What
are the classes about?
- Dirt Bike School curriculum provided by the Motorcycle
Safety Foundation and taught by nationally certified coaches
- Class develops the mental & physical
skills necessary to fully enjoy off-highway motorcycling
(dirt riding skills are different from street skills)
- Class provides hands-on-training with
emphasis on safety and skills development
- Class sizes are small to assure more
individual attention for each student.
- Adult Dirt Bike School
(ages 12 and up) classes will
include lessons in starting, stopping, turns, clutch
control, riding and shifting while standing on pegs,
weight shifting for traction, lower body control for
turns, surmounting obstacles, turning on hills, U-turns
on hills, and traversing hills.
- Youth Dirt Bike School
(ages 6 to 11) classes will
include lessons in starting, stopping, turns, clutch
control (as applicable), riding and shifting while
standing on pegs, weight shifting for traction,
lower body control for turns, and surmounting
obstacles.
- Family Dirt Bike School
classes are the only class in which we can mix both
Youth (ages 6 to 11) and Adult (ages 12 and up)
students in the class together. This class is
specifically intended for parents and their children
to participate on dirtbikes alongside one another in
class. Lessons included are the same as those
above.
NOTE: Adult Dirt Bike
School is a prerequisite for all students
wishing to enroll in the following classes:
- Dual Sport Skills will
build upon the skills you learned in the basic
DirtBike School class, providing additional guidance
and individual coaching to improve your confidence
and control of your dual-sport motorcycle on gravel
and two-track roads. This course includes
guided rides over paved and gravel roads.
- Adventure Riding Experience
is a 2-day guided adventure that will take you off
the beaten path, explore minimum maintenance roads,
and overnight camp by a beautiful lake. In
addition to improving your motorcycle control on
loose and uneven surfaces such as gravel roads,
sandy 2-tracks, inclines (up, down, and crowned),
and rutted routes, you'll also learn tips and
techniques for travelling and living off your
motorcycle for extended periods. Click
for more info
- Trail Riding Basics
is most appropriate for those interested in riding
single-track trails and
will build upon the skills
you learned in the basic Dirt Bike School class,
providing additional guidance and
individual coaching in an on-trail setting.
NOTE: Successful
completion of both Adult Dirt Bike
School and Trail Riding Basics are required for all students
prior to enrolling in the following class:
- Advanced Off-Road Skills
will include lessons in advanced off-road techniques
with more adverse terrain and surface conditions.
Where are the classes held?
- While we have
access to several sites, our two primary course sites
for 2024 are located near Forest
Lake, MN and Jordan, MN.
Specific course offerings vary by location depending
on availability of terrain features. We do expect to conduct
some chartered courses in
other locations during the season.
- Most of our classes are
conducted on private property that is not open to
public riding. Detailed directions to the
course site are provided to students in the
confirmation message we send upon receipt of their
payment.
Training schedule? Class dates? Wait List?
- We publish our schedule and open Registration for the year around March 15th. Click
Events on the
upper left navigation bar for our schedule
- All of our regularly scheduled classes (i.e. open to the general public) are held on weekends in May - October (weather permitting).
- If you are unable to attend one
of our regularly scheduled classes, we may be able to arrange a Private class
for you on a weekday at one of our course sites.
- We generally do not maintain a Wait List for scheduled classes as cancellations are very rare (i.e. less than 5% based on our 20+ years of registration data).
What is
the cost for the class?
Are
there rental bikes available?
- Yes, we do have bikes
available to rent for use in Dirt Bike School
classes only
- Rental rate is $50 for the
day of class
- Current fleet includes: Honda
CRF230's, XR200's,
XR100's,
XR80, XR70's & CRF50 (automatic clutch), Yamaha TTR230,
and TTR125's
- Please note: Students
are required to bring their own bike for the
following classes:
Dual Sport Skills, Adventure Riding
Experience, Trail Riding Basics,
Advanced Off-Road Skills
Can I
bring my
own bike?
