My name is Vesa and riding dirt bikes is my go to sport.
I’ve been riding motorcycles basically all my life. I remember starting around 4 years old with my older brother on a Italjet 50cc moped. Ever since I’ve been hooked on motorcycles.
We grew up on a farm so we had plenty of riding places around us. We would run home after school and try to grab the moped first and blast away. Fun times!
Few years later we got a 50cc Yamaha dirt bike (I remember it being red back then) that really took us to the next level and onto motocross tracks. We quickly started riding trials (I know, not the best dirt bike for that) and more motocross. We rode in few trials competitions but started focusing more on the motocross racing as there was a track reasonably close to us.
More Speed and Street Bikes
Growing up my first street bike was a Honda NSR 125cc, that I bought with my older brother. It was a light, 2-stroke crotch rocket and very fast. We rode a lot.
Summers and the riding season in general are short up north. Therefore I remember cruising around all night until the morning sun would come up to maximize the seat time.
The hunger for speed grew and I had various bigger street bikes. I rode those crotch rockets, until my younger brother crashed hard and spent quite some time recovering from his injuries. I knew that my riding style would land me to a hospital soon. So, I decided to move on to more relaxed riding styles and began riding with Harleys and similar bikes.
I spent several summers cruising around middle Europe, across the Alps, and all the way to the southern parts of Italy. We used to fly somewhere in Germany and buy a motorcycle, ride it around for 3 to 5 weeks and then sell it for profit back home.
Into Custom Choppers
Ever since I was a kid, I always liked working on cars and bikes. We would always do our own maintenance and learning how to split an engine case and put it back together was easy for me.
I have always wanted to build stuff and naturally building a Harley chopper was on the top of the list. I finally had the time to start one back in 2014 when we moved to Texas.
Back to Dirt Bikes
5 years ago I started riding dirt bikes again after about a 20-year hiatus!
I first went back to a motocross track with a 350 4-stroke and loved it! But after about a year I realized it was no longer my thing anymore (I’m too old, I guess). I started riding more and more single track and was quickly starting to like the style of riding more and more.
Nowadays, single track riding and hard enduro have stolen my heart. I barely ride street bikes anymore and I spend most of my weekends and some weekdays too riding hard, technical, and challenging enduro dirt biking.
I think the appeal is in the challenging obstacles and overcoming your own fears. The fast paced and physically demanding aspect of hard enduro keeps me occupied and interested in improving my skills. It’s the one sport that this adrenaline junkie cannot get bored with. I have tried most of the extreme sports, but this is the only one that is challenging enough and fun at the same time!
Racing Dirt Bikes
The reason I race dirt bikes comes down to the fact that it helps me to have a goal in my riding. Riding with a purpose helps to improve skills and stick to a practice plan. I also feel like racing makes me try harder during normal weekend rides and focus on techniques.
I love the race weekend vibes and meeting like minded people around the sport. It’s also one of the best ways to meet new people and give back and support the local riding community.
Racing has also taught me how important it is to practice for races. The physical as well as mental aspects of racing can really push you hard and bring focus and goals to your riding.
My Pit Crew
My pit crew consists of my wife Anna. She too rides motorcycles and used to have a Harley. Anna is my biggest supporter when it comes to the dirt bike way of life. She helps me at the races, assists me with the bike maintenance in my home garage, and tags along for the riding days. It’s only a matter of time before she is convinced to hop on a dirt bike and hit the trails herself.
Our goal is to share the knowledge we have gained over the years riding on the trails and help dirt bike riders on all levels from beginners and advanced enduro riders to hard enduro racers to set up their dirt bike for better dirt bike riding.
See you at the trails!
Read our dirt bike blog here.
