[LWJ]

So I came to dirt biking from mountain biking. When I mountain bike, it seems that I ride faster and more aggressively than my skill set. I had a VERY nasty crash where I broke/bruised a whole bunch of stuff on my side - best guess is 4-5 ribs and a bruised something inside. This was far worse than the 4+ car accidents I have been in. There was a lot of energy that went into me and caused pain. I didn't pee blood or run a fever so naturally I didn't see the doc.

BUT, that gave me a heads up about crashing.

I wear a full face helmet, goggles, gloves, MX boots, knee pads, and a big honking leatt chest/back protector.

Nothing for my neck or elbows just yet.

Most of my dismounts are super slow speed. I rode twice in the last 7 days and the only one I had was just stepping off on a sharp switchback.

But I am keenly aware of the destructive power that I am trying to harness and don't want to break myself.

I think a big vulnerability in trail riding is tree branches smacking you in the eye. I run into them many times every time. I should probably change up into safety glasses for better impact protection.

Great questions. XR400's are a classic and I would love to own one. Maybe we should have a Dirt Bike Porn thread...