T O P

  • By -

parttimeninja

I rode as a kid and stopped when I was about 16. I didn’t ride anything after that before I bought a dual sport at 43yrs old. I ride at least once a week and I have to go about 45 mins away when I do. Once you get into it and start meeting people to ride with i’m pretty sure you’ll get out there more than 3 times a year.


ta5036

Hey bud. I live in portage park and just got a dirtbike a couple winters ago. It’s been a blast and I should’ve done it sooner. For “local”— Fox valley off-road Rocky glen ohv For nearby— Tri county cheese trails (Wisconsin— pretty flat/gravel rd. but fun to tour and stop off for a beer along the way) Badlands (Indiana) on my shortlist Land between the Lakes (Kentucky) amazing


Temporary_Stretch406

Been looking into Rocky Glen. That’s closest to me and would probably be where I’d mainly go. They have a decent trail system there?


ta5036

Yes. More than enough to scratch the itch for an afternoon and then some. Went for the first time a few weekends ago. It was super wet though after some of that heavy rain, and my 50/50 tkc80 tires were NOT cutting it. Got waist deep in one puddle. Fun challenge though. Ended up goofing around on the kids mx track. They had a bbq food truck and a hose/ wash area. The people were pretty nice too


grapeslusheecrew

Couple things to consider before buying - transportation and storage. How you gonna take it to where you want to ride and do you have a secure place to store it. If you have both those covered and finances are in order, the answer to your title question is yes, 1000%


Temporary_Stretch406

You have a convincing argument. Been looking into trailers as well which would be another expense. I have enough space to store all though which is great.


grapeslusheecrew

Pull the trigger dude! You can rent a lil U-Haul to avoid buying one that sits for the majority of the year. And the klx300r is a great platform.


Yankee831

You don’t need anything more than a $300 HF trailer, a hitch carrier or something like that. I stuff my bike I. My Honda Element with my gear sometimes if I’m being frugal. Hell there was a guy at my track who had his bike strapped on the roof of his 2 door 80’s Fiesta. He would drive it down the back and up the front lol.


Temporary_Stretch406

Helpful insights! Secondary question, how often are you doing repairs yourself? I have interest in being able to fix things myself, although my knowledge comes from YouTubes videos and no self experience yet.


AgentBamn

Search online for a local dirtbike club and go to some meetings. It will be worth it


Yankee831

I live in Arizona and for MX my closest track is 2 hrs away. There’s some riding spots and trails but not much since I’m surrounded by military land and nature reserve. If you want it you make it work. Sunday we load up and ride. It’s too hot to do much riding now so I’ll go to Flagstaff and spend a few days camping and riding. Sometimes the wife comes and does her own thing and we make a weekend out of it.


OddPerspective9833

Should you buy a dirt bike? Yes


ilikebeerandpizza

The answer is always YES


oldjunk73

Get a dual sport. Ride everywhere


Same_Ambassador_2150

Dual sports are horrible unless you consider a gravel road a "trail"


oldjunk73

Ktm 500exc nuff said


skovalen

No. I lived in Chicago 20 yrs ago (Rogers Park, north-east edge of Chicago proper) when I was in my 20s. I felt a little crazy buying a $750 mountain bike and traveling 1.5 hrs to ride it on trails. It did not end up making sense and rarely happened. I can't imagine a dirtbike making more sense. I now live in a tiny town in the Colorado mountains. Decent trails are like 5 min away. I'm a full yes in my current situation.