KLR600 Tries Motocross (foreign exchange/bonus life story)

[KLR600]

(TL;DR – I went to Germany, did motocross, had a blast and made some new friends – Photos buried in the text! Also - video in one of my posts at the bottom)

(This will be a long (5,116 words) post!

Despite what my username on this forum would suggest, I have never done any motocross, enduro or any off road riding other than attending a speedway school with the Swindon Robins when I was 10 years old (so that’s 15 years ago then ) and spending probably enough of my parents money at motorbike rallies before I hit my teens on those Mickeys Mini Motos things to buy myself a bike. I have however always ridden mountain bikes and even raced to a national level on various occasions).

Anyone who’s known me for any longer than about 5 seconds will know that I’ve always always always wanted to have a proper go at motocross. Various reasons have prevented me from doing this – I grew up in the middle of a city and my family were never well off so that was a motocross bike crossed off my Christmas list every year then when I got old enough to earn my own money I either spent it on mountain bikes or had other interests as I’d still need lifts with a bike to a track or had to put money into whatever vehicle I was running at the time etc etc! Either way it was one of those “maybe next year” things that we all have that always seemed just out of grasp.

I met my girlfriend Eileen a few years ago at college. We’ve been going steady for a year now and were good friends before we got together. She’s from Berlin and has a lot of family there (I’m writing this out in Berlin as it happens) and she’s the kind of woman that likes to help people out wherever she can despite there being nothing in it for her. We hit it off pretty soon after meeting and spent more time together mainly getting frustrated with our college being rubbish but we’d always end up talking about stuff we each wanted to do. I’d always bore her to death about wanting to try motocross and the glory days of my mountain bike racing until one day she mentions that (stay with me here) her Dad’s Girlfriend’s Daughter’s Boyfriend rides motocross and has done since he was a kid. She offers to ask if there’s any chance I could get a ride on his bike at some point if I ever make it out to Berlin so obviously I say yes but never expect anything to come of it.

Forgive me while I gloss over how Eileen and I got together, this is a bike forum after all and you all just want to see photos of motorbike related stuff! Fast forward 2 years and Eileen not only made the call but I’m preparing to drive out to Berlin with Eileen for a bit of a break before starting my third year of university. The trip is also due to include a day’s motocross riding with Eileen’s Dad’s Girlfriend’s Daughter’s Boyfriend (or Frank, seeing as that’s his name ). Not only has he organised a day at a track suitable for beginners he’s also managed to get me a bike to use for the day from one of his friends and has arranged for me to borrow all the gear I’d need to ride safely! I should probably mention at this point that Frank speaks very limited English, his girlfriend (Madi) speaks much less English than he does and Eileen’s Dad and his partner speak almost no English. My German language skills are non-existent, I can’t even recall any old high school German lessons as I only had useless Spanish and French lessons . I’d also like to point out that I’d met Frank and Madi only once before when they came to visit Eileen in Manchester for a few days so for him to have gone out of his way to arrange not only a bike but safety gear and a suitable track to ride after only meeting me once was amazingly generous and I was totally blown away before I even got to Berlin!

So the deal was I’d ride motocross with Frank for a day and he’d show me some techniques and give me some tips and then we’d go mountain biking another day and swap the teacher/pupil roles as he wanted to learn some mountain bike techniques. Obviously I was super excited and was sure that nothing would dampen my spirits, not even the 900 mile drive from Manchester to Berlin. I packed in the usual 5-minutes-before-leaving fashion I have adopted for any important trip and as such forgot a lot of important things I needed for other parts of the trip (I had clean underwear, enough t-shirts to last me through, my passport as well as my MX helmet and gloves, what more did I need??). The drive was long and sucky:

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22 hours into the drive

But that was nothing compared to what was just a few hours up the road… The clutch on my car decided it had had enough just 15 miles away from our final destination in Berlin and as such the car had to be recovered from the Berlin Ring Road after a 24ish hour drive from Manchester! This is where I was glad Eileen has retained her typical German efficiency despite living in the UK for 12 years, she’d bought EU breakdown cover the day before we left and it was worth every penny of the £72 it cost (massive massive thumbs up to GreenFlag for their efficient and helpful service here).

