Slow and steady or fast and fun? – The Big Rock experience

Why did we go?

Charles: It made sense to me, since I spend weekends on the beach with my Impulse. I’ve also heard that the best road racers always practice on dirt, so along with cossetting my back on the commute, my Impulse was supposed to be my weekend escape while I tried to get better on a motorcycle – I prefer to avoid the weekend highway blast, unlike the rest of the leisure riding world. Big Rock comes highly recommended, and any learning from an expert who can give you feedback is valuable learning.

Abhishek: I’ve always been the apex-loving, crotch rocket kind of guy. What I also read in plenty was that the skills learned as a dirt rider transfer directly into street riding. This is one of the main reasons that made me sign up for Big Rock. I was pretty sure that I wasn’t going to get into dirt bike riding even after the course unless I bought a motorcycle that was fit for the job. But the agenda here was to explore my limits on a genre of motorcycle I haven’t ridden before and a surface that really gets me nervous. Hopefully the right training would help me overcome that.

How did we approach it?

Charles: I haven’t fallen from a motorcycle in many years now. I didn’t want to start now (foolish thought, I learned later) and the way to avoid that was to go slow and steady. Erase all the bad habits, then try and go faster. Dirt is a fickle friend, though – as you keep riding on it, it changes, unlike tarmac. Ruts form. Slides create more loose dirt. And I couldn’t feel a thing in the deep-sea divers’ footwear that was masquerading as my motocross boots. My attempts to get the technique right were always upset by something unpredictable happening, and fear and instinct kicking in. I was so slow that the instructor had to keep reminding me to use more throttle. I was a rolling roadblock on the oval for the rest, except for Ranjan, who didn’t manage to overtake me only because he kept falling so often. 

Abhishek: Speed is something that really floats my boat. While that’s fine on tarmac, this was uncharted territory for me. But I thought the only way to overcome fear was to face it head on, and I decided to use the ‘when in doubt, throttle out’ theory. And guess what, it worked! The first few times that the bike slid was quite hairy but I got used to it quickly and pretty soon I was gassing it hard out of the corners. While it’s always easier to go slow in the beginning so one can apply the techniques, I couldn’t resist the temptation; I was having too much fun. Thankfully the instructor was okay with whatever I was doing out there so my gung-ho approach worked fine for me.

What feedback did we get?

Charles: The lack of feedback from the instructor was unnerving – then I asked him if the lack of feedback was a good thing. He replied ‘yes’ with a smile. The rest of the time he was urging me to go faster. The one time I decided to listen to him, no matter what, was during the ‘Figure of 8’ exercise and I promptly fell. Twice. He did say at one point that it is a good thing to take things slowly and get the technique right as soon as possible. I don’t think he counted on someone quite as slow as me, though.

Abhishek: The instructions were pretty clear from the coach but me being on the healthier side (maybe a little more than just healthy), I was having difficulty positioning my body according to his instructions. I struggled to keep my inner leg high and close to the bike since it was extremely taxing and it would just hang wide which is exactly how you don’t do it. But repeated prodding from the coach and the fear of breaking my leg made me work on it and I managed to get it right by the end of the session. Using the rear brakes was another of my Achilles heels but that was more to do with the massive MX boots that I was trying to get used to. 

Will we return?

Abhishek: Considering how much fun I had and how much I managed to learn, I would love to go back. But then for me, it’s important to apply what I learn and for that I need a specific motorcycle. And until I get one I think I’ll await my next trip to Big Rock. But just maybe Vikrant/Charles/Pratheek will be gracious enough to lend their Impulses so I can hit this temple of dirt soon enough. 

Charles: Two days weren’t quite enough for me to get comfortable with the motorcycle and the techniques. I’ll also need the correct tool, like the CRF230L I had there, to polish those techniques. I’d also like to learn to initiate and control a slide at will every single time I try it. I know I’ll go back, and hopefully this time I’ll have enough attention to spare to look out for deer on our trail ride.

Did our method work?

Charles: It certainly did – by the end of the second day, I was quite improved. I’d shaved off a whole second off my time on the oval, and there was scope for more improvement. I’m not sure I’d try Abhishek’s gung-ho method because he is inherently fast, and I don’t want to fall any more than is necessary! 

Abhishek: For what I intended, I think my method worked well. I overcame my fear of braking, accelerating and leaning a motorcycle in the dirt. And more than that I also managed to learn to jump and powerslide my way out of corners. Cutting my time by 1.5 seconds on the oval meant I had absorbed the learning and had managed to go faster. I would definitely give the other person’s method a try, anything that can make me go faster! 

Going back to school always helps build skill and confidence; whether you prefer progress slow and steady or quick and exhilarating is down to personal preference.

We've got more from our experiences at Big Rock! 

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