I'm thinking of getting back into dirt biking (enjoyed it many, many years ago) as a hobbie I could share with my kids (7 and 10yrs).
I have some basic dumb-ass questions:
Should I have insurance? What type? I have no intention of ever going on- road. Will ride either on private farmland or public woodland.
What type of bike should I be looking at for the wee ones?
Any recommendations for a good starter bike for me? Nothing too heavy as I expect I'll be picking it up a lot! I'm 5ft 10.
Any thoughts or advice very much appreciated.

when you say dirt bike.... im not that experienced myself bt do you mean like a moto x bike?? i knwo gag gas are amazing bt apparently they are quite hard to ride even if you are good..... my mate used to do this in the woods with his mates, goin up and down v seep muddy wood slopes, round tree trunks and back up etc? is that the stuff you on bout chick?   i could ask him which bike he had as i had a go on it too before taking bike road test.... there was a few of em with diff bikes bt he coudl give some insight into what diff bikes are liek to ride etc? another person who may be good to ask is Brathu on here ... he does the motox stuff i think.... if that aint what you are on about then ..... never mind eh hahahahaha ..... and good luck wi your hobby sounds good chick                                                                                                                                                                              

Thanks Suzix. Yeah, I think we used to call it scrambling back in my day - 125's on shale bings, no lids and wearing shorts! Basically blatting around off road. Need something idiot-proof to build my confidence and ability so maybe the gag gas would be too ambitious to start with? Was at the Scottish MCN show today but a bit disappointed that it was 99% road bikes - mostly very nice but I'm not on a suicide mission just yet Really appreciate your thoughts...........x
                                                                                                                                                                             

bo worries Dee chick   wow i remember watchin the lads on scramblers when i was about 8... teh beginin of me downfall hahahahah ... i was wondering other day what scramblers are classed as now an why they aint still just called scramblers !!   and my mstake or typo its gas gas!! lol @ me   i think its moto x now then aint it?? who knows wlel im sure someone who knows more will answer this   ps. i been to soem of the motox tracks and they have lil ones set aside for kids its wlel cool - bt i guess it depends how little your wee ones are ........   happy off roadin                                                                                                                                                                              

I always found the best off road bike was a Honda C50 with the leg shields removed........ well that's what we all rode!!!! And fell off a lot                                                                                                                                                                             

Thanks petewick...I will keep the C50's 'falling off' merits in mind. Not sure I want a bike older than me though!                                                                                                                                                                              

I like to be helpful.......or just talk rubbish. I am VERY good at the rubbish. Ha ha ha ha                                                                                                                                                                             

Why not get an enduro bike, you can go off road and you can use in snow. size ? go for about a 250 loads of power will happerly chuck you off the back if you give it a fistfull at the wrong time, any bigger will be too much of a handfull                                                                                                                                                                              

Thanks jp. I'm coming to the conclusion that there are a lot of new terms for what is basically plain, old fashioned scrambling! I'm a wee bit concerned a 250 might be too much to start with though. I haven't been on a bike (driving) for nearly 30 years and some days struggle to pick up the hoover (although that might have more to do with my aversion to housework rather than weight). I will google 'enduro bikes' anyway and see what I can learn......

Do you know of any local groups in your area you can go along to have a look at the bikes sit on a few and may be lucky enough to get a ride if you will pardon the expression.
                                                                                                                                                                             

I've been out of the 'off-road' scene for a year or so, but I started 22yrs ago with a learner legal Yam DT125R,. a bit on the heavy side when it needed picking up tho. Some of the modern small trail (not trial) bikes have leccy starts now, really nice at the end of a long day when your legs feel like lead. I would personally stay away from the higher maintenance purpose built off-road models,.. and even a modern 80cc enduro race bike in woods will keep ahead of anything else out there!!! I don't know what the area is like up round you, but down here the forestry commision are allways at war with the off-roaders,. mainly cos they cant get any money out of em, like they do the mountain bike riders! As for insurance,.. maybe a personnal accident thing would help, but it could have exclusions in the wording,.. so check it closely, those lot have the patent rights on wriggling out off a payment!! I would also say that you should budget for a bit of armour for yourself,.. because you will end up on the floor, or halfway up a sitka spruce, n it hurts!! 

Many thanks Jp and Paj - good advice. Blair Adam forest is just a mile down the road from me and there's always loads of off-roader's blatting about there - usually being chased by the rangers. It was seeing them that reminded me how much fun it used to be and put the idea in my head. I think I'll go hang around, at the risk of looking like some wierd stalker, and see if I can talk to any of them.
I'm also not far from Knockhill track and they sometimes have 'meet the expert' type days so will keep an eye on the events diary.
Quite like the look of a YamTT250R to start with, if I can pick up a decent one that's not too trashed. Luckily, I live in a farm cottage, in the middle of 500 acres so have plenty opportunity practice and terrorise the wildlife....... 
                                                                                                                                                                             

You live in a cottage in the middle of 500 acres. I can see a trip to Perth with the bike tlr and 2 trail bikes coming up lol                                                                                                                                                                              

Lol, Jp......as long as you let me have a go on one of them you're welcome any time                                                                                                                                                                              

Dee, if you are riding in a public area or on public roads to get there you will need a fully road legal bike with at least third party insurance. There are very few public places where you can legally ride a bike off road these days, basically byways and BOAT's (byway open to all traffic)

Even on private land you can be prosecuted in some circumstances and the land owner should have some form of insurance if he is allowing people to use his land for this purpose. Practically however the police aren't likely to take much notice in a remote spot like yours unless you are creating a public nuisance.

You could always contact a local motorcycle trials club and try getting your kids into that. Most will know of a practice area you could use and have a junior section ( a good place to pick up second hand bikes as kids outgrow them!)

I know Health and Safety is a bit of a laughing stock these days but for Cliff's sake don' let your kids ride like we used to with no helmet or protective gear and on a death trap of a bike!

Some definitions

Scrambling - now known as Motocross, racing against other bikes in heats on a track.
Trials - riding off road technical sections with an observer watching to see if you put your feet down. Penalty points awarded if you do, winner is the person who completes all the sections with the least "dabs"
Trail riding - also called green laning, using road legal bikes on trails that are technically still roads, though usually ones no longer maintained. Technically not "off road" but will usually require a trail bike with knobbly tyres.
Dicking about down the local sand pits - what we used to do! Nobody really cared back then but these days the Police will regularly organise swoops on known hot spots and confiscate bikes.

Hope some of that helps!

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Thanks Badge - that's really helpful   I think I'm going to aim for 'dicking about' around the farmland to start with then graduate to trails...assuming I don't tip into the loch, never to be seen again! 

crikey and jp closely followed by me car and bike trailer and xt 600 with 500 acres to play in you could be a very popular lady.....