"B is for Beginners..."

We all have to start somewhere...

Rumors that I am about to add a liter-class sportbike to my riding stable have spurred a desire to do the same amongst nieces and nephews in the Hopkins clan. Since we're talking about brand new or at best inexperienced riders, my mother has understandably become a bit alarmed. I'm sure her memories of me, 26 years ago, in a hospital for 7 weeks and in a cast for nearly a year, are still very vivid. And even now, she probably harbors a little fear every time she sees me leave her driveway on one of my bikes.

Since I have this public forum (a handy soapbox, if you will), I thought I would share a paragraph or two from my emails with her, by way of advice for those who are considering taking up the two-wheeled way of life.

Tell them children to start with DIRTBIKES. There's no one on the trails in 2-ton, 4-wheeled vehicles trying to run you over, and the dirt is generally forgiving. Heck, I wrapped myself around a tree yesterday and only have a few scrapes and bruises to show for it. (Of course, Danny kept on going, while I lay there pinned under my bike up against the tree. "Come back, Danny, come back..." He eventually realized I wasn't there anymore and stopped ... about 500 yards down the trail. Then he teased me about it when I caught up to him, said he was sorry he hadn't gotten a picture of me under the bike. That's okay, 5 seconds later, he wiped out in a big mud puddle. I pulled up beside him, splashing him some more, looked down at him and his bike laying there in the ooey-gooey mud, and asked him if I could borrow his camera. His response shall be edited 'cause I don't use those words around my mama. LOL.)

Nobody really needs CBR1000RR kinda power on the street. It's a race bike. It's not comfortable to ride for more than an hour or two. You can't really carry a passenger. You can't carry anything you can't fit in your pockets or a small bag on the tank. If you drop it in the garage, you're looking at $1000 in damage just in plastic and paint. It will eat tires faster than my ZZR does (less than 4,000 miles for a rear tire!). Maintenance costs a fortune if you're not doing it yourself. The low, narrow profile and small head/tail lights don't make it a safe bike. If drivers don't see my monstrous bright orange tiger coming down the road at sane speeds, they sure ain't gonna see this tiny little rocket coming down the road at hyper speeds. Experienced riders only need apply here. Someone who wants to race perhaps and doesn't even plan to use it on the street. Nuts like me that have plenty of other bikes for other purposes...

To which the general response was: "Then why is Uncle BAH getting one?" (which I actually thought I answered rather well in that email. To wit: experience, a wide selection of other bikes to ride on more sane missions, and the fact that I'm nuts). A soon-to-be nephew-in-law actually replied with the fact that he had two years riding experience, which ain't bad at all, but I've known plenty of people for whom "two years experience" equates to maybe 4,000 miles of saddle time, if they're lucky. Just scratching the surface, in other words.

My reply to my mother:

I thought everyone knew my motto: "Do as bah says and not as bah does." LOL.

Two years experience, eh? In motorcycle years (kinda like dog years only in reverse), that's a couple days. I've been riding motorcycles since I was 19 or 20 ... what is that, 26 years or so? ... and am still not the rider I want to be. I've been taken down by cars, deer, uneven railroad tracks, oil, curbs, sidewalks*, and I forget what all else -- and that's not counting all my offroad spills. You have to remain 100% focused 100% of the time, leaving behind all the work and family crap that might be bugging you at the time; there's room for nothing in your brain but riding when you're riding, otherwise someone will kill you. Around each corner there's always someone about to pull out in front of you, turn left in front of you, take your lane from you ... or there's a dog who wants to cross the street ... or a bit of sand in a turn that will take your front tire out from under you and send you sliding into a guardrail that would like to slice your leg off at the knee. You have to have an extreme amount of self control (especially with a sportbike) and know when and where you can ride fast; the difference between fast and too fast on a motorcycle is just a couple millimeters of additional rotation on that throttle. Yes, you can drive too fast in a car, but a car doesn't transition from fast to too fast in a second.

The smart way to start is to get a small standard bike (what they call a "naked bike" these days) or one of the beginner's sportbikes like a Ninja 250 or Ninja 500 -- or the new 650R that Kawasaki just came out with (not a 600 or 1000cc sportbike). Or start with a small dualsport like the XT225, DR200SE, KLX250S, or the DR-Z400, which adds the benefit of being able to ride offroad. (I wish I had STARTED offroad because while riding in the dirt you are always on the edge of control or past it, which develops all the skills you need to instinctively handle a streetbike when it's out of control. People used to tell me that riding offroad would make me a better streetbike rider, and they were absolutely correct!) All of these are inexpensive bikes, so when you drop it in the garage then drop it on the other side trying to pick it up, you won't feel so bad. They're reliable and fairly easy to maintain. They don't eat tires. Hold their value really well and are easy to resell. Get incredible gas mileage ... and so on. They're all great fun to ride without being "scary fast." Someone should ride one of these bikes for a year or two ... develop some basic skills ... learn to read traffic and drivers ... then move up.

