Went on the trails the other day.

[Swamp Rat]

I took my son for his first trail ride Monday. We rode at a place called ForestHill Louisiana. It used to be Camp Claibourn back in the old days.

My son on his TTR 125 and me on the old Drz400. You talk about having a blast! I was tickled pink with his riding ability.  He kept thinking "Trail ride? How hard could it be?" He found out the same way I did that a couple miles of trail can whoop yer butt. He made it over,around and through obstacles that I thought he wasn't going to make. Boy, was I stoked. Hell, he made one that I didn't make completely. It was a ravine that dropped about 15 feet[3 meters] and then rose back up the same distance on the other side with roots and rocks thrown in for good measure. At first he didn't want to try and I talked him into it.

  "Just roll down to the bottom and when you get to the other side use your momentum and open it up to climb back out"I told him. And he did just that down he went cracked it open and VVRROOOOM up the other side.

Me on the other hand didn't practice what I preached. I got 2/3s of the way back up and stalled it. Man am I glad that thing has electric start.

Anyways, logs,ditches and other things just made it that much more fun. He really ran those 35 miles of trails well. 18 miles the first time Broke for lunch and 17 after lunch. My buddies kids couldn't do the whole loop on 1 tank of gas. they all had 2 smoke 85s and 100s. I was the only Suzuki in the bunch, usually am.

I'm sore as hell today...but it was worth it.
'

[rmtcook]

Wow Brian, that sounds great! And boy does that bring back memories. I haven't had a dirt bike in a long time, but  when I was younger a group of us would take our bikes down to the Pine Barrens in NJ for long weekends. We'd ride all day, then sit around a roaring camp fire drinking beer and telling stories all night. Those were the days!

The other day I told my step daughter that I was going to buy a 50cc for my 4 year old grandson and something bigger for me to take out in the woods. She didn't look pleased, but her husband did! I just took delivery of a new Bandit though, so I might have to wait a little while for the purchase of another bike. Thanks for the reminder. Keep on Riding!!  
Bob

[CWO4GUNNER]

When I retired here in BHC AZ, with all the desert lands available for riding and shooting I had to get back into dirt biking first so I bought a 04 DRZ400 and also converted a used 03 RM100 into a beginner trail bike for my adult daughter and son who visit but deliberately never taught to ride motorcycles for fear of early involvement without time for proper training being in the service 30 years. Now that I am retired I give them lessons every time they visit and they are getting pretty good on the trails now. The RM with its very tough race suspension and 2-stroke engine can carry a full size adult up the steepest hills and through the deepest sand. I have my DRZ geared way low from stock with 12-50 sprockets top speed on street is 60 at 7000 RPMs but in the dirt it can tractor two up almost any hill.