Ecea 2018

[rebelyell]

Im looking to get into enduro racing at 43 years old possibly.was wondering what i need to do.will a drz 400s cut it not looking to beat a A class rider.i tried back 7 years ago at curly fern w my aprilia bike quit and never got back to it.Aprilia has been gone for 3 years now.im just looking to have a weekend hobby.n some fun maybe meet some cool like mind friends.

[arthur6]

I raced several XR250s A Enduro and expert level desert and hare scrambles.
Consintly placed top 10.
Bikes were all stock and bullet proof.

[the_irish_oak]

My suggestion would be to go on the ECEA website and make contact with a club near you.  They have riders of all levels, you can meet some new people and join in the Sunday rides.   Get as much seat time possible and practice good habits so when you do go to a race you won't be in survival mode and can actually enjoy yourself. 

[THSMafia]

Ecea guys I’ve met are pretty cool. Your bike would most likely be fine. 40+ class is super competitive in C and B classes. Ppl think hey I been riding 10 years I’m not a “c” rider. While that’s probably true a lot of guys are C racers and didn’t know it. U can always sign up for B if u were in C but if u rode B u can piss ppl off by trying to then sign up for C at a future race. Yes they do check.

Ride the back row on your first one. No fun to get run over by A guys when ur just getting ur feet wet.  If u end up running guys over line up earlier for the next one. 

[rebelyell]

I want a legal bike love the 2 strokes and use to having power been having a rxv 450 but need or want to be legal so i can just ride as much as possible

[pat22043]

5 hours ago, rebelyell said:

I want a legal bike love the 2 strokes and use to having power been having a rxv 450 but need or want to be legal so i can just ride as much as possible

One of my riding buddies bought a 2017 KTM 300 XCW from Solid-Performance and has it all setup to ride in NJ. I ordered mine from them with PA title, registration and plate. No problem

[the_irish_oak]

Jersey can be tough regarding getting a plate for a dirtbike.  This is another reason to join a local club, they probably could give you some solid guidance how to get your bike plated.  This is important because the pressure is being turned up by the tree-huggers to stop woods riding, so a club wants all of its Sunday riders to be legit and not be the excuse the tree-huggers need to ban us from riding areas.

But most of all:  make contact with a club, they're a group of like-minded guys who will be future friends and riding buddies.

[Mikek671]

Another option with the DRZ is you can run the Dual Sport class in most events if you want.  Most of the enduros requiring a plate on state forest land are usually 80% whoops, setup your suspension accordingly and you will be fine.

[bg10459]

Get a watch, an odometer and a roll chart holder.  IMO, that's more challenging than a computer.  Enter a C class because you can always move up, but you can't move down.  Try to get on a late line so there's not so much traffic behind you.  Try to get on a line with at least one guy who is faster than you and then don't pass that guy unless he's on the ground.  You're racing a clock, so let people by if they want to pass.  Make sure you get gas and food/water on the gas truck or have someone meet you at the stop.  It's a long day and it sucks to be hungry and thirsty and out of gas.

[jochuma3]

a few things here-

ECEA is one of the best, if not the best off road organization in the country-  most of us don't realize that riders from other areas of the country are jealous of us for having the ECEA as far as organization and number of events go-  Im a member of a club for three years and I highly recommended it.

The A, B, C system is misleading for folks who ride but never race.  There is a WIDE range in  C class,   guys range from - the new guy who has only been riding for a year- to the real fast dude that has been riding for 15 years, but he only races 2-3 events a year if that, so he never moved up tp B,  and some real fast guys who are only racing 1-2 years  and are moving up to B soon.  

B guys-  are VERY good. a "B"  ECEA guy is fast and can ride any terrain out there - some of the B guys at the events get better times than some of the A guys.  Even the B guys that don't place aren't that far back from some of the A guys.  There is a very fine line that separates some of the fast B guys from A and that line is blurry.  

the A and AA guys are just on another level-  vast majority of these dudes have been racing since they were kids, their brothers and fathers raced etc etc.  

Last point, that Im surprised no one has made.  Unless your a very good rider-  I think that a DRZ400s would be OK for some of the easier races,  but I think you would be miserable on a DRZ400s for some of the harder ones.  Think RORR-  

**Im not trying to turn this into an argument about the capabilities of the DRZ-  IM just saying , a new racer taking a DRZ400s to RORR or Micheux etc.  is not the best idea and we should make sure we point that out to this fella.  

 

 

 

[the_irish_oak]

Good point John. A DRZ in Jersey sand whoops makes for a long day. 

[pat22043]

On 1/31/2018 at 11:36 AM, jochuma3 said:

There is a WIDE range in  C class,    the real fast dude that has been riding for 15 years, but he only races 2-3 events a year if that, so he never moved up tp B,  and some real fast guys who are only racing 1-2 years  and are moving up to B soon.  

B guys-  are VERY good.   

the A and AA guys are just on another level-  vast majority of these dudes have been racing since they were kids, their brothers and fathers raced etc etc.  

What Doc said!
There is no shame in starting out in C class. If I was going to do any competitive events I'd be D-Class or E-class. If you are actually a good racer, you will place well in C-class and get promoted quickly. The B-Class guys fly over single-track and technical stuff

 

 

[YZPaGuy]

C class, you might want to do a dual sport before an enduro. Your bike will make for a long day.

If you got an enduro, I wouldn't go for a back row. The trail gets rough back there. Get in the middle and just be ready to move over for the fast guys. After the first two sections you will know who will be passing you. Just go out and have fun, that's what it's all about!

[pat22043]

15 hours ago, YZPaGuy said:

C class, you might want to do a dual sport before an enduro. Your bike will make for a long day.

Both Micheaux and Seven Mountains are great dual sports that are great rides, about 100 miles long each. Much less intense than racing, but will get you a lot of seat time.

[THSMafia]

Yah there are better bikes to race than a drZ 400 but I wouldn’t let not having a ‘real race bike’ keep you out of the events. Lotta guys race to be competitive. As many want to just go out and ride some rad trails. Sounds to me ur the latter. Your 400 wld be fine if that’s the objective. 

Edited February 2, 2018 by THSMafia

[rebelyell]

Thanks everyone.i love the ktms beta n gas gas i just cant afford a 11 grand motorcycle.love the yz 250 x. Heard rave reviews on it not sure if thats allowed in the ecea or not? I get the stuff bout the drz is just a big fluffy foo foo bike compared to a crosser or hard core enduro

[rebelyell]

Right now im trying to find abike i can afford before i join a club thats useless to me w out a cycle

[rebelyell]

What bikes are ecea\ netra guys gals running? 2 or 4 stroke.would a rmx 450 be overkill for eastern woods or should i be looking at per say a yz 125\250 etc? Thanks for all the info already!!

[usedtobefast]

You will not have fun on a DRZ400.  A RMX 450 is overkill.  Find a decent used KTM 300 XC-W, get it setup right, go have fun. 

[the_irish_oak]

I have a 2015 KTM 300xcw that is well sorted and ready to ride that I’m thinking of selling.   PM me if interested. Located in Hatboro PA.