Anyway, for whatever it's worth, there's my advice to new riders. It's certainly not original to me. Ask anyone who's logged a significant number of miles on streetbikes and their advice will be similar.

Sure, we all have to start riding somewhere ... but this is just too embarrassing!

*None of my buddies will let me forget that one.

I'm Sure She'd "Grow into it..."

This morning my daughter Summer and I attended the celebrations for the debut of Ride Oklahoma Magazine hosted by the OKC BMW/Ducati dealership. Summer was thrilled with the two page spread that the magazine did on her. Now that she's gotten good at wringing the snot out of her dirtbike, she thinks she's ready for a sportbike. There was a gorgeous black Ducati 749 on the showroom floor that fit her to a T. Well, okay, to be honest, the Duc was a bit tall for her, but it's nothing that a little time on a medieval rack wouldn't fix. Still, I hate to tell you this, kiddo, but if Dad can't afford a Ducati for himself, what makes you think he can afford one for you?



The big news, of course, was the very first issue of the magazine. Congratulations to James Pratt for pulling it off. We Oklahoma riders have needed a magazine of our own for a long time. I sure hope Ride Oklahoma is a major success. What James needs, of course, is to sell lots of advertising and subscriptions. The magazine won't survive without the support of Oklahoma two-wheelers and merchants. Please, do your part.

It was great seeing all my friends at the debut party. I just wish it wasn't so damn cold out there, so we could have all taken a nice ride afterward. Maybe the dealer would have even loaned the Ducati to Summer for the afternoon...?

"Passing it On..."

CrossTimbers Off-Road Vehicle Park: Fun for the Whole Family!

Those of us who love riding off-road have a great resource here in Oklahoma City: the CrossTimbers ORV Park at Lake Stanley-Draper. The old riding area on the north side of the lake has been closed down due to erosion. It may eventually reopen after a “re-vegetation” period, but in the meantime a wonderful new area has been added on the west side of the lake, near the CrossTimbers Campground. The new area is inexpensive, well-designed, and great fun for beginners and experienced riders alike.

Within minutes of Oklahoma City, CrossTimbers ORV Park offers a variety of trails, from basic ATV trails to tight, motorcycle-only single-track through the oak and cedar forest surrounding Lake Draper. A 3-mile “Grass Track” presents some challenging elevation changes and affords more experienced riders with the opportunity to catch some air-time and work on their flat-tracking skills, while beginning riders will appreciate the course’s forgiving, wide-open nature and its highspeed straightaways. The motorcycle-only forest trails offer plenty of challenges in the form of tight corners, deep gullies, logs and roots that must be crossed, and the ever-popular sand ruts. Nature lovers will appreciate spotting deer, squirrels, and the abundant variety of birds that call this part of Oklahoma home.

CrossTimbers was been particularly exciting for me this past year, because I started riding there with my daughter.

I started my daughter Summer riding at the age of ten by buying her a used Honda XR70. With three gears and a centrifugal clutch, the XR70 is reliable, affordable, and easy-to-operate, making it a great first bike. Initially, Summer wouldn't do more than ride around our house. I'd encourage her to ride out into a field at the front of my acreage, but she complained that the field was "too bumpy." She liked the manicured lawn (if you've seen my grass, you'll recognize that for sarcasm). Eventually, though, she started ranging farther afield. One day I went out and cut a trail through the woods for her. It was so dark and gloomy down through this trail -- all leaf-shadowed and loamy-moist -- that it kinda scared her. We dubbed that trail "The Dark Passage." We even hung a sign. It wasn't long before the Dark Passage was part of the normal around-the-house and out-through-the-field circuit. We needed more trails! "The Rifleman's Route" was born (so named because while I was cutting the trail, I found an old rusted BB gun), as was "Blood Alley" (so named because I ripped open my hand on an old strand of barbed wire there), and these were quickly supplanted by others, each hacked out of the brush by yours truly, braving the chiggers and poison ivy, so that my daughter would have a place to learn to ride.

My daughter and her first bike, a Honda XR70.

Eventually, Summer outgrew the little Honda, so we bought her a brand new Suzuki DR-Z125. (She'll tell you that "outgrew" is a relative term, as she couldn't touch down very well on the 125 when we bought it. Even now, at 13, she can't flatfoot the bike. Think of it as "growing room.") We progressed to more difficult riding lessons: logs that I'd have her practice jumping, exercises such as climbing and descending hills, turning on uneven ground, and navigating drop-offs. In time, what had once seemed a rather daunting complex of trails on our own property no longer presented a challenge to her (How interesting can it be when you pass the house at least once every couple minutes?), and it was time to take the next logical step. She had outgrown our trails, same as she’d outgrown the little Honda.

