Since automatic shifting is for grandmas and golf carts, we ditched that vibe and grabbed a pit bike with a proper gearbox—a shiny, spanking-new Honda CRF125F. Well, ‘new’ until the first ride turned it into a dirt-kissed warrior!

Max turned into a mini motocross legend on that bike—it ran like a dream every dang time. Took more tumbles than a clumsy clown, but that tough little beast kept chugging along without ever tapping out! Meanwhile, I was taking my own rookie spills on the CRF250X, learning the ropes—and the dirt—right alongside him. Just like Max’s little champ, my bike shrugged off the chaos with way fewer scratches than myself!