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Well by now my spirits had been well and truly dampened to the tune of £320 and a new clutch but that’s another story for another time…

ANYWAY

I’d recovered from the Thursday/Friday drive and had arranged with Frank to make it to his place for about 9am so we could convoy to the track in his van and Madi’s car. (These Germans like early mornings eh?). Frank and Madi picked us up from the train station and after a quick fuel stop we were off. The track was a couple of hours away from Franks place so we had plenty of time for some tomfoolery on the way:

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Whilst there was a definite language barrier between Frank and I we managed to have totally normal conversations about motorbikes, Nitro Circus, speedway, life in Germany vs life in the UK, mountain biking and pretty much anything really. I won’t lie, I was apprehensive that the language barrier would prove to be a major stumbling point and we’d be sat in awkward silence for a few hours. I needn’t have worried however as Frank and I got on like a house on fire as long as we remembered to talk slowly and clearly to each other - it was all good! As we got closer to the track Frank began talking to me about his bike (Honda CRF250R) and the bike I’d be riding. He decides this is a good time to tell me that the bike he’s managed to borrow for me (a Suzuki RMZ250) has been bored out to 290cc by its owner, what better state of tune for a total beginners go on a motocross bike around a proper track!! Not like I wasn’t nervous before I knew that…

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So we arrive at the track in Jüterborg and Frank sorts out all the disclaimers and stuff you’re supposed to sign that say you won’t sue if you break yourself etc and I’m just left to poo my pants. As we’ve pulled up I’ve seen some other people at the track already tearing the place up. I’m terrified I’ll be holding people up all over the show, be falling off every second corner and just generally struggling and not enjoying myself. You know how they say you should never meet your heroes? This was kind of the same thing. I’ve been wanting to do motocross since I was about 3 years old and I’m 30 minutes away from ending a 22 year wait so obviously I’m a bit apprehensive as to whether it’ll live up to what’s in my head!

Luckily Frank and the glamorous pit girls (Eileen and Madi!) were on hand to calm my nerves! Frank gives me some long johns as the velcro on the pads I had were rubbing my legs a bit. Obviously they were the latest in motocross technical base layer technology, no scrimping here!

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There are worse photos of me on the internet…

And then it’s over to start the bike. I’ve nicknamed the bike Psycho Suzi, it just made me feel a bit better at the time is all

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Just before we set off for my first ever lap of a motocross track Frank re-assures me that this is a popular track with beginners and everyone knows it. The track isn’t busy and if I need to take my time then do it. I won’t be in anyone’s way and if someone comes up behind me then just let them overtake me however they like. We agree that he’ll ride ahead of me and I’ll just try and get around the track and stop after a few laps.

I’ve ridden various bikes on the road for about 8 years now ranging from 125cc up to 1100cc and have done over 100,000 miles in my time in all weathers (including 6 harsh North Wales winters!) in various countries so like to think I have a pretty good handle on bikes. Nothing could have prepared me for the ferocity of that bike though! Whether it was the sound of the un-baffled exhaust or the way the back wheel just span anywhere, anytime, in any gear or the way the bike was just squirrelling everywhere on the ruts in the track or whether I was just so pumped on adrenaline that everything felt like warp speed I just don’t know! The bike had masses of power right through the rev range and every time I cracked the throttle open it felt like it was trying it’s best to tear my arms right out of their sockets.

