Dumb Question

[rsteiger]

So let me start by saying I rode my first Enduro at 18 I think and that was in 1978 on an IT175.. did not finish.

I loved the idea of doing an enduro and had an older buddy who was showing me the ropes. Rode two more enduros (didn't finish either one) and then my buddy moved away and work and school started kicking my ass then marriage and a daughter..

Like John Lennon once said "Life is what happens when you are making plans"

So fast forward 31 years later and I but my first motorcycle in a long time - a DL650. Great bike to get back on the street again but maybe not so much playing in the dirt with.

After buying a few used DS bikes a friend of mine decides he wants to sell his lightly used 2001 XC250. So I buy it. It is a bit dated but I go about getting the suspension set up and take it out to a couple of ORV Parks and in about a year I begin to bond with it. Thing is I think that I am a better rider now than I was when I was 19 - well at least in technique since I have friends now who have helped me with that a bit. Endurance wise my 19 y/o self would have a field day with me now.

So I am getting the bug to ride in an event again and started checking things out. The problem is the format looks nothing like it did when I was 19 - back then it usually was a 90 or 100 mile ride with a gas stop and all sorts of time stops. Now it seems more like a Hare Scramble than an Enduro.. not that I am complaining but just wondering where to start.

So where does a man in his mid fifties start riding in these events and not get ran over by everyone else. I am not doing this to win a damn race but rather finish one first and just enjoy the challenge and satisfaction that I can still do something like this.

Any suggestions?

[2taddict]

Join a club and enter clubman events to get the feel. Concentrate on finishing events opposed to winning until you get fit again and get good armour. They don't let you in races with jeans and gumboots these days.
So have fun, as you surely will.

[rsteiger]

Originally Posted by 2taddict

Join a club and enter clubman events to get the feel. Concentrate on finishing events opposed to winning until you get fit again and get good armour. They don't let you in races with jeans and gumboots these days.
So have fun, as you surely will.

No worries about the gear... being older also comes with some wisdom as well. LOL.

[2004ec200]

rsteiger ,

I used to race enduros in the 80's and 90's. Got out of it while working on a career and a few years ago got back into it. I know what you mean about it being like a hare scramble. I like the time keepers better myself. I don't mind racing against a clock but having to ride full out is not my cup of tea. I don't bounce like I used to. I still enter enduros now and then but don't worry about getting run over. Those young and fast guys or girls are pretty good about going around you. For the most part I go for the ride and when I feel like it I'll twist the throttle in the sections I find fun. Just ride, get good exercise and have fun. That's what its all about.

Cheers

[byost]

FAMILY ENDUROS!!!
They are layed back and loads of fun. It's great to see that I am not the only old fart that is reliving his childhood dreams of being Roger DeCoster or Dick Burleson. Congrats on getting back to riding.

[2taddict]

Originally Posted by rsteiger

No worries about the gear... being older also comes with some wisdom as well. LOL.

Sorry mate if I sounded cynical. I was actually speaking from my own experience and I agree with your statement 100%.

[ramcclure200]

When riding enduros just sign up for one of the back rows and have fun like your planning and just ride and don't worry about check ins special test or free ride just ride and stop when you want and go when you want after your fitness starts getting better and if you want to ride to place in your class just start getting an earlier row but typically not in the 20's or 30 rows or you will spend your whole day moving over.
Congrats getting back into riding its the best fun.

[95jersey]

90-100 miles is a lot and sounds more like a dual sport. Most of ours are 60+/-, but are more technically challenging single track than fire cuts or dirt roads.

Ever think about a hare scramble? 1.5 hours around 25-35 miles. I prefer hare scrambles, you are never far from your truck or civilization in case of emergency and you are done in under 2 hours and have the rest of your day.

[byost]

I know this is out of your area but, there is some good reading on this site http://www.midwestenduros.com/
This was very helpful for me.

[rsteiger]

Back when I was in my late teens I joined a club in the Illinois an Indiana area. If I remember right the first enduro was 90 miles with one or two fuel stops. I think I made it 40 miles before some guy came along and DNF'd me... or something like that.

I remember teaming up with an older guy on a Husky who had lost 1st and 2nd gears. He coached me through some of the more technical stuff and we managed to get back. Was just thinking this was all before the days of GPS and I was following trail markers which I would miss every so often and have to back track - don't think I had a roll chart holder back then.

Good times.