Intro to Dirt in Hollister SVRA (with Riding Notes)

Since it was still September (Red Sticker Season ends on October 1), I decided to refresh my off-road motorcycling skills with Brian Garrahan. I enrolled for a two-day seminar in his Into to Dirt class with Garrahan Off-Road Training.

The two-day class takes place in Hollister SVRA, CA and Brian Garrahan provides all of the dirt bikes. He mostly uses Honda CRF150F and CRF230F motorcycles.

Day 1 - Saturday, September 24, 2016

I got up early, around 7:00 a.m., to prepare for the drive to Hollister.

I arrived at the Hollister SRV around 8:45 a.m. (a one-hour drive with almost no traffic). Brian was setting up all of the dirt bikes and unloading all of the protective gear. I already had my own gear, so I put it on. I selected the CRF150F as it is much lighter and easier to maneuver.

After putting on all of the gear, Brian and Jason explained the techniques we needed to use on dirt bikes. Unlike street bikes, dirt bikes require a lot more body movement, and he showed us how to move our bodies forward during acceleration and backward during braking.

We rode a few rounds on the nearby Vintage track to warm up. I dropped the bike on the first loop (a very sandy trail) but got used to it after a while.

We proceeded with more dirt bike drills, learning to smoothly break, accelerate, slide the rear wheel, and turn the bike.

After all the drills, we did a loop around the Adobe trail - a very gently rolling trail in Hollister. One of the riders in the class crashed her bike into the fence (on the return portion) but was not injured. Our small group was just four riders now, and we really enjoyed Brian's personal attention.


Day 2 - Sunday, September 25, 2016

Today, only two riders showed up - Erika and me. Brian took us riding immediately to one of the black diamond trails, followed by more practice drills to follow.

I did manage to stall my bike on the Black Diamond trail and had to get better at picking the right line on the trail and being smoother on acceleration and brakes (to keep good traction).

We did many rides around the TT track to internalize all of our practice drill learning. There is so much to be learned from riding the TT track. I could spend a few hours practicing turns, acceleration, smooth up and downshifting. According to Brian, he uses all of the gears on this bike when riding around the TT track. I was only using gears 2 and 3.

I learned a lot more about leaning on the bike when riding in circles. I had to get on the gas tank with my butt on the saddle, controlling the lean with my outside footpeg and the outside arm. It was difficult as I was approaching a slide.

We also go to ride around the ATV track. It was a lot of fun and a highlight of the day, as I enjoyed the multiple jumps.

I shot a GoPro 4 video of some of the off-road rides during Day 2:





Here is a list of my Dirt Riding Notes from both training days.

