FAQ

What does The Dirt Bike Academy do?

We offer off-road motorcycle training classes for both dirt bike and adventure bike riders. We also lead guided training tours for adventure bike riders.  Check out our 100% five star ratings on Google! Dirt bike and ADV bike classes are held separately.

Who is The Dirt Bike Academy for?

We cater to both kids (aged 6 and over) and adults, from complete beginners looking to get into the sport to experienced riders looking to level up their skills.

Where Is The Dirt Bike Academy?

Our facility is located near East Stroudsburg, PA, in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, on 130 acres of a large estate that was once a golf course.  Our address is 109 Clubhouse Court, East Stroudsburg, PA 18302. 

What classes does The Dirt Bike Academy offer?

• Our two-day classes are our most popular offerings.  We offer separate classes for kids and adults (unless you’re a family that wants to learn together), separate classes for dirt riders and adventure riders, and separate classes for newer versus more advanced riders.  For newer off-road riders, on Day 1 you’ll  spend most of your time on our practice ranges, learning the core fundamentals of off-road riding (it’s a lot different than street riding!) that you need to be effective and safe.  On Day 2, we get into the trails and woods on our 150 acre property more extensively, putting the techniques you’re learning into practice.  For more advance riders, we tailor the two days of instruction to your skill level, allowing you to level up your abilities from wherever your starting point is when you get here.
• We also offer single day courses, again separating dirt and ADV, kids and adults (except families), and beginners and advanced riders.
• We have unique training programs at Famous Reading Outdoors, a huge riding area in north-central PA, for those who are ready.
• Finally, we also lead multi-day guided “training tours” for adventure bike riders throughout the Eastern US.   What makes our ADV trips unique is that we include lots of rider training along the way in areas that lend themselves to learning opportunities.  So not only are you having a ton of fun with a great group of people in beautiful countryside, you’re becoming a better rider along the way.

Check out more detail about our course offerings here.

How do I let you know that I’m interested?

Fill out the form here. Please note that our classes fill up fast. We’re generally booking at least a few weeks out from the time of initial inquiry.

I don’t see a schedule of classes on your website. When do you hold classes? Can I schedule online?

We don’t “preschedule” our classes.  By that we mean that we offer classes whenever they’re convenient for you.  We have teachers who teach full time, and we run both weekdays and weekends, all year long.  This allows us to keep class sizes small, since we don’t have to shoehorn everyone into the same time slots.  Since our scheduling requires some personal attention, we don’t offer online scheduling.  Complete our inquiry form to let us know you’re interested, and together we’ll find the right date for you.

What days are you open?  Do you run all year?

The Dirt Bike Academy runs seven days a week, all year long.  Sure, we take some days off now and then, but for the most part we’re here to teach whenever it makes the most sense for you.  We even run in the snow — the only time we close is when the ground is frozen over.  Teaching every day of the week also means we don’t have to squeeze everyone into classes on certain specified days, which lets us keep our class sizes small.

How much do classes cost?

We don’t post our prices online, because a lot depends on what you’re looking for. We tailor our classes to your interests, your group, and your needs. Once we have a better idea of what you’re looking for, we’ll talk prices.  Just fill out our online inquiry form to let us know you’re interested.

Do I need my own motorcycle?

For our dirt bike classes, no. We have a stable of different sized loaner dirt bikes (nearly brand new) for you to ride.  There is no additional fee for using one of our loaner dirt bikes!  Of course, you’re also free to take our dirt bike class on your own bike, if you have one (in fact, we recommend training with us on the bike you normally ride). For our adventure bike classes, yes, riders must bring their own bike.

What gear do I need to bring?

Our two day class (either dirt bike or ADV bike) is by far our most popular offering.  For our two day sessions, or any Next Level class, riders need to bring a DOT certified full face helmet, goggles (or a face shield on the helmet), gloves, a long sleeve shirt, pants (no sweat pants), and off-road motorcycle boots.  We also recommend, but do not require, knee protection and body armor for our two day or Next Level classes.  For our one day classes, we do not require off-road boots – instead, you may wear any hard boots that come over your ankle (like hiking boots or work boots).  

What kind of helmet do I need?

If you already have a street helmet, that’s fine for our class.  But if you’ll be dirt riding going forward, you should get a dirt riding helmet.  Dirt helmets are better for off-road riding for a number of reasons, but one important one is that they allow for much better ventilation than street riding (they don’t have face shields, which is why you need goggles, and they have longer chin bars to let in more air).  We work hard riding off-road, so ventilation matters!  If you’re taking an ADV class and getting into ADV riding, an ADV helmet, as compared to a dirt helmet, is a good choice.  ADV helmets are a compromise between pure street helmets and pure dirt helmets, because ADV riding involves both kinds of terrain.

Can you recommend some gear for me?

Gear choices (helmet, boots, pads, apparel, etc.) are very personal.  What’s right for you depends on a lot of things.  That said, if you register for one of our classes we’d be happy to send you our recommended gear list, which includes options at various price points.

Can I rent / borrow / steal gear from you?  Where can I get my own gear?

Sorry, we don’t have loaner gear.  Like most apparel, it’s also not something you can easily rent.  The good news is that if you don’t already have gear, there are many buying options out there.  Of course you can get gear online.  Two of the bigger online retailers are Revzilla and Rocky Mountain ATV and MC.  You can also search for a retail motorcycle store near where you live (which can be a good idea for buying things like helmets and gloves, since you can try things on and good fit is important).

How long do classes last?

A full day. Dirt bike classes go from 4 to 6 hours, and ADV classes go from 5 to 7 hours.  Dirt bike classes start at 9:30 each day.  ADV classes start at 10:00.

What do I need to bring to class?  Should I bring a lunch?

Besides gear (see above), please bring plenty of water to drink (we take lots of water breaks).  Please also bring your lunch with you.  If you’re coming to watch a family member, but not ride, you might want to bring a lawn chair.

I’m coming for a multi-day course.  Where can I stay that’s near you?

East Stroudsburg is a college town, so there are lots of options for accommodations.  Here is a map that shows you some options.  We also offer camping on our property at no additional charge, for those interested. 

What is your cancellation / rescheduling policy?

We allow rescheduling at no additional charge, but to avoid a $100 rescheduling fee you must notify us of the need to reschedule earlier than 48 hours before your class.  You may cancel your class and receive a refund in the event of personal emergency.

Do you offer street bike training?  Can I get a motorcycle license through your program?

No, we only offer off-road motorcycle training.  We do not offer training for street riding.  That means, of course, that we do not provide training that will allow you to get a license to operate a motorcycle on the street.  If you’re looking for information about how to get a street riding motorcycle license, we suggest going to the webpage of your state’s DMV.

Any perks I should know about?

You betcha!  Graduates of The Dirt Bike Academy get discounts on motorcycle clothing, luggage, gear, equipment, and other necessities from major manufacturers.  Not only that, through our relationships with motorcycle dealers, we offer great deals on the loaner bikes we use on the range if you’d like to buy one after testing it out it as part of our class!

What else?

We’ll send you more info after you complete our intake form. Or, if you have any other questions, shoot us an email at [email protected] or call us at (570) 228-2236. We hope to see you soon!