Im 16 turning 17 and bought a 04 kx125 and ive always had the dream to race motorcross. I was wondering if im getting started to late or im to old to start im also 5’5 is a 125 to small. I have all the gear and was wondering if someone could tell me what my first step is please. Thanks
Are you starting too late?
Depends. To race amateur, no. To make it to the pro’s yes.
The way you get started is.
Buy a bike – check.
Buy riding gear – check.
Have transportation to the race track?
Have fuel, oils and tools for your bike?
Get a membership in the sanctioning race body (in the US it is the American Motorcycle Association).
Go to the race track on race day and race.
A 125 2-stroke is the perfect size for you since you are just starting out. The KX is a good 125 to start out on because it has a little wider power band than the Yamaha, Honda or Suzuki. I am not a fan of the Uni-trak, I like Suzuki’s full floater system better. I do own an old 1982 Kawasaki KX 125, my boy rides it. We couldn’t get the shock to where we wanted it, so we put a KX 500 shock in it’s place. That helped out a lot. You can’t locate after market springs for the old bikes anymore, so we had to go with a whole shock.
Read the book: How to Win Motocross by Gary Bailey.
Watch Youtube videos on track sections (jumps – doubles, table tops, etc, whoops, cornering, etc).
Go out and try the techniques you read and watch.
When I started back in 1973, you did not have the internet or Youtube. You had to read books and then try the stuff out on the track to see if it worked for you. You would then keep working on going faster. I’m going to give you a racers secret. The race is won in the corners. Learn to do hard braking (using both brakes) going into the turns and practice your cornering (going high, going low, squaring it off, changing your line, etc). Anyone can hold the throttle wide open down a straightway, you just want to make sure you spend more time on the straights than you do in the corners.
Above all, have fun.
Good luck
Hey man i’ve been riding since i was 5 (I’m 15 now) just get out and practice,practice,practice.Master the clutch,cornering, and braking until your really comfortable.Find a local track in your area and go out there and ride.don’t try the big jumps first take it slow and you got it! Motorcross is a fun sport and a good workout so have at it! (By the way youtube has a lot of helpful videos out there so check that out)
The 125 should be fine
Good Luck! -Alex