Jonathan Yarkony: What was I thinking???
This was, quite possibly, the worst idea I ever had. All I had to do was answer one lousy email with a personal “Sorry I can’t make it” or even a more more managerial — after all I do run this show — “Let’s have someone else cover this.”
But no, there I sat, comfortably ensconced in my home office, reading an email from David Booth wondering if my kids would want to learn to ride a mini dirt bike and all that crossed my mind was “Yeah, the kids would really love that.”
David Booth: Well, of course, they would love that. What sentient youngster would not jump at the chance to learn to ride a minibike? A sweet Honda on top of that? With all the cool motocross gear? That they’d get dirty as they shot “roosts” up with their hot bikes? So, of course, they’d jump at the chance. Dirt and speed; what’s not to like?
JY: What I hadn’t counted on was that they would really fall in love with dirt bikes. As in “DaddyDaddycanIgetadirtbikecanIcanI” first thing every morning at the breakfast table. On the way to school. From school. And the last thing they said before bed. Seriously, why did Booth even send me this cursed email and, more importantly, why did I respond?
Well, let me tell you why… we parents are suckers for our kids, and what dad wouldn’t want to be the hero that got their kids out for a fun day at what I imagine is a motocrossers paradise: Gopher Dunes in Southern Ontario. I can only imagine since I am a dirt bike neophyte who has never ridden, but it sure looked like the riders were enjoying all of the different tracks, on-site camping, and the family experience from tracks that can be ridden on push bikes all the way up to pro-level tracks.
DB: Gopher Dunes may be the best kept secret in Canadian motorcycling. Certainly, I had no idea of the expanse — both geographic and in services — offered on its sprawling complex. Besides having three motocross tracks of varying difficulty and length (Supercross, Main Track, and Corner Tracks), there’s three trails of over 10 km that meander through Ontario woods, just the thing to lollygag around on two wheels or polish your high-speed “enduro” skills.
But the dunes are so much more than just trails and dirt tracks. For one thing, there’s an extensive campground so that draws the true diehards — en famille, most often — and allows them to stay for days on end, their alarm clocks the sound of a two-stroke expansion chamber and their daily activities, well, going mondo rapid on dirt bikes. There’s even a storage facility for the buck-up dirt biker looking to leave their KTMs and Husky there full time. And, if something breaks, there’s even a workshop with expert mechanics to fix your bike’s every ill. Hell, the Pro Shop has better selection of dirt bike riding gear, as well as tires and oil, than most motorcycle dealers.
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Of course, there’s the affiliation with Honda Canada to teach new riders the basics of motorcycling, which as you can guess, young…
JY: Although many people around North America are likely familiar with Honda’s Red Rider training from its presence at a wide variety of events (I remember seeing it at the Toronto Indy weekend myself), that is just the appetizer for training at Gopher Dunes. The Red Rider training is $195/student + HST and, as David mentioned, includes the full riding gear, the use of an appropriately sized and powered bike and two hours of training and riding. Although it is typical for kids of various ages from as young as four years old to start their motocross training, there is no upper limit and a couple of experienced adult riders even joined the lesson with my kids and another child (my nine-year-old son was on a 110 and my 12-year-old daughter on a 125).
The day started in the wardrobe department, changing into protective pants and a light shirt, then donning protective boots, gloves, chest protector and helmet. Outfitted like modern-day gladiators, the kids then marched like stick figure dolls over the training course, a wide level field marked out in cones with a dozen small Honda dirt bikes in varying sizes.
DB: What makes Honda so unique in this regard is that the company has an easy-to-ride CRF for every step of the learning process. From tiny little 50 — with its small 10-inch wheels and tires through the mid-sized 110 and 125 to the almost full-sized 250 — there’s a Honda for every size and ability. For instance, the CRF110F and CRF125F that Isaac and Emily rode are not that different in power — 15-cc is about a horsepower or two difference — but in the size of the wheels and the seat height. The CRF110, for instance, rides on a front 70/100-14 knobby while the rear is a smaller 80/100-12, while the 125 rides on a 17-inch tire in the front and a 14-incher in back, the difference resulting in an 80 millimetre (3.2 inches) higher seat for the bigger bike.
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The bikes are also specifically designed for the abuse youngsters bang out. The engines — Honda’s tried and true single overhead cam four stroke singles — are the very definition of reliable and easy starting. Some even have electric starting. The little CRF50, for instance, has a throttle limiter so you can keep your new rider from going too fast and an automatic clutch. Indeed, Honda has a long history of being a biker’s first powered tow-wheeler. The CRF50’s predecessor, the Z50, was pretty much the beginner bike for all motorcyclists of a certain age and there are still tons of the CT70s — my first bike — can still be found in plenty of garages despite not having been sold in Canada for almost 30 years.
While my kids never went past second gear, or went soaring through the air, like advanced riders their age, they were both heroes out there, listening and applying the lessons and getting around the track and being thoroughly infected by the motocrossing bug. It is by no means a cheap hobby to get into, but it is wildly fun and Ontarians are lucky to have such a spectacular destination for every level of rider right in our backyard.
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