Ever wanted to scale a rock wall or nail those steep descent riding skills?
Well, the awesome Kate Burt of Girls Behind Bars is here to help! The popularity of trials riding on the rise due to it being cited as the base foundation for some of the world’s top enduro riders (like extreme enduro rider Laia Sanz), and trials skills are a moto discipline that can help riders of pretty much anything to become better on two wheels. Cue the awesome new platform and YouTube channel - GIRLS BEHIND BARS.
The brainchild of awesome rider and conqueror of some of the steepest moto climbs and descents we’ve ever seen - Kate Burt - Girls Behind Bars’ videos, filmed in Kate’s home terrain of incredible Utah, talk you through all kinds of great trials and enduro techniques. From beginner base level right up to experienced, the videos help you to build the confidence to blip your way effortlessly over anything you come across… and we mean anything! Think boulder hopping, riding up sheer rock faces and drop offs that’ll make your toes curl … Yep, Kate is one amazing rider!
We chatted to Kate recently about her history with dirt riding, how trials can help you become a better rider in any discipline and her plans for the future of Girls Behind Bars. Enjoy!
Where are you originally from and where do you live now?
Kate: I’m originally from Australia, but now I live in the USA. We live in Utah for winter and Montana and Idaho for summer.
So, how and when did you start out riding motorcycles?
I owned a motorbike 10 years ago but only rode a handful of times and didn’t really take to it. I started riding properly in 2017, after getting inspired through social media. No one in my family rides, so I saved for a bike and taught myself how to ride with help from some wonderful friends.
When did you get the idea to start Girls Behind Bars?
Once I moved to the US last year. I have a fantastic coach who in a very short time took my skills from beginner to very competently riding the hardest enduro lines in North America. He is the best I have known in translating fundamental trials techniques over to hard enduro. The proof was in my riding abilities, and I wished I’d had access to this information when I first started out. So, I decided to share the knowledge I’ve learnt with the world. My back-yard is also some of the most amazing riding terrain in the world. It all pointed me in the same direction, to start Girls Behind Bars, and share a very unique approach to learning to ride an enduro bike like a trials bike and open up a world of riding possibilities for people, especially girls.
A lot of your videos are trials skills based as a good foundation for enduro riding. We have definitely seen trials riding becoming really popular recently. Is this how you built your enduro skills?
100%. I owe all my skills and knowledge to trials. I definitely believe it is the best way to learn to ride a motorcycle. You develop a strong base of fundamental skills, which allows you to advance and progress properly and safely. That skill set then transfers over to the enduro bike beautifully, and it’s really quite mind-blowing the improvements in riding abilities once those fundamental trials drills are practiced a lot.
Do you prefer riding trials to enduro or vice versa?
I’m a trials girl at heart. I love how much thought and focus is required to ride trials. Riding sections, analysing techniques and being around like minded people who love this technical aspect of motorsport is amazing. But since learning to ride an enduro bike, like a trials bike, I really enjoy the enduro bike equally because I take that trials mindset and skill and adapt It to the big bike.
What motorcycles are you riding right now?
A TRS 250RR & a Beta 300 Xtrainer. I’ve owned a lot of bikes in the last three years, and these are by far my favourites so far.
“I started riding properly in 2017, after getting inspired through social media.
No one in my family rides, so I saved for a bike and taught myself how to ride with help from some wonderful friends.”
Well we absolutely love your how to videos as they’ve already helped us to start practising some new skills on the dirt. Where do you get your ideas for the problems and riding techniques to tackle in your videos?
I saw that trials riders were so calculated and fundamentally sound. Through trials training, in a short time, I was able to successfully ride some challenging lines on my enduro bike that I heard so many people were struggling with. I really believed in the type of training I was doing for enduro riding, and so we developed Girls Behind Bars training techniques, to bridge the gap between this wonderful and unique knowledge, and how it specifically applies to real challenges we were seeing and hearing people were having on the trail, back country and in rocky terrain.
You seem to love sharing your skills and knowledge with others. Who is the person that’s helped you most to progress your riding?
Tracy Long who is the one of the most fundamentally sound and impressive hard enduro riders I have known. He has developed a flawless system to transfer trials techniques to enduro riding. I also get instruction from North American Pro trials rider Dan Larson.
2 or 4 stroke and why?
For woods riding, and technical riding, I would always chose a 300 2 stroke. I have found 2 strokes significantly easier to learn on, as well as for riding advanced hard enduro techniques.
What is your favourite place in the world that you have ever ridden?
Utah. The rock formations and mountains are breathtaking, and the trials and enduro riding is incredible. I hope to showcase it a lot through my YouTube channel!
What’s the biggest fear you have conquered on a motorcycle?
Riding steep terrain, both climbs, set-ups and descents. Learning from my coach and riding in Utah grew my skills and confidence exponentially.
What are you future plans for the Girls Behind Bars platform?
We’re so excited about expanding our training services and putting out great, unique and credible information that we know is tested and true, to help solve people’s riding frustrations, decrease their limitations and assist them to ride the terrain and lines of their dreams safely and well.