Motocross – An Eco Friendly Extreme Sport?
Motocross has never been seen as eco friendly in any way shape or form but that could all be about to change. It has been seen across Europe now. Electric motorbike hire and ride centres are setting up letting people get all the fun and exhilaration of motocross but without the fuel consumption and oil use. The bikes are very similar in every way to standard combustion engine motocross bikes. They look almost identical but something is just different. Then you start noticing key parts that are missing, such as fuel caps, exhausts and foot pedals. Instead you have a big black box housing the battery.
Once the motorbike is switched on another two huge differences are spotted – there is no noise and no smell. Whilst some will associate the noise and smell with the fun and think it is a core part of it, many will no miss it. The neighbours especially! A 4 stroke motocross bike can be heard for almost 4 miles. It is no wonder so many motocross centres round the UK have been closed down completely or are only allowed to open for a very limited number of days a year.
Riding electric motorbikes is easy. There are no gears so it is very much like a normal push bike. The back brake is on the handlebars, so all you have to do is twist and go!
The centres work like a quad trekking or go kart track. You turn up, you pay your money, you get shown what your doing then assuming you meet certain criteria you will be allowed to ride freely round a track. The tracks are littered with obstacles such as rollers, berms and small jumps. All abilities are catered for.