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I struggled around a couple of laps of the track. I didn’t fall but I was far from fast or even competent! I had plenty of moments where I was sure I was about to die or have a horrible crash but luckily through no design of my own I managed to stay upright. Frank would ride ahead then wait for me after every couple of corners to make sure I was still the right way up and there were no bones sticking out. Eileen and Madi likened us to a mother duck looking after its young as Frank would stop and keep looking behind until he could see me again

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After 3 laps I needed to give my knuckles a break as they were the whitest they’d ever been. Frank pulls up and we basically go over the track, how I’m feeling and what I want to do next. Frank imparts some helpful tips and then it’s another few laps before pulling in for a lunch break (The tracks in Germany have a break between midday and 2pm to allow for track maintenance). After another chat about technique (Frank has followed me a bit to look at what I’m doing/not doing) we decide to walk the track. As you can see from the photos it was a gorgeous day - 22ish degrees, blue skies and no wind. Obviously the girls were there to offer helpful advice on lines and techniques…

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Lunch break over and it’s back to the track. My arms had taken a battering after the morning sessions but Frank’s tip to grip and steer the bike with my legs/thighs drastically improved my handling over the rough stuff and I felt much more in control. I also felt my confidence building over the jumps. I was keen to find out how it compared to jumping my downhill mountain bike. I figured they’re both bikes with lots of suspension so what’s the difference? Quite a lot it seemed!! I’ve no doubt my mountain bike experience helped but I’d liken the skills crossover between motocross and mountain biking to that of driving a car and an artic lorry. Sure they’re both driving but are still totally different! Anyway, here are some photos of me and Frank being reckless:

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Frank shows the correct technique for looking cool

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Frank shows me the right way to jump!

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A few laps later (this motocross business is tiring stuff y’know!) we stop for a quick break and decide to ride the track in sections so Frank can coach me a bit and show me some more helpful stuff.

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We ride a series of flat corners on the track and Frank’s advice of sitting almost on the tank, having my elbows out wide and really attacking the corners help loads and my speed improves drastically after hitting the section a few times. I’d struggled here previously as I was sitting too far back on the seat as I would on a road bike which let the front wheel just sort of float around the place without finding grip. I’d dropped the bike a couple of times too on these corners because of bad technique so Franks tutoring sorted all that out and really improved my speed on this section of the track. We decided that I’d had enough tutoring for one day (there’s only so much I can process in one day!) and opt to just ride the track for a bit before packing up and heading home. Again, I’m amazed at just how physical motocross is and after a few laps and a slow speed spill in the flat corners I’m done for the day!

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Frank shows us who’s number one!

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The day comes to an end and we’re packing up the bikes and getting out of our (highly technical ) motocross gear. I’m knackered, elated and pumped full of adrenaline but also bummed out as I know that the chances of me doing this again anytime soon are slim to none. This is when Eileen decides to tell me that she’s just arranged with Frank for us to go motocrossing again the following Thursday on a different track just outside of Berlin! Suddenly I’m buzzing again and the 2 hour drive back to Eileen’s Dad’s house passes in a blur of motocross technique talk and me annoying Frank with questions about what the other track is like. I notice I’m stiffening up a bit on the drive back but just write it off after a hard days riding. We get back to the house and stuff our faces with a typical German spread of a million different meats, breads and spreads and a selection of beers and spirits!

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I wake the next day and can’t move! I’m sure I’ve broken myself somehow but it turns out I’m just aching so much as I’ve used muscles I didn’t even know I had the day before. The bikes are left in the garage ready for Frank to prep before the next riding session.

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I’ve got 4 days to get fit again before the next day of motocross. Luckily Eileen and I have a lot planned and do some typical holiday things. After a trip to Poland, an outdoor cinema, family visits and traipsing around Berlin it’s time for day two of my childhood dream!

We’ve arranged to meet at Frank and Madi’s place for breakfast at 8am (seriously Germany, I wouldn’t mind a lie in…) and another typically lavish German spread awaits us! We stuff our faces with a selection of bread and meat and then stock up on energy drinks before heading out in convoy to Schwedt Motocross track which apparently held an MX3 motocross round last year. No sweat for a beginner then…!

Frank and I once again overcome the quickly shrinking language barrier on the journey to the track and talk about family (turns out his cousin won the German speedway championship the weekend we were in Jüterborg!) as well as about how my parents feel after seeing the photos of me riding motocross on facebook. I’ve realised that the language barrier is only as much of a hindrance as we want to make it (which is none at all!) and we both have a lot of mutual interests and pick up where we left off last time.

