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Can You Ride a Dirt Bike in the Rain?

Riding a dirt bike in the rain sounds like a scary thought. Is it possible? Can you do it safely or will the engine seize up?

Generally speaking, dirt bikes can be ridden in the rain without any impact on the engine or electrics. The electronic sensors and wiring are well sealed by most manufacturers such as KTM, Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki so dirt bike riders can feel safe and rely on their motorcycle to keep going, even in muddy conditions.

We should remember that in Australia, many people do creek crossings in their motorcycles with their bikes typically starting up first-try after being submerged deep in water.

Riding Dirt Bikes in the Rain

One of the main dangers, or at least concerns for the rider, is slipping. Dirt bike tires are designed for grip on gnarly rocks and sandy tracks which are dry. When things get wet, then the track gets quite interesting.

Additionally, riding a dirt bike on the road when it’s raining can be quite dangerous. With oil on the bitumen, riders with dirt-orientated tyres may feel a sense of aquaplaning and loss of traction when on the tracks.

This is where accidents are likely to happen and around other traffic which can be stressful. Therefore, we couldn’t recommend riding in the rain on highways and suburban areas. Simply pull over like other motorcycles do and wait for the bad weather to pass before continuing on.

Riding and Racing

Dirt bike races aren’t typically cancelled simply if it starts raining. While it’s more slippery, it also makes for great entertainment for the spectators!

If you’re in the backcountry and get caught in a storm, then we wouldn’t be too worried. Most dirt bike riders don’t forecast the weather and simply ride rail, hail or shine!

Some things we can recommend dirt bike riders for wet weather riding:

  • Water-proof Enduro Jacket. This is popular with adventure riders and there isn’t any reason why a dirt bike rider couldn’t wear one of these for the day. They often come with additional padding and a hydration pack.
  • Goretex Boots. These are typically water-proof (with the exception of creek crossings) to help your feet stay dry. It’s the worst feeling when you get water in your boots, so invest in a set of these.
  • Water-proof Gloves. Trust us – get some of these! They will stop you from feeling the ‘slosh’ feeling when moving your fingers around leading to more confidence behind the handlebars.
  • Full-face Helmet. Leave the MX helmet at home and take a road bike helmet instead which can seal up your face from the impending wind and rain. Open-face dirt bike helmets with goggles simply let too much water in and your shirt will be soaked in no time.
  • Waterproof Enduro Pants. If you really want to nail it with your gear, get a set of these. They are heavier and certainly more expensive than dirt bike trousers, but certainly worth the price.

Now – keep in mind that just about everything will get muddy and dirty during this process. This is especially disheartening when you have brand new gear that you’ve been trying to keep clean. Even your road-bike helmet is going to need a cleanout…but at least you had fun out there on the trails!

Going forward

Don’t let some drops outside stop you from a fun day out there on the tracks. Remember: many others will be huddled up at home so you’ll have many of these riding destinations to yourselves.

If people can ride their dirt bikes in snow, then riding in the rain shouldn’t be any trouble at all. Get yourself out there!

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Dirt Bike Valve Shims: What Do They Mean?

Have you been curious as to what valve shimming is on your dirt bike? Perhaps you’ve heard your mechanic talk about it or your mates when out riding.

For a straight and concise answer:

Valve shimming on dirt bikes, and any other motorcycle for that matter, is the practice of adjusting the valve clearance inside your engine. By using a shim, you create space between the bottom of the cam and top of your engine’s valve bucket. This clearance is necessary for valves which are wearing out, but they too need to be replaced at some stage.

This is generally to be done by your motorcycle mechanic, though some riders who have pulled apart their engines before can fit these themselves with some helpful YouTube videos.

Dirt Bike Valve Shimming

It’s good pratice to use valve shims on your dirt bike if you’re using it regularly and are trying to prolong the life of your valves. These adjustments help in that they help compensate for the internal wear from high RPMs for those who love to twist the throttle hard.

It’s most common to use valve shims on 4-stroke dirt bikes and these shims are helpful. Some say they’re bad (as the shims need to be replaced soon enough) while others say they’re great to help prolong the life of your valves. After all, a valve replacement on a dirt bike can cost $300 to $1,000 depending on availability of parts.

