I’ve been riding dirt bikes since I was a kid, and always try to get my friends involved. Nothing beats riding around a nice track or trail on the weekend with a few close buddies. It’s great to see someone who has never ridden a motorcycle before experience the sheer thrill of going around a track for the first time. All they need is a helmet, protective boots, gloves, and a pair of motocross goggles in order to get started. Then once they get a feel for riding, many choose to buy their own MX bike so they can join in on a regular basis.
But there’s no reason to spend several thousand dollars on an off-road motorcycle just to see whether or not you like the sport. If you’ve got a friend with a bike, then just tag along with him or her for a few weekends for some test riding. At a minimum, though, it would be smart to buy your own helmet and motocross goggles for these preliminary rides. You don’t want to mess with head protection, and the only way a helmet can really do its job is if it fits properly. That means getting your own. As for motocross goggles, the reason you should get your own pair is that you’ll probably sweat while riding. Nobody really wants to share sweaty equipment, so bring your own.
If you want to take things further, you can buy additional MX accessories to make sure your riding experience is safe and enjoyable. For example, gloves will help protect your hands from blisters and boots will keep your feet safe while riding. You might also want to look into a chest protector to guard against rocks and other debris that can be kicked back at you while following another rider on the track. A kidney belt would also be a good investment. Due to the nature of off-road riding, it helps to have support around your lower back so you don’t get sore after a full day on your bike.
This is an expensive sport, so you can expect to pay several hundred dollars for your motocross goggles, helmet, and other accessories. As I mentioned before, the only way this stuff can actually protect you is if it fits the right way, so I do not recommend buying secondhand or used products. Actually, maybe used boots would be OK because then they would be broken in already, but it would definitely be worth it to cough up the few hundred dollars you’ll need to spend on the other equipment.
Once you purchase a new pair of motocross goggles, a quality helmet, and a few other accessories, you can start riding with friends whenever they invite you. You might even find yourself at a dealership looking a new MX bikes so you don’t have to rely on other folks for your weekend fun!