So you're out riding your cruiser one afternoon and it starts to rain. Just a little, nothing your high-tech Gore-Tex-lined suit can't handle. You're happy you opted for the full-face helmet today, and you wipe the visor with the little built-in squeegee on the index finger of your high-end glove. You wiggle your warm toes, which are perfectly protected in your slick armored boots, and take a deep, satisfied breath, congratulating yourself for gearing up so perfectly for the ride.
Not only do you wear the right gear, but you are also a good rider and proud of it. You started with the MSF course and followed up 5000 miles later with the advanced course. You had the time of your life taking that track school on your cruiser, not realizing how much fun it would be to learn how to safely ride your bike really fast. The first chance you get you want to take another track school just for the thrill of it. You also keep your bike in top condition. You do a walk-around before you ride and always check fluids and tire pressures. It's in good shape and it makes you happy to know you're on top of things. You want the freedom and excitement that comes with riding a motorcycle, but you also want to be responsible and not take unnecessary risks.
You have every reason to feel smug. Not all cruiser riders are this on the ball.
So, just because it's starting to drizzle, you don't feel like you need to slow your pace....much. These are roads you know well; you ride them every weekend. Your tires are reasonably fresh and it's not even a first rain, which you know would make the oil-dotted road slicker than if it had already been washed by several downpours. What you didn't count on-what you can never count on-is the dirt in the road around the next corner. The dirt from the transfer trailer in front of you, the dirt from the eroding hillside, the dirt kicked on the road from a car exiting the shoulder. It doesn't take much.
You've heard the guy with a sudden brain tumor going on about how it shouldn't be happening to him. He runs five miles a day, eats all the right food, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, and still, when the tests come in, he is the one with cancer. This is your thought while leaving vertical. "What the ____?!"
And down you go. Although unlike sudden illness, when it comes to riding motorcycles, there is always a reason for a mishap. You probably wouldn't guess this one (at least not without seeing my silly picture). Our perfectly perfect rider is missing one key element from his list of skills. He's never been off the highway. Never ridden on the dirt.
Now don't stop reading thinking, "Oh, that's ridiculous, Jamie. Like any of us are going to go out MX riding tomorrow, even if it would make us better street riders." Not at all. It doesn't take being a dedicated dirt or trail rider to speak a physical language that isn't rooted in traction. It might involve as little as taking your cruiser on some easy, smooth fire roads-which is really fun once you get used to the feel of not being 100 percent hooked up every second. Little by little you'll feel more comfortable with the sensation of floating over gravel and loose dirt. You'll realize what the bike needs to maintain smooth momentum. I had the opportunity to ride with a couple of guys this last season who hadn't ridden at all in the dirt, but they rode their big BMW touring bikes with undeniable grace and efficiency on the street. We were traveling through a foreign country where there was no choice but to navigate some dirt roads, and at first, these guys found it very stressful. By the second or third day, however, both of my friends were right on my tail, their smiles glinting in my rearviews, and I've ridden forever in the dirt. So it doesn't take long to a.) feel comfortable, and b.) really dig it.
If you're serious about learning how to handle your machine in every situation, a cornerstone of your training should be a weekend at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's DirtBike School (www.dirtbikeschool.com). It's so fun, you won't regret it. Plus, it makes you a better rider the second you get back on your streetbike. Now when you want to explore a fire road, you'll be at it like a hound to a scent.
And the next time you're riding on the street, all rightfully smug and enjoying your day, that gravel and snot in the road won't be able to send y ou for a loop. You'll feel the bike go, realize exactly what is happening and won't panic or deliver unnecessary input, and before you know it the bike will catch traction again and you'll be on your merry way. Even more serious circumstances will magically become completely manageable. Take the instance where you wander or are forced off the road onto a dirt shoulder. It's a heck of a way to wake up, as anyone who's departed a paved shoulder at speed can attest. If you know your way around the dirt, again, you won't panic and overcorrect. If the terrain is even, you'll ride right through it, gradually and smoothly encouraging the bike back toward the pavement.
Knowing how to play dirty can not only save your life, it can make every ride more satisfying. Just knowing you've "got it" goes a long way-Jamie Elvidge
You can reach the editor at Jamie.Elvidge@primedia.com.