Those riding older dirt bikes where parts are less likely to be readily available domestically are those who generally use valve shimming to prolong the life. Thus, if you do come across a used dirt bike online which says it has had the valves shimmed, it’s because the owner may have trouble sourcing replacement valves and valve train.

A Limited Life

Keep in mind that the use of valve shims on a dirt bike isn’t permanent. It’s literally just a band-aid and something to get you by for now. The shims could last for 700 miles or 12,000 miles, depending on your quality of shims, make/model, how hard you ride and other variables.

You can only use shim your valves once or twice in the lifecycle of your valves. Prolonged shimming can cause the valves to break and cause extensive internal damage, potentially leading to a top-end rebuild on your dirt bike.

Once you’ve used up your ‘shim lives’, we would recommend you replace your valves as well as springs, keepers, all seals and even the seats. This is an expensive and time-consuming process, but luckily, you probably had more than ample time to go riding before then. So understandably, this top-end rebuild is expected after some time.

Sourcing and Installing Shims

It’s always best to get the mechanic from your local dealership to do this for you, though some are reluctant to do this. Dirt bike shims are used on valves which are wearing out anyway, so they may just recommend a full replacement of your valves…especially if they know you’ve got the budget for this. After all, they will make much more money through your purchase of new valves and the labor than just replacing the shims.

To source shims yourself, you can easily find these available on eBay or Amazon, or even your local dealership is likely to have them. For the older dirt bikes (more than 10 years), you may have to dig around online on a few sites to find the right size and thickness for your dirt bike.

Installing shims on your dirt bike is an entirely different topic and one that is painstakingly slow. It’s something you need to do properly, however there are some great tutorials which explain it well for KTMs, Yamaha’s, Suzuki’s and Honda’s.

Going forward

Dirt bike valve shims are often used on older motorcycles as well as those who ride very frequently. You’ll typically see motocross riders using these as they want to save their expensive valves from wearing out fast.

For the weekend trail rider, the use of shims is less important and certainly not necessary if you can afford regular valve replacements. Some manufacturers do send their dirt bikes out from the factory with shims fitted and if they do, it’s best to keep an eye on these regularly and replace them as needed.

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5 Places To Source Colored Dirt Bike Tires, Rims and Spokes

So you want to get some colored dirt bike tires for the ‘wow’ factor when you’re riding on the race track or local trails.

Most other offroad riders would think you’re crazy, but you might be on to a great thing.

In this post, we’ll be showing you 5 places where you can source some dirt bike tires.

Sourcing Colored Rims, Tyres and Spokes

We’ve done the searching for you so it’s much easier. You can get camo dirt bike tires as well as colored rims and even some custom designs for your ride.

It’s likely that you’re really just doing this for fun, but either way, here’s where you’ll be able to get colored dirt bike tires online:

1. Buy Them on eBay

You’ll find numerous sellers offering new and used dirt bike tyres in a variety of colors. Simply look in the main feed and you’ll find them easily, with international shipping options available. Keep in mind that you’ll need to ensure the sizing is a perfect match.

2. Source Them Through RevZilla

Often you’ll find stock of colored rims and spokes for dirt bikes on RevZilla especially as they serve a predominantly MX crowd. Unfortunately, tires can be harder to find unless they’re the stock-standard black varieties.

3. Do a Group-Buy Through Alibaba

If you have an LLC or even a Sole Trader business structure, then you’ll be able to source anything you want through Alibaba. This is a place for people to source products in bulk for distribution across North America, Australia, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and in fact, for much of the world. The trick here is to ask for a sample product and not come back to actually put an order through.

4. Look on Gumtree and Craigslist

Looking through Craigslist or Gumtree for colorful dirt bike tyres is a smart idea. Generally you’ll find people who simply bought these for novelty purposes but never actually used them out there on the tracks. After all – they’ll get dirty pretty quickly. The rims and spokes are likely to come with them too.

5. Grab Some Spray Paint

We’re not kidding! If you really want some color on those tires of yours, then head to CostCo and get some spray paint. This will create an instant makeover and you’ll be able to get the color back to basic black pretty easily over a few days of constant riding through the tracks and trails. Just be mindful that some spray paints can stain your existing graphics and could lead to pre-mature rust on your rims and spokes.

