Take Heed of the Guru

We’ve come some way. Your bike’s got a couple of battle scars by now, hopefully you haven’t as many. You have amassed all the necessary equipment and chosen your style of kitting up – it burns you though that you tossed the R599.99 MX jersey ‘cause riding in a t-shirt in sunny SA is just far more comfortable. You’ve been reading EW since its launch last year and you’ve learned a couple of things – how to prep, how to behave, where to go and where not to go and you’re riding better and better and you’re starting to understand why the off-road lunatics are what they are. Worse, you’re realizing that you are an off-road lunatic!!! You’ve also come to realize that the local fraternity is not that big, well it is big but the camaraderie is such that it doesn’t take long for most to get to know most.As you ride with more and more different groups, one thing is becoming apparent, there are a lot of guys out there who are way, way better than you are. Some are quicker, some are more stylish, some have tech skills that you cannot understand and some will attack obstacles like rivers and hill climbs that you never thought could be possible. As this realisation sinks in, you go through a few phases:Phase 1: I need to find other guys to ride with ‘cause I look real bad with this lot and they probably don’t like me anyway ‘cause I’m probably slowing them down a bunch so maybe I should peel off now and go get a beer and hang out in the pool or something ‘till they get back and……. S**T did you see what that oke just did and they want me to follow !?!?Relax buddy! If these guys didn’t want you to ride with them, the odds are they would have told you. Brutal honesty is something that is always in your face on an outride. Like it or not. Almost every time, the experienced guys will be watching you and, if they feel you can make something they’ll push you and if they feel you can’t, they’ll ask you to wait or point you in another direction with a meeting point (usually someone will come with you in this case).Phase 2: I’m tired of these guys telling me what and how to do things. I’ve been playing this game for six months now and I know how!!!Nonsense! I’ve been playing this game for 23 years and I’m still learning. Watch, Grasshopper, and learn. The master didn’t learn to climb that hill or wheelie over that ditch from thinking that he knows enough and cannot learn anymore. The more you learn, the more you do. The more you do, the more you enjoy. (And you get to go to a whole bunch of new places on out rides ‘cause the guys trust your ability out there).Phase 3: Hell this isn’t so tough. Check how easy he just went up there. I’m sure I could get up there too. “Hey, what gear were you in and how fast were you going on your run-up?”Now you’re talking!! You’ve understood. This is where you need to be. Two things to remember:1)     Don’t be scared to ask. If you don’t ask you don’t learn.2)     You will get a positive answer. If there’s one thing every off-roader loves, it’s acknowledgement of his knowledge or ability in the game. I’ve used the actual ride and mainly hill climbing as an example for this story so far, but the guru has far more uses than just the ride. The workshop is where you really need to exploit these animals. Maintaining, and sometimes repairing, off-road bikes is not only essential but often unavoidable. Your choices:

• send it to your dealer – this can very expensive (specially if you’re taking it there every week for post-ride check and pre-ride prep),
• sit yourself down with your tools and workshop manual – good, good, but time consuming, very time consuming specially at the beginning and you miss out on all the “trade tricks and secrets”, or finally,
• invite your favourite guru over for a few beers to help you in your workshop and show you a thing or two (thanks Warwick).

 Off-road bikes are not difficult to maintain and most repairs are also pretty easy. Do yourself a favour, have some fun on your bike when you’re not in the seat. Your guru will help you do this. Your bike will always be properly prepped. And you will find another element of enjoyment in the sport – knowing that you are keeping your scooter going the way it should. My final point in this tale is this: You are your own best guru! Listen to your conscience first. If you think the hill climb is not yet within your limits then don’t do it. Don’t ask how yet. And don’t let yourself get pushed into it. If you feel you and/or your guru do not have sufficient tools and/or know-how to change that bust fork seal then don’t do it, send it to your regular mechanic. Keep yourself safe above all and keep your scooter working properly. Only you can tell you how best to do this every weekend. Thank you to my gurus – Dad, Anthony, Malcolm, Barry, Rex and Tom to name but a few. Keep the shiny side up and ride it like you stole it. Steve “Tombstone” Lauter