Cheap Off-Road Fun?

[StevenF]

Evening!

I went mountain biking today with a couple of mates (in specially built mountain bike trails) and it was brilliant fun, except the part where you had to pedal up the hill! With me being a bike fan, it made me want to do some off-road biking, and I think I might have convinced my mates to give it a go. It looks like a lot of fun and I'm sure it would improve my riding ability at the same time.

I'm clueless when it comes to motocross/off-road type bikes and not really sure what's good and what's bad.

Also, what about Pit bikes? They look like good fun and easy to transport, and the best of all, cheap to buy! Probably the best option at the moment because my mates are non-riders, so I imagine it would be a good way to get them started.

Lastly, where can you legally off road?

Thanks in advance
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My Project - Honda CBR 600 F2/FM

[mysterious_rider]

pitbikes are great! id check out welshpitbikes on google, they sell awesome bikes at very good prices.

I've had lots of pitbikes in the past, all good fun.

not too sure on the places to ride though, join pitbikeclub or fiddyforum and ask for your area.

[neatbik]

Check out the offroad section, there is a very useful sticky in there that will explain all about riding 'off road' legally.

[Teflon-Mike]

Well you cant ride on cycle-ways.
Waste-ground / publically accessible places, are covered by RTA, & a no-no.
Leaves, pay & play sites / practice tracks.
Organised competition.
'Unsurfaced' Public Rights of Way: URoW. or Green-Lanes, which are public roads, same as normal street. Just not got tarmac on it. Hence all usual laws apply, re tax, insurance, MOT, licence, helmet, speeding, stunting etc etc etc.
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[Tonka]

If you and your friends want to 'off-road' then you will need to find somewhere that is private and designed specifically for the sport. You'll probably find they allow 4x4, quads, all sorts of bikes and trikes. There will be a fee to pay and disclaimers to sign and there may well be certain rules and regulations regarding both you and your stead depending on the venue and how they organise it all.

Greenlaning is completely different - you are basically using unmetalled/untarmaced roads, so all the same rules apply as those on the tarmac roads. Bikes must be fully road legal, insured, tax'd and where necessary MOT'd. Riders must be compliant - you can get 125cc bikes that will be ok for CBT licence holders, but you will be required to display L plates!

IIRC you are Scotland based, so you are unlikely to be concerned with greenlaning, as there is nothing much to talk of in your neck of the woods. Chances are you will be looking at private venues.

HTH
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'The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences'
Suzuki SV650S (Clean); Yamaha XT250 Serow (Dirty)

[G]

If he's in the depths of Scotland, I believe that attitudes to using forests, waste ground etc are a lot more relaxed because of the 'lot lower population density.

Personally, I'm not a fan of pit bikes - find full size ones much more fun. But you do get semi-auto ones, which may make it easier.

You could always get something like an XR250 or possibly a cheap older 2 stroke enduro, ride it there yourself and teach your friends a bit about the basics of riding.

[Suntan Sid]

IIRC there was/is a motox track between Twynholm and Gate house of Fleet on the south side of the A75.
Pretty sure I read somewhere that there is trail riding at Clatteringshaws Loch, northeast of Newton Stewart

I had a few forays into the wilds of Dumfries and Galloway, never got stopped.
I used to study OS maps and look for roads that petered out into tracks and explore those!
As has been said I know a lot of folk used the Forestery Commission roads, watch out for rally cars though!

A trip down to nothwest D&G will reveal 100's of square miles of uninhabited countryside, shouldn't be too far for you!

[StevenF]

I wish this form supported multi-quote instead of having to do it manually

Thanks for all the info guys.

The reason I had thought about pit bikes is the price to be honest. They can be had for about £250 which means my friends could try it out without having to fork out a lot of money for the bikes. They could always move up from there if they wanted to.

I forgot there was an off-road forum, I've never really used it before, if someone could move it that would be great

It's a bit of the pain in terms or where you can and where you can't go, isn't it! There was miles and miles of uninhabited forest/hill sides which looked perfect for that sort of thing, but don't think it would be legal.

Thanks for the info guys, will look into it a bit more
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My Project - Honda CBR 600 F2/FM

[StevenF]

I joined a Scottish Motocross forum and found a place near me that does lessons. £60 for 2.5hrs and includes bike and all gear - a good way to get started and see if I enjoy it! Really looking forward to getting it booked and having a go

Never know, could lead to trips to Wales etc for some enduro etc
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My Project - Honda CBR 600 F2/FM

[weeeel]