It's a wonder they lived to tell the tale. Look at all that safety equipment they wore! Thanks to Doug Klassen, Jesper and Helmet Hair Blog for the post.

The evolution of off road motorcycles, more commonly known as dirt bikes, is a long and complicated history. Most of the first motorcycles made were basically bicycles with an internal combustion engine strapped on somehow. These bikes were constructed just as paved "roads" were beginning to appear, so from the beginning, all motorcycles were built to ride off road as well as on. Therefore, even the first motorcycles could be referred to as "dirt bikes".

Dirt bikes (and street bikes) have been around since the very early 1900's, however at the time they were simply considered to be regular motorcycles. And while history has not credited any person or company with the invention of the Dirt Bike, Triumph Motorcycles nevertheless built a motorcycle designed specifically for riding on dirt in 1914, although this model is not actually credited with being the first dirt bike.

Dirt bikes were really created more as an evolution of a motorcycle into the machines we know today as dirt bikes. And while in the west we note that Honda produced the first motorcycle specifically designed for off road use in 1972, dirt bikes had been produced for years in Europe for motocross.

The first motocross races were raced through wooded trails or racing to the top of a mountainous road and were a race against time, the terrain and the elements, more than each other. But as time passed, races were eventually moved to a shorter runway, closed in for the ease or spectating.

These days dirt bikes and dirt bike competitions are some of the most popular motor sports in the world. Thankfully, dirt bikes have continued to evolve and dirt bikes come in a variety of sizes for various classes and ages and with continual improvements in suspension, engine reliability, and safety.

Each weekend, millions of people around the world enjoy the thrill of riding a dirt bike. This sport has captivated young and old riders alike.

Now I'm not advocating putting your bike in the drink, but it doesn't suddenly become trash when you do. So what should you do if you didn't see that pond or creek soon enough?

Well first, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure . . . make sure your engine is sealed well, and no water gets in your air box. If you don't know how to do this, find a good mechanic. And second, make sure the water doesn't come up over the exhaust tip.

But of course we were talking about the stream, creek or pond we didn't see, so making sure the exhaust tip stays out of the water might be a little hard. If the bike stall’s or gets water logged get it to dry land, remove the spark plug and dry it, turn the engine over a few times to clear any water, replace the plug and off you go again.

But always keep an eye on the oil. If you start getting a white goo on the oil filler cap, this means it is contaminated with water. You will need to drain the oil and flush out the system.

Why do KTM dirt bikes seem to be the bikes of choice. Why are they treated as though they are 'Holy Grail' rather than, say a Honda? What makes them faster, better, and more racable? What are the differences in KTM 250 and a Honda 250?

There are those who will say its orange and has fewer letters - which of course means there is more room for your logo - so it can be bigger. After all, that's what racing is all about - advertising. Right?

But in actuality, it's not the engineering that is necessarily better, but the little things like hydraulic clutches, and doing away with suspension linkages in favor of dual rate springs that make KTM arguably better. Their attention to details, important to the rider or a group of riders.

KTM has the SX, EX, XC, and XC-W and each of these styles has different things that are special about them, gearing and suspension tuning that allow the bike to be race-ready for the average racer right out of the crate.

And while the other brands were discontinuing their 2 stroke engines, KTM was continuing to research and design improvements and continued to provide consistent innovations to theirs and had the best performing 2-stroke engines on the market. So for 2 stroke engines, KTM had a corner on the market just out of sheer tenacity.

But with the major rule changes in Motocross to make 4 stroke bikes more competitive in motocross and being given a 125cc 2 stroke to 250cc 4 stroke advantage, the cheaper, simpler and faster 2 stroke bikes have been dying out and with it the advantage KTM has had over other brands.

KTM still excels in the woods and pretty much dominates woods racing because they spend tons of R&D time and money on developing the best woods bike in the world. KTM is known for having a very fast engine, but it takes more than a fast engine to win at motocross.

Bottom line, it's all about which bike feels better to you. Try both a KTM and several other brands including the Honda and chose for yourself. Ultimately, it's about what fits you and your wallet best.

So which is harder, riding a street bike or a dirt bike? Is it that much different riding one or the other? Well the short answer is not too much just more idiots to look out for . . . but there are those who would question whether I was talking about the idiots on the dirt bikes or the idiots on the street.

The long answer is the difference in traction and power. Basically it’s the weight and power of the street bikes vs. a dirt bike's light weight and maneuverability - it can go anywhere. Street bikes are powerful and harder to control. If you're use to one or the other you'll notice it mostly as you lean.

Just remember, every type of bike has it’s own ‘uniqueness’ but they’re all basically the same. There will be a learning curve. Flatter tires on pavement grip a LOT better then dirt tires do off-road. On a dirt bike, you almost have to learn to kick your tail end out and ‘drift’ a bit, but with a road bike this is the very last thing you want to do - it would almost certainly spell disaster for both your body and your bike.

Every motorcycle and type of riding has it's quirks. The big differences on the road are your lean angles and judging braking distances and corner speeds. Take it slow in the beginning when you are changing from street to dirt bike or vice versa. After that, everything else is elementary.

There are many people who want to have a bike that is street legal to ride back and forth to school or work, but can be used evenings and weekends as a dirt bike. But Is there such an animal?   Is There A Street Legal Dirt Bike?

Enter the Enduros and Dual-sports - Favorites are the Kawasaki KLR250, Yamaha WR250X, Honda XR250 through 650 (you can buy light kits for these bikes to make them street legal), and the Husaberg TE/TC models.

But the Yamaha XT250 would be an exceptional choice as a commuter/ dirt bike.   It can be ridden everyday with no problems,  gets 85 MPG's with a top speed of about 75 mph and cruises comfortably at 60 to 65 - even if you are a big burly guy.    You might expect to pay $4250 for a new XT250, but you could find a used Yamaha XT for quite a bit cheaper.

So what's the big difference? Why do street legal motorcycles have multi-cylinders and dirt bikes have only one? Is it just to control vibration? If it's simply to spread out the power stroke around the crank, why isn't that good for dirt bikes too?

The answer to this question is two fold. First it's about weight. A dirt bike needs to be able to maneuver. Being light weight is essential. But with a bike you drive through traffic and on the open road you need that extra weight for stability and to cut through wind.

And single cylinder engines have an insane amount of low end torque, and this perfect for off-roading. However multi-cyclinder engines have slightly less low end, but more high end torque - great for driving in traffic. Driving on dirt means no traction . . . If you had the weight of a street bike engine on a dirt bike you would be a crash test dummy.

If transporting your bike to and from the trails is an issue, you may need to find a dirt bike trailer if you don't have a truck or if you are need to transport more bikes than your truck will carry.  Most trucks can hold 3 small to medium size dirt bikes in the bed with very little difficulty.  But when you start trying to jam a few more in there or if the bikes are bigger bikes, space is at a premium.

Keep in mind, if you have a long bed truck you might be able to fit another bike in - but the issue of what size bike would come to bear there as well.  No matter how many bikes you need to transport, you will need at least one other person to help you load and two would be even better.

If you find you are in need of a good dirt bike trailer, we have some great buys.