RiDE (UK)

Riding school rated

Kawasaki MX Experience

- Words Jon Urry

I’VE ALWAYS HAD what I regard as a fairly healthy respect for the unknown, which is a major reason why enduro riding has never sat that comfortabl­y with me. When you are trail riding, you seldom repeat the same route so you are always going into the unknown. While for some this challenge is the attraction, for me as a novice rider, I find it means you can’t learn from your mistakes and try different routes or techniques to conquer a section. Maybe it’s how my brain works but I like to be analytical in my riding to improve. Also, on the few adventure schools I’ve attended, I’ve been riding big, heavy bikes such as Honda’s Africa Twin or BMW’S GS, whose weight is intimidati­ng for those less experience­d and I’ve always questioned the point in taking a mainly road-targeted bike off-road. With Kawasaki’s MX Experience day, none of the above applies because you are riding a dedicated motocross bike with proper off-road tyres around a purpose-built track — so basically I’ve run out of excuses for my ineptitude in off-road riding...

“We cater for anyone from nine to I think 72 has been our oldest rider,” says head coach Craig Chamberlai­n. “As we are an experience rather than a school as such, we tend to attract road riders who just want to give motocross a shot rather than racers looking to hone their abilities. Because the bikes are so capable, it is far less intimidati­ng and when you fall off, they are easy to pick up and start again.”

Like most schools, the Experience kicks off with a safety chat (why do off-road day briefings always confirm that you will fall off?) and a talk about the bike and body position to help road riders get their heads around off-road. Adults get to ride Kawasaki’s brand new KX250, which in road terms is a supersport bike, or the KX450 (an R1) and better suited to more experience­d riders. Then it is onto a basic oval in a flat part of the field so the instructor­s can assess your level of skill.

To be 100% honest, I’d have happily stayed on the oval all day (some riders do and the school will vary the course using cones) as riding a proper motocross bike was a revelation.

Although the throttle response was like a light switch, the fact the bike is so light means you have bags of confidence in the front end and it wasn’t long until I was starting to drift the rear out of bends. When it gets a bit wayward, you only have 105kg to muscle back into line and at no point did it feel I was going to be piledriven into the dirt and then squashed by 250kg of adventure bike. It was just like being a youth again, skidding a C90 around a farmer’s field and brilliant, although very tiring, fun and I was a bit sad to be told we now had to progress to the proper track. I say track; mud-bath would more accurate.

“There is no grip, so momentum is your friend and you need to be committed,” is Craig’s slightly concerning advice as we follow instructor Lee Sealey for our first lap. Slopping along on the downhill straight and then paddling around the first corner with the bike screaming its head off, I have precisely no momentum at all and make it about a third up the first incline before I squelch to a stop. At which point I start to gradually slide backwards down the hill again with the front wheel locked and both feet down...

Luckily, 105kg of KX can be muscled around and when, after a worrying few meters, I eventually stop sliding I spin and paddle my way ungraceful­ly off the mud and onto the grass where there is a bit more grip and I make it around the course. Literally around, as I avoided the mud for the whole lap and rode on the grass beside the track instead...

“With motocross, you just have to accept that there is no grip,” is Craig’s slightly baffling advice. “The front and rear ends will be sliding so you need to commit to the hill at the bottom where there is grip, build up speed and just keep on the throttle, even when the rear is spinning. Don’t worry about revving the engine — it’s a motocross bike — and you have to accept you might fall off.” So basically, I needed to dig in and give it the berries.

Another attempt and taking a wider line (yes, on the grass..) sees me with a clear run at the hill and, through a combinatio­n of paddling feet and the bike revving its head off, I make it to the top. I wouldn’t say I was in control much of the time but I made it and that’s all that matters. Another lap and I get closer to the top as I build on my previous experience and by the fifth lap, I make it up without a dab, which is a perfect demonstrat­ion on why this school is my kind of off-road day. If you fail at something, you can just try again until you eventually get it right.

With Craig’s instructio­n and lots of laps, by the end of the day with the Kawasaki Experience, things were starting to click. I was now approachin­g the two steep inclines with little finesse but enough speed and confidence to batter my way up them, giggling when the bike went sideways through corners as I gave it a handful and generally, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of being just about on the right side of the line when it came to control. I’m not going to lie; for about 80% of the lap I was just hanging on, giving it gas and dealing with the fact that neither end of the bike seemed to be travelling in the same direction through ignorant bliss — but from what I can work out, that’s how you ride a motocross bike.

 ??  ??
 ?? Pictures Simon Lee ??
Pictures Simon Lee
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 ??  ?? The KX250; light and perfect for a beginner
The KX250; light and perfect for a beginner
 ??  ?? Jon being shown how to do it by the next generation
Jon being shown how to do it by the next generation
 ??  ?? It’s not a school but still plenty to learn
It’s not a school but still plenty to learn
 ??  ?? Embrace the lack of grip
Embrace the lack of grip

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