I think the OP was trying to elevate himself on a pedestal so he could look down his nose at someone else and was looking for backup from us.

I think my Big Wheel helped prepare me the most for riding.

 

The experiences you gain in a few years of dirt bike riding would take countless near death experiences on a street bike. On a dirt bike you push it to the limit (and beyond) every day, you learn where those limits are and you learn to react without panic when things go wrong.

You also learn how to skid, slide, and most importantly wreck (a huge advantage over somebody with street bike only experience).

After you wreck enough on a dirt bike, you kinda get "good" at it and you don’t get hurt as often.

I consider my dirt bike experience as riding experience when I tell people I have been riding for 30+ years (I surely didn't start riding street bikes at age 9).

There is allot to learn on the street, things you don't learn in the dirt, but..... there’s allot to learn in the dirt that can save your life on the street.

 

i would be willing to bet that any dirt bike rider (with no cruiser experience)could hop on my harley and ride it around. i guarentee. that most harley riders (with no dirt bike experience) that hop on my dirt bike would be on there *** so fast theywould not know what happend. just touching the gas in first will stand you straight up on my 450.

 

both have two wheels.......

 

why dont you give us your definition of a "Real Biker" seems like that is what your getting at!!!

 

My thoughts exactly...

The op needs to go lay down

 

Here we go. These two videos sum it all up. A comparison between harley road bikes and real dirt bikes... hahahah this is good...

The Harleys on a dirt track...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBqgqClD9wY

The real thing....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E92ua...eature=related


ok ok, I know they're not dirt bikes in the sense of motocross style, but they are "dirt track racers" definately not street bikes. So according to the op, this kind of experience doesn't transfer to the street. haha. The guy has been smokin too much whacky tabacky.

 

I been doing it in the dirt my whole life and still do. There is a lot to learn from riding in the dirt.

 

I have to agree with most of those posting that dirt bike helps make you a better rider in general. I have had a motorcycle of some sort on and off since I was 8 y.o. I am now 51. I raced moto-X for a year. I can tell you first hand that the skills I learned riding and racing dirt bikes has come handy on more than one occasion.The hardest thing to learn when you transition from dirt bikes to street bikes, at least for me, is to not just look straight ahead but to be aware of all of your surroundings,intersections,driveways,blind spots on cars etc. obviously most of those are not concerns when you are on a dirt bike. The other major difference is the weight distribution. Dirt bikes by and large are more balanced and maneuverable.A lot of the crotch rockets are pretty well balance though.
I know first hand that in at least one instance those skills saved my a$$.Right after I bought my E.G. I came over a hill in town , doing 45mph and as I crested the hill all I saw were brake lights and an accident ahead. I hit my brakes, crossed up my E.G. and was prepared to lay it down. As luck would have it I didn't have to but I did skid within a couple of feet of the rear bumper of the car stopped in front of me. I regained my composure and moved to outside of the lane so I would be rearended. I firmly believe that if hadn't practiced that on my dirt bikes, I don't know how many times, it wouldn't have been second nature and I might very well have wrecked....

 

Put me down on the list of being in total disagreement with the OP too. There are tons of differences in machines that are ridden in the dirt and street bikes, but to say that riding off road "doesn't count" as experience is absurd!!

I'm another one that started riding off road, eventually raced motocross for a few years, then moved on to road bikes. The RIDING skills I developed on dirt bikes made a huge difference in the transition to riding on the street. As someone else mentioned, riding on a highway in traffic is a cakewalk compared to going hard into a turn with 20 other riders, all trying to stuff their bikes into the same space at the same time at 50 or 60 mph, and ALL determined to get there first.

street riding poses different challenges than dirt, but the vast majority of the skill set you develop riding in the dirt is directly transferrable to the street.

That there has got to one of the oddest things I've ever heard here...........