In Summary

For those looking to create some bling bling attention, you certainly can! People will spot you pretty easily in a crowd of black dirt bike tyres. Play it wise and avoid the rainbow colored designs. Tires which are navy blue could work well with a Yamaha, as can black and orange on a KTM.

By far the easiest thing to source is the rims and spokes, while the tires themselves can be tricky. Then again – a can of spray paint is often the easiest way to stand out and the cheapest too.

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🌲 How To Go Camping With Your Dirt Bike (And Arrive Home Safely)

🔧 7 Tools Every Dirt Bike Rider Must Carry (To Avoid Those Awkward Rescue Calls)

🥾 Best Dirt Bike Boots That Go The Distance (Who's Got The Best for 2021?)

Bikebiz Parramatta Review: Are They Any Good?

Bikebiz is a popular motorcycle store in Parramatta stocking Yamaha, Suzuki and Aprilia as well as a huge range of riding gear.

That said – are they worth dealing with given their ratings are a little on the low side?

In this unbiased review of Bikebiz, we’ll provide our honest opinion. We have no commercial relationship with this dealership either.

Bikebiz Review

We’ve been in our fair share of motorcycle dealerships before. Sometimes you go in and you’re helped right away, and at other times you’re standing around for 10 minutes.

With Bikebiz, our experiences were quite good. The staff are knowledgeable and knew how to help us. This is despite the fact there were a few other people in the store at the same time too.

But of course, not everyone has these experiences. This is why you’ll find quite a few negative reviews of Bikebiz online by Australians who haven’t had a good experience. Why? Because quite clearly some people haven’t had a good experience and it’s hard to keep everyone happy.

You’ll actually find no perfect motorcycle store in Australia. Now when you consider the nature of Australians to instantly leave a bad review before reaching out first for a resolution, it’s fair to see the industry average drops to just 4 stars.

So with that in mind, Bikebiz likely aren’t as bad as their online reputation accounts for and certainly our experiences are different.

What They’re Doing Right

One thing that Bikebiz is doing well is their social media management and delivering great content. Clearly they’ve very much into the offroad motorcycling world and are passionate about helping others through the myraid of choices available in the market today.

You’ll find them stocking a range of manufacturers in store from dirt bikes to road motorcycles and even some adventure touring bikes (our favourite here at Frontaer). This means they aren’t tied to one brand and can recommend a bike that will suit you the best.

One thing that we’ll really praise is their sponsoring of industry events. They’re heavily invested in children’s development of the sport and some races have Bikebiz as major sponsors to make the competition pricing cheaper for the kids and for mum and dad’s wallet.

When you do get into the store, the range of gear is quite extensive and probably the biggest selection anywhere in Western Sydney. You’ll also find plenty of accessories, tools and spare parts to keep your bike in excellent working order.

Finally – they are open 7 days a week which is super handy though it can be busy on Saturday’s.

What Could Improve

Clearly some of the lower reviews could be resolved through reaching out to individuals. Some of the past experiences may have been with staff who are no longer employed there, so something to consider if you’re on the fence about making a purchase.

Another great improvement would be to see more blog content. Their last blog was published more than 6 months ago. Compare this to thriving US-based motorcycle stores who publish content almost daily in both written and video format that readers closely follow, and it’s clear how one could build a stronger reputation.

That said – our experiences with Bikebiz have been quite pleasant and the shelves are well-stocked. The only thing missing? Frontaer’s bags. 😉

In Summary

Bikebiz is a long-standing Sydney motorcycle store who has deep roots in the industry. While not the most reputable dealership around, we can imagine that going forward – there will be a large push on improving their online reviews and ratings through world-class customer service.

Don’t let the bad words of a few people worry you. Remember that most people have had a great experience in store, especially in these recent months. It’s not easy running a motorcycle store at 100% perfection, but these guys are clearly working on getting themselves up there.

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👉 39 Most Common Dirt Bike Terms (How Many Do You Really Know?)

🔥 21 Awesome Dirt Bike Riding Tips ('Cause We Want You Safe Out There!)

🌲 How To Go Camping With Your Dirt Bike (And Arrive Home Safely)

🔧 7 Tools Every Dirt Bike Rider Must Carry (To Avoid Those Awkward Rescue Calls)

🥾 Best Dirt Bike Boots That Go The Distance (Who's Got The Best for 2021?)

Why Are Dirt Bikes So Expensive Right Now?

