Do you off road?

Cheap, dirty, and loads of fun. I just spent a great Sunday morning messing about on dirt bikes.

My mate Mark’s got a Suzuki DRZ250 which cost him £1000. My Yamaha WR250F cost me £1700, but it’s some of the best money I’ve ever spent. Along with my Honda CBR600, my garage cost me just £2900. I’ve got the road, racetrack, dirt track, motocross, enduro and green lane scene covered for a ninth of what another friend has just spent on a car. Good value if you ask me.

If you’ve never tried riding off road, I can thoroughly recommend it. If you’re sticking to private land, it’s incredibly cheap, with no need for tax, MoTs etc, and the bikes use very little fuel before you’re too pooped to ride any more. If you do want to explore the un-surfaced tracks of the UK, the bike’s are cheap to tax (but make sure you check out our feature on green lanes first to keep legal).

Mark took his kids with him – Six-year-old Max spent the morning razzing around on his £200 automatic 50cc bike, and four-year-old Macy was happy having runs around the track with her Dad.

Investing in some armour is well worthwhile, but you don’t have to spend a fortune on any of your kit. This is one seriously fun way to enjoy motorbikes, and it’s also a great way to improve your machine control.

Stop thinking about it, and get yourself off-road. Book yourself on one of the many great courses available if you’re still not sure. The biggest problem is finding the extra space in the garage…

Do you ride off-road, or on green lanes? Or are you thinking about it?