Get into Off-Road for $1500
Story by Benjamin Segal - Photos by Brian Bunn
Special thanks to Mikes MX for the use of his track for the photos

So you are thinking about getting a dirt bike, maybe you have a friend who rides or you met someone who does and you’re thinking you would like to try this dirt bike thing... It's easy enough, just go down to the local motorcycle shop and buy one. While you’re there, might as well pick up some gear right. Seems easy enough, until you see how much all of this is going to cost you. At this point you aren’t even certain you are going to like this dirt bike riding thing. All you have done is heard people talk about what a great time they had riding last weekend.

We at EDM want you to try and like this dirt bike thing. So does everyone else in the motorcycle industry. You and many others like you are the people who keep the motorcycle industries wheels rolling. So we decided to go out and get into dirt bike riding with you. We gave ourselves a budget of $1500.00 to buy a bike and all the gear to go with it. This amount is excluding the fact that you need to have some way to transport the bike to a riding area, either a truck or a trailer. You could rent a van if you don't own a vehicle that will allow you to transport a bike.

Before we get all excited about buying a bike, let's first think about your safety gear. It is really easy to spend all of your money on a bike and have nothing left over for a helmet and boots and all the other things you will need to be able to go riding. This is not a good move because the first time out you will very likely fall off and need the protection. You have some options when buying gear. You can buy it used on Ebay or Craigslist, buy it new from a shop or online dealer. Or you can look for a bike where the seller is including the gear with the sale.