Ever since i took that spin on the cannibal ive been thinking about buying one. i have to get financially stable first ( priorities suck! ) , then i wanna nab one. Ive been thinking about MX but im not confident in my abilitity. Im a fiarly good rider, BUT im used to keepin it on all 4, on the ground...... i know everyone was a beginner at some point, so how did you prepare to take that leap onto the track?? Im afraid of running out there unexperienced and hurting myself and the bike. maybe i shouldnt worry about this until I can actually buy the Dale but can anyone offer any advice. also, what kind of $ should i expect in the first couple of months of trying to get started! TIA for any advice you can offer!!

 

While I don't race MX competitively I do ride on the tracks. There are 2 local tracks around here that I go to. One charges $10/day to ride from morning til night on non-race dates. This basically means we can ride til we're blue in the face on the MX track at our own pace. No holeshots, no other quads banging wheels with you, no pressure to clear the double, etc. I try to go down there with a group of friends and more often than not there's maybe only 3-4 other quads besides my group during the week. This basically gives us the whole track to ourselves. We might race around with each other or we may just stay on one section of track jumping one jump over and over. It's nice because there's absolutely no pressure. The best thing is for you to just go to the races early and ride during the practice sessions until you get comfortable.

 

I just go down to the local track as soon as practice starts and just roll around the track when there isn't alot of people. Get a feel for how the quad handles and roll over the jumps for the first couple of laps. Then go after the smaller jumps. After you feel confident on the smaller ones, wait until someone else is on the track that has raced on it. Watch him hit the jumps for a couple of laps, then just follow him over the larger jumps. This will give you an idea of how much speed to carry and what to expect while your in the air. Everyone learns this way. It takes some time, but soon you'll be blazing around the track. I'd say 3 good practices until you enter an actual race. This should build up your confidence enough. Then you won't be distracted by not knowing what gear you need to be in to make the jumps or how much speed you can carry through the turns. Racing with other people is enough of a task!

A new Cannibal with the Arvins shocks wouldn't be my choice for a base motocrosser. I'd get the Speed. Then really all you need is nerfs, some numberplates and a tether kill switch. You can get some Turfs for the rear for a decent price also. This will give you a good start. Suspension is the key to motocrossing. Without good suspension, you'll get beatup pretty bad. The stock Ohlins is pretty good for a beginner, but you'll want to have the shocks re-valved for your own riding style and weight eventually. Ohlins can do this for you for $250.

Then from there, start saving up money for wider A-Arms, wider axle, a exhaust system, and beadlocks. that's all going to set you back around $2000. So after a winter's worth of saving, you'll be ready for the beginning of next years season. And if you can fit it in the budget, a set of Elka or PEP shocks would top it off. Your looking at around $1600 for a set of 3 though.

 

Practice, practice, practice. the advise you were given so far is the best. Ride the open practice tracks. Get to know some of the other quad guys. Even if you dont have a quad yet, go to the races and talk to some of the riders. Dont be afraid, we all want to brag a little bit about our machines. Ask questions, get to know the riders, WATCH them when they race. Hang behind them when they finsh their moto, we always talk about what happened and why.

I just started riding MX this summer. I only do the practices, no plans on racing MX, to old. But I am going to ice race this winter. My son is the racer. We started three seasons ago. I wish C-dales where around then. It would have been alot cheaper to have bought a moto 440 and be done with it as compared to what we have invested in our EX.

 

You are getting some very good input here so far. I did all the things that Guy, and jcv are telling you...and still do. Our track seems to change every weekend, a new double here or there, etc and I make a point to go and ride the track at least once a week to practice...and that's not enough.
I started out on table top jumps. This gave me the ability to master how to handle the quad in the air without having to worry about casing a double jump. Once I was comfortable with jumping and clearing the table top jump, I would purposely come off the jump a bit sideways to force myself to react to the quad being in a bad position in the air and having to correct. Just my .02.......JIM

 

razormazer- Where did you ride the Cannibal at?

 

Thanks very much guys, i really want to give it a shot but Im just skeptical i guess. What kind of safety equipment is required for the practice sessions?? Im not sure that i would want to really race alot until i actually got decent enough to keep from making a fool outta myself.

MrP,

There is a dealer here in brookhaven. 823-9333 is the number if you are interesting in giving him a call. Didnt catch the guys name that I spoke with. I took it down the road and through a little field, only got about 5-7 min ride on it but it felt GOOOOOD.

 

get out there on that blaster untill you got the money for the dale then you will have some kind of idea what it like

 

Nothings required for practice other then a helmet I think. My advice is full motocross clothes, gloves boots, jersey, pants, and helmet. Also nerf bars and a kill teather aren't a bad idea either.