Dustin C wrote:
> Evening all.
> 
> Per chance does any of you know anything about motocross in japan?
> 
> I am moving there in a few months, when I was a kid I had a few bikes, and 
> would like to get back into it. Either renting a bike or buying my own. If 
> anyone can provide any links on clubs, tracks and where to buy a bike 
> (English please) that would be great.
> 
> Thanks for your help.

There is a lot of MX activity in Japan but it depends on where you will 
live.  Hauling an MX bike means a trailer and getting a license to pull 
a trailer in Japan is somewhere between "impossible" and "try again in 
your next life."  Or you could buy a van and spend your entire life 
finding a place to park it that won't cost as much as your apartment 
rent, on a road that is wide enough to navigate, in a place where no one 
will steal your bikes out of the back, and where there is enough 
overhead clearance so you don't chop the top off or ding the sides when 
you drive in.

Those of us with an off road jones spend a lot of time riding enduro 
bikes or motards on "rindou" which are the unpaved roads that snake all 
over the mountains.  Lots of different rindou maps are available as well 
as Japanese language books on rindou touring and off road camping. 
There are miles of rindou within an hour of Nihonbashi in downtown 
Tokyo.  Same for any other city.  Lots of good several-day ride 
destinations, like hot springs up in Tohoku where there are no ryokan 
and you have to camp out.

There are also a number of enduros for stock bikes and if they're too 
far to ride to, just rent a van from a car rental place and drive up in 
that with the bikes strapped down in the back.  A typical van will hold 
2~3 bikes which reduces the rental, gas, and mileage charges 
significantly if you share.

As for what to buy, it all depends on your budget and inseam.  I am 
183cm tall with an 86cm inseam but I still find a Honda 250 Baja to be 
enough for a lot of all day riding in Japan, although I am about to buy 
either a new BMW F650GS or a Kawasaki KLR650.  They're a little heavier 
in the dirt, but they carry a lot more and they don't beat you up when 
you have played until too late and you have to ride the highway to get 
home before dark.  If you don't have a bike endorsement on your license, 
get one before you come and you can get a Japanese license that enables 
you to ride anything up to 400cc without a test.  Taking the basic test 
here means a mandatory set of lessons that are not cheap.

Most 400s are just US model 600s with a smaller engine and, if you take 
the upgrade test and get an ogata-menkyosho (permission to ride over 
400) there are a lot of reimported Japanese models as well as Europeans. 
  Also check out Yahoo auctions as there are a lot of good deals on 
older enduros and trials bikes.

For reading (the pictures are in English even if the words aren't) I'd 
recommend taking a look at Back Off and Outrider.  After a while you'll 
find a few other magazines that take you in the direction you want to go.

CL