Too Old?

Hi, My name is James Mathes. I grew up in Grand Junciton, CO and never raced or owned a Dirt Bike. I grew up riding a Honda 250X 4-wheeler, as my dad got "too hurt" MX racing and wouldn't let his baby boy get into the sport. Now that I'm all grown up, and in the Navy now, I want to start riding. I'm Stationed here in Virginia, and found out that I would be under District 13 AMA. I'm planning on spending about $2000 to get a used bike (probably a 250 2 stroke) although I really like what I've been reading about the new KTM 250, but I think learning on an older bike would be more cost effective than jumping right in to a new one.

My question is, I am almost 21 years old, but my competitive nature will not allow me to just go to the track and ride around like an old man (no offense to anyone), and I won't be satisfied until I am racing and winning atleast the local circut. Am I too old to expect to win? and is somebody living on E-4 (hopefully E-5 this fall) pay going to be able to compete? I do have a lot of experience on that 250x, and have a good understanding of throttle, clutch and brake control (on a 4 stroke mind you), but have only ridden a Dirt bike 5-6 times.

I'm 6 ft tall, 180lbs, and always have been athletic, is the 250cc class right for my size/experience level? I do plan on putting in the practice time to learn and get experience before jumping straight into racing, but my goal is to race competitively.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appriciated.

Peace

James

you seem like someone who will progress fast, and as long as you can put a leg over the seat, your never too old to ride. i think you will do well through my first impression. definitely go for it.

You're on the right track about getting a used 250cc 2-stroke. That is ideal. You're definitely NOT too old to race & win. You're only 21! At least 1/2 of the guys at the track will be older than you. Some of those old men are fast as hell.

I think you will be humbled by the speed of everyone else.

Plan on spending up to $100 for 2 days at the track. One day of practice before the race, and race day. That $100 includes food, fuel, entry fees....everything. It can be done cheaper. You also might need an AMA or racing club membership which are usually around $35 a year.

I have a friend who is 40 years old and he can and does win novice all the time. So no you aren't too old. Plus there is the old guys classes you can race in, not yet though, you still have to wait four more years.

Your age is definately no problem but you will need some seat time before you go racing. Get you a bike and go practice. It will take a while to really get the feel for a bike after coming off of an atv. There is quite a bit of difference between the two as far as handling and riding style goes. Start out slow and work your way up. Good luck.

Bullwinkle wrote:

I think you will be humbled by the speed of everyone else.

I think you might be jumping the gun a little bit expecting to win even at local races, expecially since you have never ridden MX before. There are tons of fast guys at any given local track. I don't say this to discourage you, but you need to know that it's probably going to be a while before you start winning.

All that being said, you are pretty much in your PRIME motocross years. You are young enough to easily put up with the physical demands and old enough mentally to prepare for racing, take it seriously and do well. You have MANY years left in you to ride a highly compeitive level. Your age will not be an issue.

Do you have any chance to try out a 2-stroke 125? You might want to give one of those a try before you get a 250. I think it would be easier to learn on, safer, cheaper and maybe even easier to win races on as well.

Whatever you get.....just go out and have fun. Take your time, practice and the speed will come.

KRS

and is somebody living on E-4 (hopefully E-5 this fall) pay going to be able to compete?

what ecactly is E-4 or E-5? if you dont mind

probobly a military base

military ranking system

if he is going 250 anyway i think that it is useless to train on a 125 since the power bands are so different plus the 250s superior torque...
well, just my opinion..

go for it you will have a blast and you are never to old to ride a dirt bike man.

FNXradiohead13 wrote:

and is somebody living on E-4 (hopefully E-5 this fall) pay going to be able to compete?

what ecactly is E-4 or E-5? if you dont mind

its the military pay scale

Don't worry about your age. 21 is young. I'm 37 now and raced when I was in my teens. I was ok but would have been more successful and had more fun if my attitude was better. I was too worried about the same things you mention here. I just bought a new 125 last week and went on my first ride in 21 years. I had a blast! And I couldn't believe how much of my riding skill naturally came back after all that time. I've got a long way to go, but I hope to race again by the end of this season. Only this time around I'm not setting myself up for failure with unreasonable expectations. My advice is to get a bike, ride, and HAVE FUN. Don't sweat the small stuff and the rest will fall into place on it's own.

Navy?

Any aircraft experience?

See if you can get transfered to Lemoore NAS in Cali.

RacerX magazine re-built thier MX track over the winter, and it's awesome.

You could practice your a$$ off on a PRIVATE TRACK!!!!!!!!

Too bad about your dad, I've been busted up pretty bad on a regular basis, and I still love watching my boy rip around the track.

I'll bet he'll get behind you once you get going.

At 21 you're no where near being too old. There's guys and gals out there from 3-60+ riding and racing. Racing is about reaching goals and having fun. You can be mighty competitive at any age and win locally in no time at all. Everyone here dreams of whipping it past the checkered flag. It's not far feched at all. Get yourself that 250, keep yourself focused and in top shape and it'll come to ya. I'm entering my mid 30's and got back into mx this year after a decade of being away. It's never too late.

And many thanks James, for dedicating your life to protect our freedom!