We arrive at the track and suit up. I’m much quicker gearing up this time as I have a much better idea of what to expect and the track is deserted as we’ve come on a Thursday when everyone else is in work (Frank managed to wrangle a day off work just to take me motocrossing!) so I’m not worried about holding anyone up this time. Again Frank has managed to secure the use of Psycho Suzi and all the gear I need to stay safe as well as having an apparently endless supply of fuel, energy drinks and cereal bars to see us through the day. The astounded and almost offended look he gave me when I tried to offer him money for diesel at the petrol station was mimicked when I offered money for the track fee. Having spoken with Eileen about it (obviously Eileen is fluent in both English and German) she tells me that he’s just happy to have helped me tick something off my bucket list. I’m still reeling from his generosity now and can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for me. He mentioned something about me buying him some drinks next time he comes to Manchester but I think I’m going to have to buy shares in a brewery just to go some way towards paying him back!

We hit the track and I quickly realise that I may be slightly out of my depth. The track is much longer than the Jüterborg track, has many different kinds of jumps (not just the tabletops I got used to on the previous track) and has a lot of elevation changes meaning there are steep inclines and sharp descents mixed in with tricky off camber turns. To top it off the track looks like it’s been raced on recently and has yet to be smoothed out so there are lots of ruts to contend with and the Berlin sun has dried the track out a lot so there are sections of deep sand that make it tricky for a beginner like me to even get around the whole track. We ride a few whole laps of the track before I have to stop to give my hands and arms a break. I feel I’ve regressed a bit and have forgotten a lot of the tips and techniques Frank had shown me last time and I got a bit frustrated with myself for being so daunted by the track.

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Frank picks up on my frustrations as he is also looks a bit miffed at the condition of the track. He quickly suggests we ride the first half of the track which consists mainly of tabletops and bermed corners and is made up of harder packed sandy dirt so is easier to ride. I’m relieved he’s suggested it before I did and after some drinks we’re back out on the track. Riding the easier half of the track made it easier for me to remember the advice Frank had given me last time and my confidence on the track came on in leaps and bounds. I was particularly fond of a 30ft tabletop jump and after a few runs at it Frank gave me some tips for jumping it properly. He tells me I need to carry some more speed from the previous corner and to give it a bit of throttle going up the jump. He’d already explained to me how I could control the pitch of the bike in the air by tapping the back brake (to bring the rear up) or giving it some throttle (to drop the rear) and to land on positive throttle to make the landing smoother.

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It was an awful lot to remember, especially as I’m just used to hitting jumps on my mountain bike and not having to worry about most of that stuff! It took me a few runs to hit the jump fully committed but I eventually managed to pull it all together and was rewarded with some decent air time and a smooth and buttery landing! There was no stopping us now as Frank and I both took lap after lap to hit the jump over and over, Frank would follow me in and I’d occasionally glance over to see Frank flying through the air right next to me, it felt insane!

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Frank showing me the emergency eject procedure!

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Me getting a feel for the jump

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Frank gesturing that I need to go higher!

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Trying to carry my speed into the tabletop

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This was awesome!


It was Frank who stopped first this time. I was on such a high riding this jump that I probably wouldn’t have stopped until the bike ran out of petrol if I’d of been on my own! He suggests that we go and get some drinks and something to eat then try and practice some cornering techniques on a long half flat, half bermed corner at the start of the track. This was fine with me so it was a quick pit stop and back to the track. Before we started practicing the corner I was keen to get a sequence shot of me hitting the jump that we’d just been practicing so I set Eileen and Madi up with the camera at the jump. I hadn’t really noticed the wind picking up a bit as the track was so undulating - it was sheltered in places but obviously totally exposed in the air over the jumps. Frank goes ahead for a few laps and nails some good sequence shots.

