motorcycling

After a very long and soggy winter, the weather in Northern California returned to ordinary - beautiful and sunny! I was eager to return to off-road motorcycling and decided to start my 2019 season on Saturday, March 16, 2019.. . It was already quite busy when I arrived at Hollister Hills SVRA at 9:30. It became even busier throughout the day. Because of the recent…

It's been a while since I rode my Yamaha WR250F off-road motorcycle, and I decided to refresh my skills with a ride in Hollister Hills SVRA. The weather was promising to be hot (90+ F), and I decided to leave early to enjoy the rides until it got unpleasant.. . When I arrived around 9:40 a.m., Hollister Hills SVRA looked pretty empty. I am used…

On a chilly, 38 Fahrenheit December morning, I decided to practice my dirt biking skills at Hollister Hills SVRA.. . . . After loading my Yamaha WR250F motorcycle and associated gear, I stopped by the nearby House of Bagels to pick up my croissant, Turkey Bagel, and chocolate muffin for lunch.. . The drive to Hollister took about an hour, and I was surprised to…

In the morning, with the slightly cooler San Francisco Bay Area weather, I returned to off-road motorcycling in my favorite Hollister Hills SVRA.. . . . I loaded the bike and stopped by for some bagels and cookies (for lunch) at my nearby House of Bagels. I continued on toward Hollister Hills SVRA, taking another hour of driving time.. . Upon arrival, I noticed the…

Since selling my Honda CRF250R in December 2016, I have not ridden any dirt bikes for a few months (the constant rainy weather did not help).. . I decided to refresh my off-road motorcycling skills with Brian Garrahan. I enrolled in his Into to Dirt class with Garrahan Off-Road Training for a one-day seminar at Carnegie Hills SVRA. . . I have only visited Carnegie…

After selling my beloved "red-sticker" 2013 Honda CRF250R offroad motorcycle in December 2016, I have been looking to replace it with a "green sticker" Yamaha WR250F for many months. The Yamaha WR250F was my #1 choice since it can be ridden year-round in California (being a green sticker bike), has a wide ratio transmission, and is expressly designed for trail riding.. . . . I…

Today was my 6th day riding my Red Sticker Honda CRF250R dirt bike at Hollister Hills SVRA.. It's been quite dry the past week, and I noticed very few muddy trails.. . . . To warm up (since the Vintage track was closed), I proceeded to ride the Harmony Gate road. Harmony Gate is a straightforward trail. After that warm-up, I rode the TT Track…

Today was my 5th day riding my Red Sticker Honda CRF250R dirt bike at Hollister Hills SVRA. It had rained heavily the week before, and I was eager to explore all the muddy trails at Hollister Hills SVRA.. . By now, most of the trails had dried off, and only a few patches of wet mud remained.. . . . The bike started and ran…

Since I have been chiefly dirt biking alone, I joined the East Bay Dirt Bike group. The group usually rides at Carnegie SVRA. However, the group decided to ride at the Hollister Hills SVRA today.. . . I arrived at 9:15 am, though the meetup was supposed to start at 9:00 am ( I had to stop at Whole Foods for a sandwich!). At first,…

Today was my third day riding my Red Sticker Honda CRF250R dirt bike at Hollister Hills SVRA. It had rained the day before, and I was eager to explore all the muddy trails at Hollister Hills.. Many usual trails were closed (like the TT Track and Four Corners), but some re-opened later in the day (TT Track).. . . . I first warmed up on…

Today was my second day riding my Red Sticker Honda CRF250R dirt bike at Hollister Hills SVRA. I was eager to explore all of the trails at Hollister Hills to see which suits my riding skill level and which is a bit of a stretch.. . I first warmed up on the nearby Classic/Vintage Track, followed by multiple rides around the TT (Time Trials) Track.…

Since October 1 started the "Red Sticker" riding season in California, I was eager for a ride on my Honda CRF250R offroad motorcycle. The CRF250R is a "Red Sticker" bike by California standards, so I can only ride from October 1 to May 30 in most local SVRA areas.. . It was getting very crowded when I arrived at Hollister Hills SVRA on Saturday, October…

Since it was still September (Red Sticker Season ends on October 1), I decided to refresh my off-road motorcycling skills with Brian Garrahan. I enrolled for a two-day seminar in his Into to Dirt class with Garrahan Off-Road Training.. . The two-day class takes place in Hollister SVRA, CA and Brian Garrahan provides all of the dirt bikes. He mostly uses Honda CRF150F and CRF230F…

After many weekends of rain (and park closures), I finally had great weather to ride my 2013 Honda CRF250R off-road motorcycle at Metcalf Motorcycle Park. . . . I arrived early, around 09:00, and the park was already busy (but the parking lot was only partially complete. I unloaded my dirt bike, filled it with gas, and put on my riding gear.. . . .…