Essential Dirt Bike Gear, Supplies and Accessories
Whether your dirt bike is new or used, if this purchase is your first step into the world of off-road motorcycle riding, you’re going to want to be prepared for what’s next.
Before you hit the track or trail, besides the obvious essential dirt bike safety gear we covered in a different post like helmets and body armor, here are some things you should buy when you start riding a dirt bike.
Tie Down Straps
Some people trailer their dirt bike to get it to where they’re going to ride, but for a lot of people a pickup truck gets drafted into transport duty. For that, you’re going to need tie down straps for your dirt bike. These straps help keep your dirt bike secure and upright in the bed of a truck to protect it from damage on the way to the track or trail.
Bike Loading Ramp
Dirt bikes are heavy enough to make it difficult to get them into the bed of a truck. If you need tie down straps, you should probably get a motorcycle loading ramp to push the dirt bike up into a truck. Just don’t try to ride the bike up the ramp and into the truck. There are a bunch of online videos showing you people who tried… and failed… to do this. Look it up.
Bike Stand
A lot of dirt bikes don’t have a kickstand, so you’re going to need a stand for keeping the bike upright when you’re not riding it. A dirt bike stand that’s portable is perfect for taking with you when you need to stand your bike both inside and outside of the garage, especially if you plan on fixing your bike yourself.
Gas Can
You can burn through a lot fuel when you’re having fun on the trail or track, so you’ll want to have a gas can ready for your dirt bike. The other great thing about fuel storage cans is they’re the perfect container to mix up your two-stroke fuel mixture. You might even consider a clean container for two-stroke mix since it has a different color than gasoline and you’ll be able to pick it out.
Chain Cleaners and Lubes
You need to buy chain cleaner and chain lubricant. Dirt and sand wear out the small moving parts in a chain. Keeping the chain clean and lubed reduces friction, which improves performance. There are lots of different cleaners and lubricants, and you need to buy the right product to match the type of chain on your motorcycle.
Other Fluids and Cleaners
Doing routine maintenance on your dirt bike involves engine oil, coolant, and of course cleaning the air filter. Many dirt bikes use a foam filter, so a foam filter cleaner spray and a foam filter treatment are a must. These cleaners and treatments can often be bought together as part of a kit.
Bike Cleaners
It’s called a dirt bike for a good reason: it’s made for riding dirty. There are all kinds of bike cleaners, waxes and degreasers to protect your dirt bike and keep it looking new. Most of these products work on any kind of bike, but if you have a dirt bike, you’ll probably need to double- or triple-up on cleaning supplies.
Tools
You’ll need a basic set of tools unless you’re getting into serious engine or suspension work. In many cases, a new dirt bike comes with basic tools, but if you’re purchasing a used bike, you’ll need to get a tool kit.
Tire Pressure Gauge
There’s a plethora of tools we can mention here, but if we’re going to highlight just one, it’s a tire pressure gauge to check your tires. And if the air pressure is low, a hand pump will come in handy as well.
That means a solid helmet and goggles for your head, plus gloves, boots and body armor. You’ll never go wrong with adding dirt bike safety gear to protect your body and live to ride another day. Because if you can’t ride your dirt bike, what’s the point of having one in the first place?