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Then it’s my turn. I still felt really confident on the approach to the jump for the first few laps but as soon as I was in the air on my third attempt I felt the bike veer to the right in a gust of wind. I stiffened up and panicked and landed a bit sideways. As I’d tightened my grip due to panicking I landed with an open throttle and the bike shot off to the left of the track and I went down pretty hard on my left side/shoulder. I jumped straight up and thankfully all of the armour I was wearing saved me from any injury, I didn’t even stall the bike! Unfortunately the camera was setup on a tripod for the sequence shot so my crash wasn’t captured on camera, I was rather gutted to learn that no one even saw the crash! After checking me and the bike over Frank said I must hit the jump again straight away or the fear will take over. I gulp a quick mouthful of energy drink to wash the sand out of my mouth and despite my confidence being less than half of what it was before I manage to hit the jump again and land it clean! This is what it looked like:

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Eileen was keen to get a shot of us jumping from the rear (I’m pretty sure she just wanted to look at my bum in motocross trousers ) so we take a few more laps to hit the jump but my confidence had waned after the fall and with the wind picking up. She got the shots and then after another quick break we went on to ride the corner at the start of the track.

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Frank styling it up

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Me trying not to die

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Me showing everyone how much my hands were shaking!

Due to the race prior to us riding the track there was already a rut most of the way around the corner leading into a bit of a berm and then into a bumpy straight. The entrance to the corner was a sort of sweeping left hander down a hill. I really struggled with the downhill entrance. It felt odd trying to come in hot on a downhill section hoping that I’d hit the rut that would carry me around the corner.

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I also struggled a bit with the exit of the corner. The smoothest line was to bear left out of the corner for the following right hander. If you went straight on out of the corner you’d hit a really bumpy section of track as I did on more than one occasion. It was a bit of a suspension test for sure!

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Frank once again pulls me to the side of the track and offers me some line choice advice as well as tips on steadying the bike and reminding me about some of the cornering techniques he’d taught me previously and before long we’re both churning up the corner good and proper! Obviously Frank was doing it more properly than me but I was still having fun and was glad to be finding my confidence again after leaving most of it at the base of the jump further down the track.

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Throughout the day Eileen and Madi followed us around to take photos, carry drinks for Frank and I and keep each other company. There were a few occasions where they took matters into their own hands though!

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After a while sessioning the corner Frank suggests we ride some full laps and the call it a day. We’re both getting tired so we decide to call it quits while we’re (relatively!) ahead. I manage three laps before being forced to stop in a totally knackered heap at the side of the track. Frank goes on to tell me that a single motocross race is 20 minutes plus 5 laps and there’s 4 races in a race day! It leaves me thinking that I’d need to seriously hit the gym if I was to take up motocross riding not only for endurance and stamina training but also general strength training as once again I could feel myself stiffening up as soon as we had stopped. As we pack up Frank practices his wheelies and I take a few more photos of Psycho Suzi:

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I’m once again left pumped full of adrenaline and totally buzzing yet a little bummed that I know that this will actually be the last time I get to ride motocross in a long time. I have no doubt that the next 9 months of my life will be ruled by academia, essays and getting annoyed at university so I try my best to keep the stoke going for as long as possible. Frank assures me that I’ve improved tremendously over the two days of riding we’ve had and has been thoroughly impressed by my riding. It’s a testament to his coaching and advice that I’ve even been able to get the bike airborne at all let alone inject any kind of pace into my riding. I still have a very long way to go before I’d consider myself even an average motocross rider but it’s easy to get caught up in the technicalities.

Whilst the language barrier between Frank and I had been broken down day by day I found myself frustrated that I couldn’t truly express my gratitude to him for all the things he’d arranged for me and allowed me to experience. As I said at the start of this post, I’d wanted to ride motocross since I was a kid and now I can well and truly tick that off my bucket list thanks to the generosity of Frank and Madi. He managed to find me a bike to use, all of the protective clothing I’d need to ride safely (and it wasn’t 30 year old stuff he’d found in his attic either!), he’d sourced tracks that would be suitable for my abilities and took care of all the admin and sign-ons as well as all the fuel/bike prep and energy drinks – don’t forget we’d only really met once before this week!

We stopped at a bar on the way home for a meal (schnitzel and chips for me please!) where Eileen and I managed to wrestle the bill from Frank:

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And after a quick drive back to Frank and Madi’s place to pick the car up and arrange a time to go mountain biking (I wish I was joking when I say it was an 8am start…) it was a short drive back to Berlin where I lasted about 5 seconds before crashing out for the night!