I had plenty of help taking her to CrossTimbers for the first time. You don't think my riding buddies were gonna miss out on the chance to roost a little dirt, do ya? This was great for Summer, as it gave her a lot of other riders from whom she could learn and absorb experience. My friends enjoyed it, too, because as all true riders know, there’s nothing as satisfying as passing on the motorcycle experience. The fact that she’s a girl just made it all the more rewarding; I admit that we all get a certain satisfaction at the surprised look boys give when they see they’re sharing the trails with a girl.

Summer and her current bike, a Suzuki DR-Z125.

The fact that CrossTimbers has such a variety of trails and terrain makes it a great place to learn. My friends and I have enjoyed watching Summer’s progress, and I think riding has helped her grow in many ways. When she falls, she doesn’t get discouraged. She doesn’t complain or think about packing it in for the day. She simply picks herself up, brushes off the dirt, shrugs off the bruises, and gets back on her bike. She doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit. I believe this attitude will accompany her throughout her life. As with the difficult sections of trail that she’s faced on her bike, the challenges she encounters in life will be met with confidence, determination, and the will to succeed.

I can’t adequately express how much I enjoy time spent riding with Summer and how proud I am of her. Our father-daughter relationship, already built on a solid foundation, has grown in leaps and bounds. More and more, as she’s grown older, I’ve lost time to activities like cheerleading, slumber parties, and shopping trips with her mom, but motorcycling is something unique and exciting that we two share alone. As with all my other riding experiences, the comraderie -- whether it be between friends or family members -- extends beyond the time actually spent on the bikes. As riders, you understand as well as I do that motorcycling is an experience that touches every facet of our lives. How utterly great to share it with the ones that you love!

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“Why I Ride” by Summer Hopkins

I ride because I think it is a lot of fun! I enjoy it so much and like to go different places and try new things. It is challenging for me, because the places I go can be really difficult. There can be lots of turns, or tight places, and whether I crash or not, I am just proud that I tried to do it and wasn’t scared.

It is a great workout for me! Usually later that day I feel sore, but I never really care.

It gives me time to spend with my dad, doing what we both love to do! I love dirt-biking and so does he, so we enjoy going to Draper or just around our house together.

I like to meet all the different people that come and ride with us, they help me out a lot and tell me what I do wrong. My dad has a lot of friends and they all are so nice and are good riders that help me out a lot.

It’s just a great way to spend time outdoors in the great state of Oklahoma! Going down to the lake or just around my house. It just makes me so much better!

I get to see lots of different places and experience new things like jumps or something hard that someday I will do or get better at. I get to meet all these different people that ride different motorcycles that someday I would love to ride too!

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Additional Information on CrossTimbers ORV Park

Website: http://www.lakedraper.com/OffRoadRiding.htm

Facilities: 640+ acres of riding area; ORV trails ranging from ATV trails to motorcycle-only single-track; tight forest trails, wide-open grass track, and a small motocross circuit; the parking lot provides spaces with trenched areas for unloading bikes; adjacent campground.

Location: Lake Stanley-Draper is located on the southeast side of Oklahoma City, south of Tinker AFB and the General Motors plant, just minutes from I-35 and I-240. While Lake Draper covers a large area, the marina is located at 8301 SE 104th St; the CrossTimbers Campground and ORV Park are just south of SE 119th on the west side of Draper Drive. The marina's phone number is 799-0870. There's a recorded message for trail conditions at 945-1938.

Rules: http://www.lakedraper.com/orv_rules.htm

Trail Map: http://www.lakedraper.com/images/Trailmap_Apr2006.pdf

Permits: Available at the marina, $10 adult/$2 junior (under 16 years of age) daily or $60/$12 annual

Hours of Operation: Mon - Fri, 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM; Sat - Sun, 8:00 AM - 8:45 PM

Best Time for Riding: In the summer, early or late in the day are the most bearable times to be out in the heat. At any season, these are the hours when there are fewer riders sharing the trails. Aggressive riding is a great workout and the energy expended is generally enough to keep you warm without wearing expensive winter gear, even into the mid-forties, so don’t think once spring and summer have passed that it’s time to put away your motorcycle. Just be sure to have warm, dry clothes waiting in the parking lot.

Off-Road Safety:

Never ride offroad without a DOT-approved helmet, sturdy footwear (motocross boots highlyrecommended), goggles, and gloves as a minimum. Knee guards, elbowguards, and a chest protector are also recommended. Nothing cuts into your riding time worse than an injury, so make your protection a priority. There is no substitute for good riding gear.