If you’re new to dirt bikes, you’ll soon realize that they are quite expensive and you’ll have to save up quite a few bucks first.

Most people are quite surprised at the upfront capital required, as they are for the extras that they’ll need. Why is this so? Well it’s quite straight forward.

Dirt Bikes cost so much money because of the materials required to build them, as well as the cost to import them from Japan and Europe. In addition, the marketing expenditure, operating costs of dealerships including staff and leasing, as well as constant progress in technology adds up to the cost…with dirt bikes often costing between $5,000 and $17,000 brand new.

It’s for this reason that China has become the #1 supplier of more affordable dirt bikes that serve the budget-conscious riders of the world. These bikes typically aren’t the most reliable nor the most technologically advanced, but can still help you get out there on the trails.

Why Dirt Bikes Are Expensive

Dirt bikes aren’t made with inferior materials. The frame, tyres and engine certainly adds up to the cost. However, it’s the marketing of these bikes including rider sponsorships, dealership branding and constant Research and Development that adds up massively.

We can attribute less than half the cost of a dirt bike to be attributed to the actual physical materials. The rest of overheads are at a corporate level which can’t be avoided to bring machines like this to the marketplace.

How to Afford a Dirt Bike

Once you get over the upfront price for a new dirt bike, you’re then left paying an additional amount for registration and insurance. We recommend that you factor in an additional $2,000 and this is assuming you have riding gear and a trailer to cart your dirt bike around.

Afford a dirt bike

Here’s how you might make dirt bike ownership more affordable:

1. Look on Craigslist, Gumtree or eBay

In your local area there are likely people selling used dirt bikes all the time. You can expect to pay just 30% of the new value of a dirt bike, even if it’s only a few years old. Be warned, however, that these are sometimes stolen so you’ll need to pay close attention and run checks prior to the sale.

2. Ask your dealership if they have used bikes

Often dealerships have some used bikes out the back which have just been traded in and need to be re-sold. If this is the case, you’ll be able to get a bargain pretty easily and sometimes these include warranties too. You won’t have to worry about these being stolen either as dealers do comprehensive checks before listing them for sale.

3. Go halves with a dirt bike share or syndicate

You can create a 50/50 split between a friend where you each go in a share of a dirt bike. Similar to boat ownership which is split between several owners, this allows you to enjoy the fun of a dirt bike without having to front up for the full ongoing expediture. You’ll need to get some legal paperwork and still get your own riding gear, but you’ll still save a ton of money.

4. Look for end of year sales

Generally at the end of year, dealerships become more willing to move stock on and get ready for the newer models. For that reason, keep an eye out for these sales as you can save $500 to $1,000 off the cost of your dirt bike if you play your cards right. They simply need the space for next year’s models so you’ll be helping them out.

5. Buy in a group syndicate

If you can get a bunch of friends together to buy at once, dealerships generally provide a discount or saving off the price of dirt bikes. This way you’ll all benefit as well as having a bunch of friends that you can ride with often. Neat!

6. Go for a Chinese bike instead

That slick looking KTM or Yamaha on the showroom floor looks amazing, but your budget may not allow it for now. If you’re still keen to get out there on the trails, then consider some of the newest Chinese bikes which are coming to the market at half the price of their competitors. Build quality on these bikes still isn’t up to Japanese or European spec, but they are increasing each and every day.

In Summary

Dirt bikes, like cars, boats and planes, simply have a lot of moving parts. This isn’t just the mechanic nature of the physical machine, but also at the corporate business to.

This increase on price has created a barrier to entry, especially for the younger riders. However, the prices have been trending down year-on-year while reliability has been increasing. Either way – you gotta get out there as soon as you can! The trails are ready and waiting!

Continue Reading More Guides by Frontaer

[elementor-template id="4784"]

👉 39 Most Common Dirt Bike Terms (How Many Do You Really Know?)

🔥 21 Awesome Dirt Bike Riding Tips ('Cause We Want You Safe Out There!)

🌲 How To Go Camping With Your Dirt Bike (And Arrive Home Safely)

🔧 7 Tools Every Dirt Bike Rider Must Carry (To Avoid Those Awkward Rescue Calls)

🥾 Best Dirt Bike Boots That Go The Distance (Who's Got The Best for 2021?)