Starting out enduro as a beginner?

**Jamie L** · 19th December 2011, 19:40

well i have ended up with a 2008 YZ250F, White plastics, looks and goes awesome. I guess my next question is can i start enduro riding with it??

I dont want to be highly competitive, i just want to have fun on my new bike, but do a little more than just trail ride.

Any suggestions to good rides or does my bike have to meet certain regulations??

Cheers, Jamie

DIVERS DO IT DEEPER!

**flyingcr250** · 19th December 2011, 20:02

Originally Posted by Jamie L

well i have ended up with a 2008 YZ250F, White plastics, looks and goes awesome. I guess my next question is can i start enduro riding with it??

I dont want to be highly competitive, i just want to have fun on my new bike, but do a little more than just trail ride.

Any suggestions to good rides or does my bike have to meet certain regulations??

Cheers, Jamie

DIVERS DO IT DEEPER!

SWEET!

I think for the average rider there arent any regulations you need to meet, just make sure your exhaust isnt overly loud and you should be sweet, id still get some hand guards, radiator braces and a skid plate etc.. And maybe wrap some old inner tube around your radiator hoses to stop stones and sticks puncturing the hoses,
Enduros are good fun.

**noobi** · 19th December 2011, 22:23

Originally Posted by Jamie L

...does my bike have to meet certain regulations??

Nope, if you're competing in the national classes, then you need to have lights, they don't need to work, they just have to be there.
Otherwise, just show up, pay the entry, and probably for a day license and you're good to go.

Get all the guards CR suggested above.

Read the link I posted earlier in the thread if you haven't already, that gives a good explanation on the format of enduros. If you are familiar with rally driving, its exactly like that, but on bikes.

Only other thing is riding fitness, enduros are a long day out on the bike.

**motor_mayhem** · 19th December 2011, 23:28

While YZF's aren't particularly known for overheating I would probably still get a catch tank as you may spend some time with the engine revving and not going too far.

When I was learning to ride I tried an enduro and the plastic t joint in my cooling system melted and I lost most of the water, had to limp home on the second lap.

**Jamie L** · 21st December 2011, 18:21

Catch tank??? is this an addition to the radiator to hold more water?

**browny** · 21st December 2011, 18:42

Originally Posted by flyingcr250

SWEET!

I think for the average rider there arent any regulations you need to meet, just make sure your exhaust isnt overly loud and you should be sweet, id still get some hand guards, radiator braces and a skid plate etc.. And maybe wrap some old inner tube around your radiator hoses to stop stones and sticks puncturing the hoses,
Enduros are good fun.

what do they deem "overly loud". am keen to try enduros also. big berg got some noise with her tho.

**noobi** · 21st December 2011, 19:26

Originally Posted by Jamie L

Catch tank??? is this an addition to the radiator to hold more water?

Like this http://www.mrmotorcycles.co.nz/produ...oducts_id=1458
Catches the coolant your bike spews out when it gets hot.

**NordieBoy** · 21st December 2011, 19:40

Originally Posted by browny

what do they deem "overly loud". am keen to try enduros also. big berg got some noise with her tho.

96dB, 0.5m away, 45deg, level with pipe at about half revs or so.

**BoristheBiter** · 21st December 2011, 19:41

Originally Posted by noobi

Only other thing is riding fitness, enduros are a long day out on the bike.

Tell me about it.
I thought i was bike fit, then i raced in the two man. There is a big difference from riding for 3+ hours and racing for 3+ hours.

**noobi** · 21st December 2011, 19:49

Originally Posted by BoristheBiter

Tell me about it.
I thought i was bike fit, then i raced in the two man. There is a big difference from riding for 3+ hours and racing for 3+ hours.

Yep. I could probably ride for 8 hours in a day, but find it very difficult to 'race' for 3 hours without breaks.
Enduros may be riding for 5-6 hours, but you only 'race' for about 1 hour, with breaks in between. Even then, you are only racing against the clock, not other people.

**BoristheBiter** · 21st December 2011, 19:56

Originally Posted by noobi

Yep. I could probably ride for 8 hours in a day, but find it very difficult to 'race' for 3 hours without breaks.
Enduros may be riding for 5-6 hours, but you only 'race' for about 1 hour, with breaks in between. Even then, you are only racing against the clock, not other people.

So not like ROA or romaniacs then?

**noobi** · 22nd December 2011, 16:48

Originally Posted by BoristheBiter

So not like ROA or romaniacs then?

Lol, no. There are only a few events like that in NZ, and they are only single day events. The No Way In Hell Hard Enduro, the Root 100 and the Nutbuster.
They couldn't run the National series in such a way that 6 people finished.

**BoristheBiter** · 22nd December 2011, 19:11

Originally Posted by noobi

Lol, no. There are only a few events like that in NZ, and they are only single day events. The No Way In Hell Hard Enduro, the Root 100 and the Nutbuster.
They couldn't run the National series in such a way that 6 people finished.

Yeah, I answered my question today.
The 2-man (solo) I did, ROA and romaniacs are more cross country than standard enduro, as enduro are the same course and you get points for better times.

That's about right, yes?

**noobi** · 22nd December 2011, 19:50

Originally Posted by BoristheBiter

Yeah, I answered my question today.
The 2-man (solo) I did, ROA and romaniacs are more cross country than standard enduro, as enduro are the same course and you get points for better times.

That's about right, yes?

Yes, but you get less points for a better time. A point per second during timed tests, loose 60 points for every minute you are behind where you should be at checks, and there are point penalties for other things too, like not being able to cold start your bike and ride it X meters in one minute, or not having lights on a bike competing in expert class at National events.
Fewest points wins.
The course is like a trail ride with more than one track, you start in the pits, ride a lap, come back to the pits, refuel, eat whatever, then go and ride the other track, come back to the pits, repeat. The timed tests are somewhere in the lap.

**BoristheBiter** · 22nd December 2011, 19:54

Originally Posted by noobi

Yes, but you get less points for a better time. A point per second during timed tests, loose 60 points for every minute you are behind where you should be at checks, and there are point penalties for other things too, like not being able to cold start your bike and ride it X meters in one minute, or not having lights on a bike competing in expert class at National events.
Fewest points wins.
The course is like a trail ride with more than one track, you start in the pits, ride a lap, come back to the pits, refuel, eat whatever, then go and ride the other track, come back to the pits, repeat. The timed tests are somewhere in the lap.

I defintly prefer XC then, cold start my XR and ride x distance

I would lose right there.