Yes, we encourage
students to bring their own bike, however it:
- Must pass an inspection
- We discourage 2-stroke Motocross and Race
bikes because of the low speeds and potential for
spark plug fouling
- The tires on some street oriented dual sport
motorcycles may not provide adequate grip in
the dirt or mud and are not designed for use at
this facility. Contact us to discuss if you are
in doubt.
What to
wear (required at all times)
- Helmet
(DOT or Snell approved)
- Eye
protection
- Long
sleeves
- Full
fingered gloves
- Long pants
- Over the
ankle footwear
Is riding gear
available for rent?
- The short answer is No, due to the tremendous variety
in our students (ranging in age from 6 to 87), we
are unable to provide
properly fitting personal protective gear for
rental.
- That said, we generally tell our
students that the bare essential motorcycle-specific
gear you need to have for our class is a helmet and
eye protection.
- We suggest visiting
your local motorcycle dealer to obtain a properly
fitted helmet. You can contact us at
training@dirtbiketech.com for more specifics.
- Beyond the helmet and eye
protection, we've had students arrive to class
wearing a pair of jeans, high-top basketball shoes,
long sleeve t-shirt, and cotton gardening gloves. At
the other end of the spectrum, we've had students
attend wearing full motocross boots, shin pads,
motocross pants, off-road armor padded jackets and
armor padded off-road gloves.
- While we do see many parents
choosing to buy their kids a pair of dirt bike
gloves that match the color scheme of their helmet,
you can often find gloves that will work just fine
for less money at your local home improvement or
hardware store.
- Suffice it to say, your
daughter and/or son can attend our class wearing a
pair of jeans (as long as they are in good condition
without holes in the knees), a long sleeve t-shirt
or flannel shirt and/or light jacket, full-fingered
gloves, and a fairly sturdy pair of over the ankle
footwear (like a pair of light hiking boots with
reasonably stiff soles).
How
long is the class?
- Most of our classes are normally
completed
in a single day, typically starting at 9:00AM with
the exact duration
and end time varying by class
- Youth class – around 6
hours
- Most other classes – 7 to 8
hours
- Adventure Riding
Experience is a 2-day class, beginning at
9:00AM on Saturday, concluding around 4:00PM on
Sunday
What
are the class sizes?
- Youth Dirt
Bike School (Up to 4 students
in the class)
- 6-11 year of age
- Must be able to:
- Ride a bicycle
- Reach and operate
the controls
- Touch both feet
to the ground when seated on the bike
- Adult Dirt Bike School
- 12+ years of age (6-8
students – 6 students if anyone is under
16, 8 if all are 16 or older)
- Must be able to:
- Ride a bicycle
- Reach and operate
the controls
Is
there anything specific about the youth class?
- A Parent or Adult attends
with each participant and is actively involved
in the class throughout the day
What to
bring
- Bag Lunch
- Water or Gatorade
- Snacks
- Raingear and Dry clothes
- Lawn Chair
Weather
Questions -
We ride rain or
shine (except in lightning) so bring suitable
clothing and layers as there may be no shelter
available
- Rain Gear or
garbage bags should be brought for increased
comfort in case of wet weather. Bringing rain
gear is beneficial for many circumstances.
- Cold Weather Gear
will help to improve your comfort. Dress in
layers for warmth during the cold parts of the
day. In the spring and fall you should dress in
layers with a heavy shirt, sweatshirt, and
jacket, plus warm gloves and socks. You can
always discard clothing if you are too warm; but
being too cold will make it difficult or
impossible to do well during on-cycle training.
- Warm/Hot Weather Gear
will help to improve your comfort. During warm
weather you should wear a lightweight long sleeve
shirt or jacket, plus a T-shirt. During the
breaks you can take the shirt or jacket off to cool
off! A light colored helmet will also help to
keep you cooler. Remember to bring sunscreen.
- A change of clothing
is recommended. In the event that your clothing
becomes wet, it is a good idea to have dry
clothes to put on.
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