Issue #256 Better to Bust Plastic Than Break Bones
Written by Nancy Irwin   
Tuesday, 01 December 2009
Recently, I learned that the very dirt-oriented 400cc KTM EXC I purchased over the winter has put me into an entirely different category from my BMW enduro. After so many years of comfortable motorcycle riding, it’s quite the surprise to find myself back in the novice class, and without a dedicated group of friends with whom to share this new experience or to learn from when the going gets tough. It’s no surprise I’ve been crashing and breaking parts. Surprisingly, each time I spill, the bike starts right up again—after I’ve managed to get it upright and make a few minor adjustments to twisted or broken components. I keep reassuring myself that I won’t be a novice at this forever, that I’m just riding the uphill side of a major learning curve and that I must remember to ride only within my own limits. The thing is, that while I want to learn to be a better dirt rider I don’t want to break myself in the process. Finally, I decided I’d better find a community of off-road enthusiasts who could show me the ropes: learning from others with experience is always a more effective use of time than learning them on your own.

FOR MY FIRST OUTING I HITCHED A ride on the truck with Jill and Allison Grummett from the Toronto-area dealership Parker Bros. Powersport, to attend a Simcoe Country Off-Road Riders Association Ladies Training Day. It was fun and reminded me of the dirt bike classes I’ve taken over the years. It was well-organized and an excellent first time out. I got to meet a bunch of women riders and a number of men who helped with the day. And I learned that the bike is quite heavy for me to pick up—which was a big disappointment. Strangely both Allison and her mother Jill had no problem picking up theirs. Clearly there is technique involved.
Then I went dirt riding with Adam, a very experienced rider who owns 525 and 250 KTMs. I met Adam last year at my friends’ country retreat. He’s the “boy next door.” Adam turned out to be a lot of fun, polite and kind—he waited for me to pass every difficult section. We rode for a few fun hours on trails and along a former rail bed where we saw many ATVs. That night he took trails that were far too challenging for me to visit a friend while I relaxed by the campfire with the girls.  
The next day we worked on creating a track at his parents’ place. His father, a professional hunting guide helped break trail with a six-wheel ATV, then we played in a sand pit! Initially I was afraid, having ditched my bike more than once the day before in deep puddles created by ATVs. And I had parked my bike upright between two trees while I slid off the back and down into one of those puddles, leaving interesting bruises on my arms. Anyway, I did very well. At first I mustered up the courage to ride up the smallest bank. By the end I was following Adam up and down the big ones, not necessarily with the same grace but I did it—repeatedly! And he kindly led me through more and more challenges.
I came home with one sadly broken piece of plastic and snapped the bolt holding the side stand. Still, I am extremely happy to have found someone to ride with, even if only once a year.
I’m slowly figuring things out. To meet like-minded enthusiasts, people attend organized events such as the rides posted on the websites of the Ontario Federation of Trail Riders or the Ontario Dual Sport Club. I decided on an excursion into the Ganaraska Forest organized by the Great Pine Trail Riders.

WE MET AT THE SANDARASKA campground located next to the forest. There were all makes of dirt
bikes there and a majority of adults. I parked with plenty of room because I wasn’t good at backing up the trailer I had borrowed for the occasion. A row of KTMs pulled in next to me and I was quite excited. Then one that looked quite different from the others parked in the gap alongside me. It had a strange motor case and something extra running along the inside of the front forks. This was the Christini All wheel drive system, I was told. It delivers power from the transmission to the front wheel through a series of chains and shafts. When conditions are perfect, the rear wheel drives faster than the front AWD because one-way clutches in the hub allow the front to simply freewheel. But when the rear wheel slips and loses traction, the front kicks in to give the rider a boost on difficult terrain. Tony, an aircraft engineer, was very clearly enjoying the day aboard his Christini-equipped 300 KTM. By the time I arrived at the noon-hour lunch spot—having struggled my way though big sand pits, encounters with a few tree stumps and a dunking in at least one big puddle—Tony had not only completed the 40-kilometre course and finished lunch, but had also run the longer, more difficult single-track course.
During my much needed break I learned he had been on the Canadian International Six Day Enduro team in his early days, before the demands of a career, a partner and children dominated his world. Kids grown, he’s now racing cars and riding “modern engineering” on the trails, though he doesn’t believe front wheel drive will actually catch on in any big way for the foreseeable future. There’s a very specific time and place for the technology, he says, and its five grand price tag (more or less) makes the Christini system prohibitively expensive for all but the most unique buyer. Just another example though of seeing the darnest things when you’re out in the woods. Two wheels provide amazing adventures.
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