Baby Steps: Thoughts on Learning the Way of the Knobbies

The idea of riding on knobbies opens up a whole new world to me. I have no illusions of being some kind of motocross expert. At this point in my life I just want to be able to look at a gravel road or a dirt trail and instead of just wondering what is at the end of it, being able to easily go find out. I want to see parts of the world that you wouldn’t from a paved roadway. Kind of like hiking, but on wheels.

To the seasoned offroad or dualsport rider those may sound like small and naive goals but that is where I’m at for now. We all have to start somewhere.

Suspend the Fear – Trust the Machine

Being that I know the mechanics of making a motorcycle go from point A to point B so I get to bypass “learning to ride”. Instead, I have to learn to ride differently.

One of the first and most important things that I think I need to learn is to not approach imperfect surfaces with complete avoidance. Of course there are limits to my skill and the equipment. But, I need to unlearn some of the things that have become second nature to me having strictly ridden street-only bikes up to this point.

  • Its okay to go through the grass
  • Its okay to go down the dirt road
  • You can make it through the gravel
  • A little mud never killed anyone
  • A little snow? eh.. should be okay
  • Dropping the bike in any of these places is ‘okay’

While I may have done all of these things on a street bike at one time or another, doing them with confidence is a whole other matter. That’s what I want: confidence.

I want to learn to do more of this comfortably:

Gravel Road in California

Heading down a gravel road in California

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

You may also like...

14 Responses

  1. CrudMop says:

    I am both proud of you for your aspirations, and excited for you to get out there and start experiencing it. You are gonna kick butt!

  2. OG says:

    The great thing about riding in the dirt is the freedom to try things that would be pretty dangerous on the road. And, falling down ain’t all that bad ;0

    After a few “flying W’s” it all seems pretty routine 😀

    I’m sure you’re going to have a great time, the confidence with which you ride on the street will give you a big leg up off road….enjoy!

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      @OG Thanks 🙂
      I have to unlearn being afraid of the loose stuff, but once I get in there and give it a shot, i’m sure it’s gonna be a blast.

      Thanks for all the good wishes, everybody 🙂

  3. FuzzyGalore says:

    Baby Steps: Thoughts on Learing the Way of the Knobbies http://goo.gl/fb/oULe

  4. FuzzyGalore: Baby Steps: Thoughts on Learing the Way of the Knobbies http://bit.ly/9fzTiT Full http://bit.ly/9MeN0A

  5. RT @MotorcycleStuff: FuzzyGalore: Baby Steps: Thoughts on Learing the Way of the Knobbies http://bit.ly/9fzTiT Full http://bit.ly/9MeN0A

  6. FuzzyGalore: Baby Steps: Thoughts on Learing the Way of the Knobbies: http://bit.ly/9y0UIE

  7. FuzzyGalore: Baby Steps: Thoughts on Learning the Way of the Knobbies http://bit.ly/c5vadu Full http://bit.ly/9MeN0A

  8. Pimmie says:

    Congrats Ms. F. You’ll have a blast… And it will help you in your tarmac riding… 🙂

  9. specialsymbol says:

    Ok, this road looks like a good start. Here is a great perspective on offroad riding:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Ow92F78fY

  10. Hey there! Thanks for stopping by Road Trip Journal and commenting on the Wyoming itinerary! I don’t ride but my friend does. I will be forwarding your link on to her, I think she would enjoy following you on your journey.

    Any time you write about a specific destination, send an entry link to articles@RoadTripJournal.com. I might be interested in republishing it and giving you a little gas money!

    Safe travels!

    (Love the photo BTW!)

  11. Dina says:

    Funny, those are the things I had to remind myself not to do going from the dirt to a streetbike =)

    Check out our Riding site in the Hills of New York State, you can find us on Facebook under the group Greene County Motorcycle Riders

    Happy trails!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.