1. General Riding Notes
1. Apply front brake, rear brake, and clutch smoothly - no jerky movements (jerky movements unsettle the bike)
2. You should never be coasting; you should be on the gas or brakes.
3. Look far ahead of you to avoid incoming potholes, rocks, tree stumps,
4. Pick a line that avoids rocks, potholes, etc. It can be a few feet from the center of the trail
5. Always cover the clutch and front brake with two fingers (for better control)
2. Body Position
1. Stand up as much as possible; legs should be straight (do not squat or sit on the bike)
2. Squeeze your thighs when riding the bike, whether going uphill or downhill (this helps to control the bike, especially when going downhill)
3. In the attack position, bend the body at the hips, putting extra weight on the front wheel (handlebars) for more traction on the front wheel and better tracking.
4. When holding the handlebars, elbows should be bent (this gives you much more leverage to control the front wheel)
5. Bend back at hips, moving forward to accelerate or backward to brake
3. Turning
1. On a corner, after breaking with front and rear brakes, move the body forward on the gas tank and extend the inside leg (to help move more weight on the front wheel for added traction)
2. When approaching a turn, you should be doing the following: 
• Move your body backward to prepare for braking
• Smoothly apply both front and rear brakes (and clutch) before the turn (to scrub some excess speed), but not so much that you're coasting
• If necessary, shift down to a lower gear
• Squeeze a little bit of clutch to help with the braking (so that the engine is not fighting the brakes)
• Start leaning the bike in as you are completing braking and transfer all of your body weight from the rear to the gas tank.
• Extend the inside leg to put more weight on the front wheel 
• The bike should be leaned over. All of the turnings is done by leaning (not by moving the handlebars) 
• As soon as you are off the brakes, you should be applying throttle and releasing the clutch
• The transition from braking to acceleration should be instantaneous and smooth
• Shift up as soon as possible
3. Control your motorcycle's lean angle with your outside arm (bent elbow) and your outside footpeg.
4. Hill Climb
1. Be sure to have both your toes on the footpegs and your body as far forward as possible (you do not need to cover the rear brake)
2. Keep your hand on the clutch; in case the rear tire starts to slip, release a little bit of clutch (but do not release the throttle) to give the rear tire time to dig in
5. Descents
1. Move your body back and cover the rear brake with your right leg
2. Module both front and rear brakes to avoid locking upfront and rear wheels
3. Be sure to squeeze the bike as much as possible with your thighs!
4. Try to stay relaxed
6. Obstacles
1. When trying to jump over a log, do a wheelie using the following steps:
• with the body-centered, squat down when about to jump
• stand up while applying gas and releasing the clutch simultaneously
2. When going through a rut, be sure to be on the gas tank with the inside leg out, and gas should be applied smoothly. 
3. When riding up a berm, squeeze your thighs to hold on to the bike and move the body forward and backward as needed. Be sure to cover the rear brake during descents, as the front tire may be hitting sand/gravel, which could slide out.
4. When hitting a jump, accelerate during the launch phase of the jump. You can decrease the throttle while in flight, but be sure to be back on the throttle during landing. You should keep your body centered.

Here is a list of off-road drills I should practice to improve my riding skills:

1. Body Position Movement Drill
1. Goal
1.  Develop muscle memory for body positioning during acceleration and braking
2. Body Position
1. The body is either on the gas tank (upper body bent at the hips) or over the back seat when braking.
3. Drill Steps
1. Accelerate from cone 1 to cone 2, with the body leaning forward (both toes on the footpegs), upshifting.
2. When approaching cone 2, shift the body backward and apply both front and rear brakes while downshifting into a lower gear.
3. Lean the bike slightly over and move the body into the gas tank.
4. Move the inside leg out, apply a smooth throttle, and turn around cone 2.
2. Smooth Up/Down Shifting Drill
1. Goal
1. Develop muscle memory for upshifting or downshifting while standing up
2. Drill Steps
1. Accelerate from cone 1 to cone 2, with the body leaning forward (both toes on the footpegs), upshifting.
2. When approaching cone 2, shift the body backward and apply both front and rear brakes while downshifting into a lower gear.
3. Lean the bike slightly over and start moving the body forward into the gas tank
4. Move the inside leg out, apply a smooth throttle, and turn around cone 2.
3. Bike Leaning Drill
1. Goal:
1. Develop an intuitive sense of how much a motorcycle can lean
2. Body Position
1. Your buttocks should be on the gas tank, with the outside arm bent at the elbow.
2. The outside legs should be pressing on the footpeg
3. Your inside leg should be either next to the front wheel or lightly dragging on the ground
3. Drill Steps
1. Ride around a circle, first clockwise, then counter-clockwise
2. Learn the motorcycle as far as possible
3. Keep the throttle smooth to continue a nice circular loop
4. Slow Riding Drill
1. Goal
1. Develop an intuitive sense of how slowly the bike can move forward
2. Body Position
1. Stand up on the footpegs in 1st gear, body in a neutral position, legs straight.
3. Drill Steps
1. Use front and rear brakes, clutch, and throttle to move the bike slowly forward (as slow as possible)
5. Lock Rear Wheel Slide/ Figure 8
1. Goal
1. Learn how to use a locked rear tire to make quick, sharp turns
2. Body Position
1. The body moves forward and backward
3. Drill Steps
1. Accelerate from cone 1 to cone 2, with the body leaning forward (both toes on the footpegs), upshifting.
2. When approaching cone 2, shift the body backward, apply both front and lock the rear brake.
3. Lean the bike slightly over and move the body into the gas tank.
4. Move the inside leg out, and apply a  smooth throttle, turning around cone 2.