Countersteer: What You Know

Ryan Adams
by Ryan Adams

I wish I knew what I know now

A few years back I started riding dirtbikes. Up to that point in my life, I had it all figured out. At work, I had built and maintained marketing databases better than any of my uninformed superiors could have done and I knew it. I had been the top salesperson in a couple of different positions and, at that point, had a well-rounded background in different facets of the motorcycle industry. I knew the industry. I had my ear to the ground and I was a passionate motorcyclist, heck, some of my bosses didn’t even ride and others seemed to have no clue about motorcycles at all! Thankfully for them, I did. There were instances where I had a really hard time working on projects that I knew weren’t as efficient or focused as they could be. Most of the time, I would reluctantly put my head down and get the job done. Other times, I’d voice my opinion and get myself in trouble. I was, in a word, obdurate.

When I started riding dirtbikes, I approached things the same way. I know how to ride motorcycles, I’d been riding fire-breathing 1000cc street bikes for years. I was excited to begin ripping this little 250 around. As soon as I got into the sand on my new (to me) KX250F, I realized I had no f*cking idea what I was doing. I was all over the place flailing from side to side down the first sand wash. I’d knife the front, get up and do it again a few feet later. What the hell was happening?

What do I know about dirtbike riding now? It can be tiring.

Thankfully, for this first foray into off-road riding, a friend and mentor had set up this excursion with herself and two others who had been riding for nearly a hundred years between them, to help teach me the ways of the dirtbike. Which was good, because I had never felt more hopelessly lost in trying something new. Especially something that I was sure I knew how to do.

They spent the next few hours and numerous occasions over the following days teaching me the fundamentals of riding off-road. I put everything I thought I knew in the back of my mind, listened carefully, applied the techniques I was taught, and continued to work on them. I had no choice. My riding improved exponentially over the three days and, as they say, the rest is history. I love riding off-road. I love exploring in ways only a dirtbike can offer and it’s now what I spend my personal time doing away from MO and why you’ve seen more dirt-focused content here than in the past.

Part of the reason riding offroad became such an instant passion for me, was because I pushed everything I thought I knew into the back of my mind and listened to those who were more experienced than me. It also helped that my mentors were rad and what they taught me instantly worked when I applied it. Turns out listening works sometimes. Huh. Weird.

Every time I ride off-road I work on my skills and that has taken me to some pretty amazing places.

I look back and in just the past three years the outlook that helped me hone my dirt riding skills has completely changed the way I learn. This job is yet another example of getting thrown into the deep end for me. I wasn’t a writer prior to becoming an associate editor at MO (surprise, er maybe not). I felt that I had something to offer the website and could provide a different perspective for readers, so I applied and Sean Alexander hired me. From day one – well not exactly day one because Duke was salty that he didn’t get a say in the hiring process – I had a helpful crew around me of great writers who have been in the industry for a collective… long time. Kevin warmed up to me eventually and became one of my best mentors, taking the time to explain his edits and wouldn’t hesitate to give me macro-level advice, rather than just punctuation edits. I learn from Evans, Troy, and John on a daily basis, and have even been lucky enough to garner advice from other moto-journos in the field who I’ve looked up to for years.

I’ve learned a lot since that day in the desert crashing my brains out left and right. Mostly, I learned just how much I didn’t know. I’m not perfect, and I’m still plenty bullheaded, but I’ve learned to listen and be open-minded and in doing so, I’ve become a better student. There’s always something to be learned, particularly so when you think you know it all.

Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams

Ryan’s time in the motorcycle industry has revolved around sales and marketing prior to landing a gig at Motorcycle.com. An avid motorcyclist, interested in all shapes, sizes, and colors of motorized two-wheeled vehicles, Ryan brings a young, passionate enthusiasm to the digital pages of MO.

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  • Jorma Jorma on Apr 18, 2019

    Except some tiny foray's in off road at the very start of my riding life 50 years ago I never did it again. Truth be told dirt riding takes more physical or let's say athletic talent than road riding. It takes a better sense of balance, and a sense of traction, and a lot of other things that are hard to put into words. If like me your not comfortable doing wheelies or drifting on the street then your not likely to become an off road enthusiast. The appeal of flying through the air on a bike for me is zero. It takes more muscle and work too. Last but not least riding off road almost certainly means some hitting the ground and injury.

    I've ridden probably 150K miles since I went down on a bike at more than 2MPH. I am not a total klutz but my athletic abilities are limited. Still obviously I have learned to ride safe. If that is riding well is another matter.

    • See 4 previous
    • Sayyed Bashir Sayyed Bashir on Apr 24, 2019

      Well even getting out of bed is dangerous. Driving on the road is dangerous. But a small dirt bike is a lot less dangerous and a lot of fun. When I went to Overland Expo in AZ a few years ago to learn how to ride my adventure bike off-road, all of us adults were having trouble negotiating our big heavy bikes in the deep mud and sand while little kids were riding their 50cc bikes all over the place like it was nothing.

  • Craig Hoffman Craig Hoffman on Apr 19, 2019

    About to turn 57, have been riding dirt bikes continuously since I was 11 years old. To be honest, aside from my wife and kids, riding off road with my buddies is the greatest blessing in my life. Put up with so much sh%t in my career, the thing that pulled me through was in no small part looking forward to riding dirt bikes.

    Just bought a new leftover KTM 300 XC. Have ridden 300s for years, they are magical machines, light and agile, torquey, stall proof and they rip when on the pipe. The latest version with the counterbalancer is special indeed - all two stroke goodness without the two stroke vibration. I love the thing.

    As we grow older, we get more jaded. I also have a fast sportish bike, even finding a suitable place to wind it out is not all that entertaining. You really have to go to a track to experience something approaching excitement. Not so on the dirt bike. Every ride is an adventure, even at 15 mph, if the terrain is gnarly enough. Here is a clip from my last ride in Utah :)

    https://youtu.be/quisHsLXAmI

    • See 3 previous
    • Craig Hoffman Craig Hoffman on Apr 24, 2019

      I would like a 790R also. Then I would have the following stable, complete with my justifications for each:

      1) '18 KTM 300 XC (lightweight haul ass gnarly terrain dirt bike)
      2) '10 Husaberg FE 450 (with license plate, trail connecting dirt bike, still very trail capable, has stupid 450cc levels of power)
      3) KTM 790R (Road and jeep trail capable exploration bike)
      4) '06 Yamaha FZ1 (go fast day ride comfyish bike, perfect for that quick 12,000 RPM hair on fire run)
      5) '14 Yamaha Super Tenere (what happens when a 450cc dirt bike and a Gold Wing get it on during a drunken 1 night stand, long range tourer that can do dirt roads.

      Alas, my current 4 bike situation is already somewhat excessive. I guess I could swap a 790R for the 450, but I love that old 'Berg.

      It really is true. The number of motorcycles needed can be expressed by the formula N+1, where N is the number of motorcycles you already have. :)

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