TR “is” spoiled, but thats a good thing for him
I do/did have the opportunity to learn on dirt. My parents own a farm about 1hr drive away. I’m considering getting a cheap dual-sport or off-road motorcycle just to hone my skills.
In addition due to Cleveland losing so much population and jobs there are a number of abandoned industrial locations that one can ride off road provided you have a plated bike to get there and you ignore the trespassing. Probably not a great place to learn though.
The point about the Ninja 250 is a good one for someone interested in sport bikes. It is compact and light. It definitely allows for more learning moments than a bigger machine.
Just had another learning moment this evening. Pulled off the road into a rural driveway. The drive was very loose, deep gravel. While turning around before stopping my front wheel locked up and slide. If my Ninja 250 was a larger bike it would have been on its side with me likely under it. However I’m a big guy and the Ninja is a small bike so I just put my foot down and pulled it back upright even before it could drop. Still made me wish for a small dual-sport at that moment.
Craig