Don’t ride alone if you can help it. Some of the CrossTimbers trails are long; if you were injured and unable to ride out, it could take a considerable amount of time before someone found you. Riders you meet at CrossTimbers are generally a friendly bunch, and if approached would probably be happy to ride with you. Group riding comes with its own rewards.

Riding in the heat takes its toll. Be sure to stay hydrated. Remember that you’re out to have fun and it’s not a race. Take breaks as needed; just be sure to pull off the trail for other riders who might come up behind you. Never ride opposite the indicated direction of travel on any trail.

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"That's Gonna Leave a Mark..."

Who knew Bill was gonna be so damn fast!?!? Watching the ass end of his Kermit-green KLX250S disappear down the trail -- flicking away the muddy clods he just roosted across my chest -- I realize he might have been blowing smoke up my exhaust pipe when he gave me that whole song and dance about not having been on a dirtbike trail in 30 years. Who do you think you're kiddin', buddy?

Still, I don't think I'll have too much trouble keeping up with him; if nothing else, I know the trail better than he does. I know where I can push it a bit and make up some time. You crest this hill -- not too fast now, 'cause there's a hard right-hander on the other side and it's really hard to turn with your front wheel in the air, not to mention that everything is still wet from that snowstorm we had a week or so ago -- then slide through the left-hander past the big sweet-smelling cedar into a tight section beneath the trees. The trail splits there, in the gloom under the naked winter oaks, only to rejoin again after a hundred feet or so. The left fork is shorter and faster. Bill doesn't know that, though. If he takes the right, I'll definitely have an edge; maybe make up a bit of the time I lost when I let him shoot off ahead of me, not realizing he was going to be so friggin' fast!

There's only one problem: the sun hasn't been under here in ages. That's not just shadow darkening the trail ... that's sticky red gumbo mud! I'm coming in way too fast, sliding the rear end of the CRF in order to square off the turn into the left fork, but the front end is suddenly sliding too. This isn't good. Traction abandons me as that slimy syrup I herewith dub "Oklahoma Red, vintage 2006," stamps null and void on my Pirelli 321's. Knobbies? Where? It seems I'm now on slicks made of rubber colored to match the bricks in my house.

The ground comes up and smacks me a good one. The right foot peg of my CRF delivers a hardy "this'll be a pretty purple color tomorrow" jab to my calf muscle. I slide ten feet or so, plowing a deep, juicy furrow. At least the mud makes for a nice soft landing. My first thought as I'm slopping to a halt, getting peppered by the mud spraying from the still-spinning rear wheel of my prone motorcycle, bubbles burping up around me like the gaseous emanations in some fetid swamp, is this: "At least Bill didn't see me crash, so I'll be spared that embarrassment!"

Then I wipe the mud from my goggles and sit up to find that Bill is likewise just rising from a mud bath. He and his Kawasaki are just 20 yards away, oozing ever deeper into a muddy furrow of their own. We spot each other at the exact same moment and burst into hysterical laughter.

And that's just one brief glimpse into the fun Bill and I, along with a half dozen other friends, as well as at least a hundred other dirtriders, had at CrossTimbers Offroad Park this past Sunday. The event was the Oklahoma Dirt Riders' annual Toys for Tots Poker Run, and if you missed it, feel free to stop reading now and give yourself a good solid kick in the seat of your motocross pants. You missed not only the opportunity for some great riding, but the chance to help out for a worthy cause. Mark it on your calendar for next year now, so you don't forget.

Kids of all ages participated in the Toys for Tots Poker Run ... on bikes large ...

...and small.

Participants ranged in age from dinosaurs like Bill and myself to a little kid perched on the tank of his father's bike. My favorites, of course, are the little guys just getting started on their PeeWee 50's. My face is split by the biggest grin watching those little guys twist the throttle and rocket off with a roostertail and a boisterous "Yeehaa!"

Dirt bikes of every popular brand were to be found in abundance, carving ruts in the soupy Oklahoma Red. There were minibikes. And ATVs. And even a few dualsports.

A rider's card gets punched at one of the checkpoints on the trails. The event is organized and run by volunteers. This happens to be my riding buddy Ed. Nice work, Ed!

A rider drawing his poker hand at the final checkpoint. I drew two pair, Kings over Threes with an Ace kicker, but I was too busy riding and having fun to even hear if I won anything.

The entrance fee was one toy (they filled a very large pickup bed with them!) or a cash donation, and prizes were awarded for things like the best and worst poker hands. Mostly, though, everyone was there to have a good time. Our prize was enjoying the beautiful sunny day on our motos and knowing Santa would pay a visit to kids that might otherwise get nothing for Christmas.

As for Bill and me and that particularly slimy stretch of CrossTimbers trail ... well, neither of us had a camera at the scene of the great gumbo mudslide ... so, technically, without photographic evidence, it never happened. Right?