It's been about a year since I bought my first motorcycle ... an upgrade and a looooot of kilometers later I decided to test out dirt biking! Dirt biking is not for everyone, so before I bought a bike I thought it would be a great idea to tag along with some friends to a local, and somewhat easier, dirt biking hang out spot.
Here in Korea there is a group called Old Bike Mania. It has been around for a long time and I have met a lot of great people through this group. They do a lot of really interesting custom work, know bikes extremely well, and are amazingly talented riders.
When we got the call that Old Bike Mania was heading to a local spot for some riding we decided to gather some of the Danger Dames for a dirt biking test run extravaganza.
This spot is honestly a small slice of riding heaven in the center of a city. After talking with some friends I learned that a company intended to build up the land, but had stopped construction a few years back. It makes for an amazing hang out spot - pull up a chair for a day filled with riding and ramen.
After greeting my friends and checking out the area I put my gloves on, lowered my goggles, sat on the ftr223 and started the engine. I remember looking around hesitantly. I was nervous that I would get hurt - I was nervous that I would look like an idiot - I was nervous that if I failed I would just be "a girl who can't dirt bike". I started off slowly, just riding around and checking out the courses. I studied how other riders were riding and where they were going.
I decided to take a dip into my first course. I went through slowly - for the first 10 seconds or so my body was rigid and I felt like I had lost control of my bike. I quickly realized that I needed to give up some of the control. I had to let the carefully carved patterns in the dirt communicate with the bike, and then with me. I had to trust that my connection with my bike would carry me to the other side. Calm and confident. The moment that you lose confidence, and your connection with your bike, is when you fall over.
I glided over the hills and through ditches, carefully nudging my bike through narrow, carved-out pieces of land. It was intimidating, but (as a naturally VERY nervous person) I was surprisingly not scared. If I fell over, so be it. I was in love.
I had such a great experience. I am so grateful for all of the experienced riders that took the time to patiently coach us through the courses when needed - and also let us learn some things on our own without making us feel badly if we failed.
It was a really unforgettable day. Click play below to see some of the day's shenanigans in motion!
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