ca dirt bike training

Rob Rickert Dirt Bike School

Reviews

Mike S.

• 53 friends
• 80 reviews

9/8/2011

Looking for a good father-son activity? This is IT!   My six-year-old has always been addicted to motocross / dirtbikes. Dirtbike shirts,… Read More

Looking for a good father-son activity? This is IT!

My six-year-old has always been addicted to motocross / dirtbikes. Dirtbike shirts, toys, posters, whatever were his thing since he was three. We didn't own a dirtbike and are city-people, so I have no idea where he caught the bug. But, he did. So, I made a deal with him: We could explore this sport if he took and passed a dirtbike safety class. [Most things aren't dangerous if you have the proper training (guys, tell your wives that when you break it to them that you and the boy(s) either are going, or have gone to dirtbike class - it may be better to beg for forgiveness rather than asking for permission).]  A Google search followed that led me to Rob Rickert Dirtbike School. It was exactly what I was looking for.

So, me, another adult, and two kids signed up for a class on a Monday (if you have four or more participants, Rob will set up a class for you on a weekday - usually classes are on the weekend). We drove up to the OHV park, near Aerojet between Rancho Cordova and Folsom, arriving at 8:30 am. We were greeted out front by a tall man with graying hair in a high-and-tight military haircut. He looked like (and is) the typical retired former military badass that commands attention. The kids immediately put him in the super-hero category.

Rob took us into the classroom and we received a safety briefing. It wasn't your typical classroom experience... Rob sat down with us, kneeled down with the kids when he talked to them, made a great fatherly impression on us adults, and made a grandfatherly impression on the kids. He mixed the dirtbike-specific safety tips with some serious discussion with the kids on personal responsibility. (It was the kind of talk every parent has or wants to have with their kids, usually falling on deaf ears because parents don't have the street-cred of a big, military badass, dirtbike riding action hero.) The kids listened, hanging on his every word.

After the classroom portion, we were led to a room where we geared up in safety equipment provided by the school. Then Rob took us outside where he had picked bikes out for each of us from their large on-site collection of school bikes and loaners from local dealerships. Then began a day of Rob demonstrating riding techniques, and us mastering them. He was patient, was great with the kids, and taught us some amazing things. By the end of the day, we could safely navigate cone patterns, work the gears, work the brakes, do things slow or fast, and we were all both confident and competent.

My dirtbike-obsessed son had a great day. Kids and adults alike had a blast. The only problem I have with the experience is, I loved it so much that we now own two dirtbikes of our own. But, what the heck? We're making great memories together.