s where eight-time New Zealand enduro champion and off-road coach Chris Birch comes in. Birch has been riding enduro competitively for years, and has podiumed seven times at Red Bull Romaniacs, even winning it outright in 2010. He’s also New Zealand’s most successful Dakar Rally competitor. The guy knows his stuff, and to help support his off-road competition habit, he’s been coaching and training other riders so that they learn their own stuff, too. While Birch does offer hands-on courses in New Zealand, Australia, and on demand globally, he’s also just unveiled his brand-new Vimeo off-road training video course. It’s called Say No To Slow, and while we all know that no amount of video watching can ever replace hours of seat time, drilling important concepts into your head can help all of us improve our skills when we’re back out on our bikes. In total, there are 16 training videos available right now on Vimeo On Demand, which you can buy separately if you like, or purchase the whole lot for US $35. From standing position on your bike and off-road bike setup, to high-speed slides and log-jumping, Birch’s video series is also available with both English and Spanish subtitles. The whole thing lasts a little over three hours if you wanted to watch every clip back-to-back. No matter your level of experience, there’s always something new to learn, some new skill level within yourself that you can unlock. This might be a great way to do exactly that! Sources: Vimeo, Chris Birch Let's block ads! (Why?) Source

As soon as you clicked on this video, you knew what time it was. That’s right, it’s time to cue up your favorite synthwave playlist and get to work. Maybe you can’t just drop everything and take your retro enduro bike out to eat up a bunch of trails right now, but you can definitely dance it out like the rider does at the end of this video. Perhaps my favorite part of this entire composition is the fact that you can hear both the music AND the engine noise about as much as you’d want to. Someone mixed the audio on this piece in a thoughtful way, and since it seems like a lot of people don’t take the time, I’m all the more grateful for it. You don’t need to adjust your hold or your tracking to appreciate the ecstatic retro joy painted all over this video, in all its eye-searingly bright and completely period-appropriate colors. This whole thing is what jumping for joy looks and feels like, and if anyone ever asks, you can just save this link to show them. It’s only a little over three minutes, so it’s as nice and concise an explanation of sheer moto joy as you’re likely to find. It’s completely up to you whether you feel the need to dig up a ridiculous wig and headband before you go out to rip up the trails, but you know what? You do you. The whole point is having fun when you’re in the saddle, right? Every rider knows that even errands and chores become much more enjoyable when you’re riding off to do them. The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride encourages everyone to dress up extra fancy before hitting the road, so why not throw on your best LA Gear and Ray-Bans and rip it up? Besides, super-bright, extra-high motocross boots never really went away. Source: YouTube Let's block ads! (Why?)

For most young guys, scoring a clean, mostly-stock 2006 Sportster for $3000 would be enough. Not so for Kase Van Rees. He wanted to make it something completely his own. We can’t help but respect that. Van Rees bought the Sportster with money he saved from delivering pizzas. One of the reasons he opted for the 2006 rather than something newer is because it was the last year the Sportster was carbureted. He prefers to modify his own bikes and do his own wrenching, but admits he doesn’t know much about ECU tuning. He wanted a mechanical fuel system that he could tune himself, even if it does cause him some troubles when riding at altitude. When he bought it, the bike was mostly stock with the exception of a set of aftermarket Vance & Hines pipes. While he loves the rumble of the American-made V-Twin, he does admit that the free-flowing pipes are a little loud for his taste. The 1200 was in great shape when he got it with the exception of some leaking fork seals. While he was rebuilding them, he painted the lowers black. One of the first major modifications Van Rees made to the bike was ditching the original tank in favor of a tank from an old Honda CB750 which he spray-painted blue in his driveway. It fits surprisingly well with the café racer style seat he bought for $150. To install the seat, he had to weld some brackets to the frame. While he was at it, he added a hoop to the back of the frame. Without the rear fender to attach the taillights and license plate to, he mounted an LED strip to the hoop and a side-mount license plate holder. Van Rees admits the Sportster is a bit heavy for a scrambler, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He blacked out the pipes, then wrapped them with heat tape. Next, he added a 19-inch front wheel, turned the front fender around, and skinned both tires with Pirelli MT60s. Lastly, he added a Biltwell Moto Bar to complete the look. The Gnarly-Davidson—Van Rees’ name for the project—has a long way to go before it’s where he wants it. That’s just fine for Van Rees. He’s looking forward to many more days in the garage perfecting his masterpiece. Let's block ads! (Why?)