Dirt Biking 101

Dirt biking; motocross, trials, enduro, trail, dual-sport, supermoto. Every single one of these is a different style of riding. While all this can make dirt biking seem like a very complicated sport to get into, it is pretty simple regardless of what style will end up being your favorite. 

First, let’s break down what you need regardless of the type of riding you will do, and then get into what each discipline offers. 

Gear you will need: 

• Helmet - Having a high-quality helmet is one of the most important things regardless of riding experience. While these can get expensive, protecting your noggin is the most important thing to consider when doing any high-speed or high-intensity sport. For a deep dive on different dirt biking helmets, click here. 

 

• Goggles - If you can’t see, you can’t ride. Pairing with the helmet, the conditions surrounding dirt biking are often dusty or muddy and involve a lot of wind in your face. Goggles are the perfect solution for avoiding all of these interfering with your vision. 

 

• Boots - There’s the classic saying, a good pair of boots will outlast you. While that won’t be entirely true when it comes to dirt biking boots, they are still a critical piece of your kit when starting out. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend the money on the best boots you can, but you should consider spending a little more money here as these are your primary connection to the bike beside your hands.

 

• Gloves - Speaking of hands, another vital piece of gear to have is gloves. While gloves are an easy to overlook part of your kit, they connect you to the bike, so it is essential to have a good pair. 

Once you have all those items taken care of, whether you purchase them or rent them, it is time to decide what kind of riding you want to do. Starting out, trail/open space riding will be your best bet to get comfortable just doing the basics. Of course, there will always be some crossover from each type of riding, but the kind of dirt bike you use can help dive further into each of these specific disciplines once you’re comfortable doing the basics. 

• Motocross - this is probably the most common type of riding that people think of when they talk about dirt biking. “Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.”

 

• Trials - Trials, not to be confused with trail riding is a very technical and skill focused type of riding. While trials isn’t wildly popular or common, the skills gained from this format are largely beneficial for cross training purposes. 

 

• Trail - Trail riding is our particular favorite here at Adrenaline Driven Adventure Company. Riding motorized access trails often leads to many places you couldn’t normally go, with views most people won’t see. Ranging from technical rock climbs to mellow single track, trail riding offers a little something for everyone. 

 

• Enduro - Another race inspired riding style is enduro. Enduro riding normally means racing or riding dirt bikes on long and challenging terrain. This is the other main type of racing that many people think of when it comes to dirt biking. 

 

• Dual sport - Dual sport or adventure riding is also focused on long distances, but not entirely off road. This type of riding is focused on having one bike that can sort of do it all. While they make off-road compromises for street legal reasons, this allows you to not have to trailer your bike anywhere you want to ride and permits riding through towns or roads where OHV’s aren’t allowed. 

 

• Supermoto - Supermoto is another style of race inspired riding. The races are often held on tracks that alternate between surface types and offer their own challenges. Supermoto is one of the less well known styles of racing but comes with a combination of thrills and challenges that you only get from doing various types of riding. 

While that is just a brief overview of dirt biking, sometimes the best way is to learn in person. If any of this sounds like something you would like to try out, contact us today! We offer an intro to a few types of riding with our experienced guides to help you along the way. From beginner to expert, ADAC is there to make sure you have the best time possible out in the dirt!  ​​​​(970) 623-3UTV