I’m aware this post is already quite long so I’ll leave all the mountain bike stuff out. Frank improved loads over the day though and earned a new nickname – No Fear Frank!

I’m in Berlin for a few more days yet and Eileen and I will be meeting Frank and Madi for some drinks tomorrow evening. I can’t help but feel that even despite there being obvious language issues that Frank and I will become close friends (although it seems obvious we already have). I guess it doesn’t matter if you can’t speak the same language as long as you’re having a good time together and while I mentioned several times in this post that Frank would show me tips and techniques, there were a lot more hand gestures involved than usual! The safety blanket of having a totally bilingual person present was handy to begin with but by the end of the second day Frank and I were laughing and joking with each other no problems as if we’d been mates for years.

Once again I have motorbikes to thank for making new friends and having a totally unforgettable experience!

Massive thanks to Eileen for putting the wheels in motion for this whole thing and for traipsing around the tracks taking photos of me.

The more eagle eyed among you will have noticed the occasional shot of me looking like a teletubby with a GoPro on my helmet. I’ll be making a video when I get back to the UK as this laptop struggles enough just editing photos let alone doing anything at all with video!

Apologies for the Teflon Mike length post – I have some down time and figured I should get back into the swing of essay writing before this uni stuff kicks off again next week!
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Now: '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100R - Past: '84 Yamaha DT125, '89 Kawasaki KLR600, '97 Yamaha XJ600N
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[lilredmachine]

Cracking post, looks like a truly special experience.
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Bikes: too many, too much for one man to maintain anyway.

[Dischord]

Great post, thoroughly enjoyed reading that! Looks like you took to motocross really well too, getting some good air.

BTW hats off to the photographer (your girlfriend?) some amazing photos there.
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2012 KTM EXC 250

Check out my vids - https://www.youtube.com/user/KTMSparky/videos

[KLR600]

[garth]

Right, that's it, I'm buying a crosser.
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You ain't a has been if you never was

[_Iain_]

Definately a good read.

More magazine article than forum post!
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Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[P.]

Awesome write up, I tried trials riding a few weeks ago.

I know what you mean about aching and I only did it for 3 hours

I have always wanted to go off road Garth, trade SM for hornet and you can buy some off road wheels

[Wave2k]

There needs to be more write ups like this on BCF
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[KLR600]

[HoggyF]

Awesome write up - there are some very good people in the world!!

I was like you, in wanting to try trials, but I ended up just biting the bullet and going out and buying a bike then going with a mate straight to a trial. My first ride on my bike was the 150yds down a lane to the 1st section then straight into a competion, I had all the wrong gear on and found it immensely difficult, its a lot lot harder than it looks but it is seriously addictive, been doing it a couple of years now and love it. You also still get some of the speed thing on trials when your between sections riding over the fell.

Trials is a whole lot cheaper than Motocross as its more about the rider than the bike (my 1st cost me £600) but maybe you could get an older crosser and just go to practice tracks for now, is there anyone that could store it for you?? After the bike the next most expensive thing will be a trailer and towbar probably unless you've got a van.

Hope you get to continue

[KLR600]

[swiftb]

great post really enjoyed it - the great pics helped

[KLR600]

Here's a little 2 minute video I made from the first day at Jüterbog:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTSrkqiEVsE

We didn't film any of the track at Schwedt, totally forgot! That video was my first day ever riding MX and when the camera is on my helemt it was only my second session on the track hence being a bit slow
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Now: '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100R - Past: '84 Yamaha DT125, '89 Kawasaki KLR600, '97 Yamaha XJ600N
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[delvey91]

The peas in the last pic are massive !
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2016 Honda Africa Twin
2006 KTM 200 EXC

[Redoko]

Looks like it was amazing trip.


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"Let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."
Sudika Sportsman SK50QT > Gilera DNA50 > Honda CBR125 RW7 > Kawasaki Zephyr750 > Suzuki GSXR600 > Honda Hornet CB600F '51

[KLR600]