Changing gear while riding in the dirt?

[Johnny Monsoon]

Ha ha, yep, the day I got my KLX250s I rode it home and went right back into the woods behind my house, three feet into the mud I was on my butt looking at my new bike laying on the ground.  I quickly realized it just doesn't matter, in fact, it is not a true off road bike until it tastes the ground a few times.

Hell, it's hardly worth the ride at all unless YOU taste dirt a few times!

[Mr Sunshine]

Hell, it's hardly worth the ride at all unless YOU taste dirt a few times!

it all depends on how you end up tasting the dirt.  

[mxvet57]

Hell, it's hardly worth the ride at all unless YOU taste dirt a few times!

tell me about it.  broken tib and fib, broke both ankles, still have the screws in one, popped the shoulder once and numerous bumps and bruises. all in all good clean fun

[atadaskew]

tell me about it.  broken tib and fib, broke both ankles, still have the screws in one, popped the shoulder once and numerous bumps and bruises. all in all good clean fun

good grief! If I get a hang nail I'm done!

[Mr Sunshine]

Have you seen my xrays from my first time out on the dirt?  

[TexShadow]

MX boots take time to break in; wear them as much as you can to accomplish that. They are like ski boots; you have to get used to that. But they are worth their damned heavy weight in gold for protection.
Shifting? Adjust the shift lever to where it 'works'. I usually pick up my entire foot to shift down, use the outer lip of the boot near the side of toe to shift up. Practice. I can shift quickly and freely while standing on the pegs. It just takes practice.

[black hills]

MX boots take time to break in; wear them as much as you can to accomplish that. They are like ski boots; you have to get used to that. But they are worth their damned heavy weight in gold for protection.
Shifting? Adjust the shift lever to where it 'works'. I usually pick up my entire foot to shift down, use the outer lip of the boot near the side of toe to shift up. Practice. I can shift quickly and freely while standing on the pegs. It just takes practice.

What he said^^^^

[TexShadow]

I solved the break-in issue: I adopted a pair of used MX boots that fit me. Already broken in.  

Alternative ways to break-them in: put them on your dog to wear, run over them with truck tires, beat the neighbor's annoying kid with them, wear them to dinner at a fancy restaurant, bury them in the backyard for a month, give them to your teenage kid to wear to school, tie them to the rear of your bike and drag them down a dirt road....


Well, it's Friday and my imagination is starving..........  

In case anyone wonders what the heck to do with those monster boots if you want to hike or spend time on the trail on two legs, here's what I did:



Bungeed them to the bike on the pegs, changed into hiking boots and hiked  up into the Chisos Mountains for the day. Now that I know that works, I'll be doing the same in a few weeks down in Big Bend hiking Solitario.

[R.Markus]

I walked around for 3 hours in a near freezing creek then walked five miles home to break mine in.  

[hig4s]

My rookie adventures in the dirt continue..
ok, oh learned ones, here's the problem.
Just picked up my playbike, a Yammie TTR125. Awesome, so much fun.  But, how the flip are you meant to shift gears with big old motocross boots on? With my hiking boots no problem (just to make sure the bike worked).  Geared up all ATTGAT, it was really difficult to shift with my motocross boots. On road bikes I'm used to having my entire toe area under the lever to shift up.  On this bike, there's just no room at all.  The lever is (or seems to be according to the manual) correctly adjusted.  
What am I doing wrong?
Dammit, these bikes are fun!!!

I have to assume your feet are too big!!!! seeing as the TTR125 was designed for someone 4' 10" to 5' 2" between 100 and 140lbs.  Basically a mini bike.

That being said, there is no correct adjustment for the shift lever, where ever works best for you is correct.