Is riding a street bike that much different than riding dirt bikes?

Question

I have been riding dirt bikes for a while now and i was wondering if street bikes are that any harder or different to ride... Thanks

Answer 1

Yes!

Forget everything you know about dirt riding, for street riding, everything is totally different.

In street riding, you lose traction, you go down, and hard!

You have to consider traffic, and avoiding people that do the unexpected, etc.

Answer 2

I just bought my first street bike 6 weeks ago. 1 mile after leaving the dealership I made a left turn at an intersection and automatically threw my foot out as I leaned into the turn. Please understand that I knew better than to do this on the street; it was an unconscious learned response after 50,000 turns on dirt. Luckily my knee and foot were not ripped apart. Also; my new bike, being a tourer type, could not be leaned very far in turns without scraping the floorboards. I weigh about 280# and lift weights, still it is hard to manhandle a street bike compared to a dirt bike. Also; a 4 stroke street "cruiser" bike red-lines at about what 5500 rpm? A 2 stroke dirt bike is just getting into stride at that pace. Please go slow and easy for the first few months until you get a good feel for your new bike.  

Answer 3

Same thing.

Start the engine.

Pull in the clutch.

Shift just like your would on a dirt bike.

Let out the clutch the same as a dirt bike.

Give it gas - shift to higher gears - go faster.

The front and rear brakes slow you down down.

Same thing.

Answer 4

No really BIG difference other than power and cars to be careful around. Oh...............the street is a lot harder then the dirt if you get thrown off. Been there before!!!!

Answer 5

They are alot heavier and just handle differently. You have to make adjustments for all of that. You should be fine though if you take your time and figure things out. i went from dirtbikes when I was a kid to riding a street bike now. It didnt take long to get it figured out, just keep it slow.

Answer 6

There's not too much difference (imo) just better traction & more idiot's too look out for.

Answer 7

yes

Answer 8

yes, theres allot more power behind a street bike, i have a gsx-r 1000 and it's fast as h*ll, i also got a 110cc pocket bike and a 250cc dirt bike. basicaly it's the weight and power. dirt bikes are light and manuverable and can go anywhere. street bikes are powerfull and harder to controll. it's all about the leaning.

Answer 9

every type fo bike has it's own 'uniquness' but they're all basicly the same....

just remember flatter tires on pavement grip aLOT better then dirt tires offroad.... on dirt bikes, you almost HAVE to learn to kick your *** end out and 'drift' it a bit, with any road bike this is the LAST thing you want as it will almost definately spell disaster for both your body a nd your bike.....

just remember, ti's not a dirt bike, it's not meant to be ridden the same way.... remember that and you should be fine, even on a more powerful bike then is reccomended to beginers (a major reason bikes are reccomended the way they are comes from people being infamilair with motorcycles in general.... riding a street bike is alot more dangerous to someone who's never rode a motorcycle in their life then someone who has... because that someone that has, understands the functions of the motorcycle, all that's left is learning it's quirks...)

Answer 10

For me road riding is not nearly as challenging.  

Answer 11

Different to dirt but it's a good introduction as you learn to steer with your feet, counter steer and go easy on the front brake.

Big difference on the road is lean angles and judging braking distances and corner speeds.