I haven’t ridden a Motorcycle on any type of dirt for over 40 years, until taking the Dirt First Course at the 2018 Touratech Rally West. What an assume experience it was, my friend Gary invited me and set me up with the Dirt First class. The Instructors were amazing teaching the techniques needed to ride dirt and also help on the street riding. My dirt riding skills were way off mark, until Jason started teaching us the basics. I’ve been around a lot of instructors in my days, I have to say Jason is among the top 5. He was very professional and was top notch in his teaching skills.
If you are learning to ride Dirt Bikes or even been riding for a while. I highly recommend you take a course with these guys. You will not only learn valuable skills, you will have a blast.
Thanks Dirt First for a great experience!!!
Earl Faulk, Olympia, WA
-Earl F. 56 / Olympia
I too feel the greatest benefit besides guided practice riding was that Whitney Koeberle was able to communicate and make clear the rationale for certain movements and actions. Smart animals like to have reasoning to go with our training Whitney provided both!!
-Deanna V. 45 / Seattle, WA
I had a fantastic private class with Jason. Having barely ridden a motorcycle for many years, I was looking forward to the class but nervous, especially on a large 450 bike. However, even the most basic initial instruction from Jason was enough for me to feel comfortable and confident right away, setting me up to enjoy and learn from all of the training exercises. I think Jason might be one of the best teachers/instructors of anything that I have learned, setting a mood for enjoyment and being professional but approachable. As well as being encouraging and patient, his explanations were clear, he was happy to thoroughly answer questions with deep knowledge and skill, and his demonstrations were incredibly useful. More generally the bikes and riding gear were perfect, and the riding area was well suited to a relative novice. Very impressed, thank you for a great experience DBST!
-Ro 36 / Redmond WA
If you’re a street rider and need more confidence and applicable skills to get more from your road rides, then consider getting dirty in one of these classes.
Not only will you hear plenty of relevant 80s references, like a VH1 flashback show, but you’ll be perched atop dirt bike seats as comfortable as an Olympic gymnastic balance beam. You’ll learn about “V Traction” techniques and proper elbow placement while your thighs burn as you push through practice drills and (thankfully) short, but fun trail rides.
You’ll soon discover almost everything you knew about riding a street bike is null and void if you want to ride in the dirt. However, don’t turn in your cruiser or sport bike just yet. The skills you learn are fully transferable back to your street ride and will also be handy if you decide to pursue more dirt riding.
Allow co-owner Jason to delight you with his tremendous depth and breadth of riding knowledge and real-world (ah, an 80s reference) experience. He’s demanding and detailed, yet incredibly supportive and very safety-minded…kinda like your grandmother with a mustache.
I recommend anyone looking to improve themselves to try a class with this group, especially if you like ballroom dancing. It’s an inside, but useful, reference so you’ll have to take the class to find our more.
-Matt S. 52 / Bremerton, WA
Jason not only worked with my son thru out the night, but he also loaned us parts off his own bike ,so my son could continue racing in the main events. Jason did an evaluation on my son last night at arennacross , he saw in ten minutes things i have not picked up on in 10 years of watching my son ride and race. The improvemental was immediate , & my son's confidence was increasing with each lap. Jason really went above and beyond for us and I could see his passion for teaching and riding. We can't wait to get more instruction . Whitney is great as well, we just didn't get much time with him, do to being at the race track. I highly recommend booking as many classes as you can . It is well worth your investment. Thank you guys. We look forward to working together.
-Eric C. 38 / Monroe arenacross
I have less than 200 miles on my first motorcycle and it was suggested that by a very experienced rider that I take Whitney's class at DBST.
I spent most of the day with Whitney yesterday, and I can say that Whitney is an unusually gifted instructor. We executed a series of drills, which were reinforced by a series of trail rides, which significantly scaled up my riding. I walked away with far better skills than those with which I walked in. I also walked away with legs that felt like jello and that continue to burn today.
I'm confident that whatever your level of riding experience the folks at DBST will be able to help you scale up. I look forward to returning with more questions after more real world experience and leveling up further.
We're very fortunate here in the general Western Washington area to have this great training resource so close by.
Gerry Z
-Gerry Z. 58 / Bellevue, WA
Well, I had a difficult time with execution, but, not because of the instructions! Whitney and Jason are great teachers! I just need to practice practice practice! Very professional and patient! I learned so much and need to, like I said above, practice. Great
class with a bunch of nice ladies and instructors! Glad I did it!
-Shirley O. 65 / Hood River OR
Thanks to the guys from DirtFirst for bringing their amazing training to the Tourtech Rally. The course was perfectly balanced between verbal instruction and drills to instill great riding skills for us adventure riders on bigger bikes. When I went on my first major ride the next day, I could still hear Whitney and Jason's instructions and encouragement in my head for an awesome and safe ride. Check it out!
-Garth B. 53 / Vancouver, B.C.
Our 5 year old daughter Bryn took the beginner class with Jason. I can't thank him enough for his patience and excellent teaching skills. She's now hooked and has her own PW50 and can't wait to take another class.
Troy
-Troy H. 49 / Edmonds
A good class, I was able to learn new skills and use them immediately. Thanks for being at Rally in the Gorge 2015.
-Cliff R. / Hood River OR
I took the ADV bike safety class a few months ago and have made an earnest effort to put the skills I learned into practice since that time.
I decided to post this testimonial because I'm earnestly astonished that my off-road abilities have improved so drastically after just 1 day of education and application of proper off-road technique. Today, I'm safely conquering terrain that would have sent me flying off my bike previously, haha!
1 caveat: the class is physically demanding, and it's a full day. Be prepared.
I'm looking forward to signing up for the next class in the series!
-Jake M. 49 / Tigard, OR
This class was phenomenal, and I believe that every dirt rider should be required to take this course. Going into this, I was incredibly nervous. I have never driven any motorized vehicle (except for a go-kart) before this, much less one with a manual transmission. The instructors took it slow, and by the end of the class, I was able to drive the bike (obviously), get over hills, turn a still bike around, brake hastily, go down hills, and use the clutch to modulate speed — all that in a day's work.
What truly amazed me, however, is when they pulled a student out of the group because they were struggling to drive the bike. She was falling over and over and couldn't get the hang of it. By the end of the day, she was able to drive the motorcycle. While she may not have learned as much as the rest, she got the basics. Believe me, if you saw how she was riding at the start of the day, you would think she was a different person by the end of it. The actions of the instructors show the dedication of these instructors and the fact that they indeed do this to help & educate others, instead of doing it just for the money. I would most certainly recommend this course.
-Erik V. 14 / Washington
Knowledgeable, friendly, and patient instructors with structured, progressive lessons make this course a fun and engaging experience.
-Daniel 43 / Seattle
The class was awesome, but for me what changed my riding the most was Whitney's ability to make me UNDERSTAND the plank exercise (and stop thinking that it was there just to torture students!). Since then I have been able to use this particular way of counterbalancing in all challenging situations (like when it gets very rutty) and stay relaxed.
-Dionne H. / Pacific Northwest
The class I took was very worthwhile. Jason was the instructor and he is an excellent communicator and listener. I received some valuable techniques and he was able to troubleshoot some problems I was having with my riding.
-Paul M. 61 / Olympia WA
Gary, Jason and Whitney were so professional on teaching us the bunch of Dirty Girls ADV! I had concern riding offroad again since I have crashed and fractured my ankle, but during their class and even after the class, I could feel my confidence back and wanted to try more challenge terrains. Indeed, their class offered and led my skill improved, and I am thankful to be able to take their class! I will be planning to take another advanced class next year for sure.
-Kumi / Snohomish