Overall there are two simple keys for riding adventure motorcycles off-road - get lots of experience and swap street tires for serious dual-sport tires. (Get Continental TKC-80s. Their traction on the street and their longevity are uncompromised by their badass treads). Here are some basic off-road skills… • Favor the rear brake except in emergencies, in which case try your best to straighten the front wheel first before using the front brake and rear brake together. Using the front brake tends to make the front tire knife into the dirt surface and trip the bike up. • Similarly, keep the wheels straight when turning from asphalt to dirt, ideally making the turn completely on the asphalt part and entering the dirt surface at a 90° angle. If you enter the dirt at a shallower angle, treat it like a curve and counterbalance (see below). • Know when to be aggressive on the throttle and when to be gentle on it (sometimes the best defense is a good offense, other times overconfidence will hurt). Speed and momentum are crucial on the softer stuff, but too much will backfire and destabilize the bike. You have to develop a feel for exactly how much throttle by practicing on different surfaces. • Ride standing up in rougher terrain. That makes all the difference because it lowers the bike's center of gravity and makes it more maneuverable. Remember to keep your knees slightly bent to allow your legs to flex, and lean slightly forward on straight sections, more forward the steeper any climbs get. On downhills, reverse that and keep your butt rearwards. • When encountering a road with ruts, either stay inside the ruts or outside the ruts. The problem is continually going back and forth in and out of a rut, making it an edge trap, which can throw the bike down. If the rut is so narrow that your tires are continually hitting against the sides of the rut, that's an edge trap, so only ride outside of that rut. • When riding on softer stuff, shift your weight rearwards to give the rear tire more bite - that also has the advantage of making the front tire "ski" more, creating less drag and making it less likely to trip you. • Counterbalance generously on curves, getting your hips outside the lean and weight on the outside pegs. You should be one gear lower for the speed - that discourages swinging wide and gives you more engine braking if you encounter a surprise around the bend. Your outside leg will be mostly bent, the inside leg mostly straight. Know that you can always make your turn sharper by leaning further (I usually like to just straighten out my lower side arm for that). • When going over mounds, you need to use finesse on the throttle, going from aggressive to gentle at just the right moment heading up, then be relaxed and confident while finessing the rear brake as you go down the other side. Like with everything else, you get better at it with practice. • When encountering hard obstacles you can't maneuver around, (with your butt off the seat and legs flexed), as the front tire gets to the obstacle, hit the throttle a little as you pull up on the handlebars while leaning slightly rearwards (as if to wheelie but not actually doing so) then pogo-stick the rear suspension as the obstacle reaches your rear tire. Practice that in an empty parking lot with a piece of two-by-four. And here's a good video if you ever get seriously stuck... ua-cam.com/video/kYf2iUY4jZ8/v-deo.html
Well said .. so true .. I've been on pavement since 1976 and in 2018 at the age of 55 decided to get a F800 Gsa not realizing that I would have to learn what to do with an adv bike off road .. Painful but oh so rewarding ..
I rode street bikes for decades then it got 🤓boring so I took up backpacking, primitive camping and bushcraft survival skills. Then one day I met the Adventure Bike. Oh its a match made in heaven.😘
Just getting into this what is a good bike for all terrain good on the high way and long trips but also very dependable off road any other advice is greatly appreciated
That's a tough question. There are so many good bikes out there that for the bill, but with trade offs. The pan america and 1250gs are popular for what you're asking, but large and heavy. The 850gs and KTM 790 are a bit smaller, but some might wish they had more power for long distance (although I'm happy with my 850gs for all types of riding) them there's the tenere 700 and klr 650, both nimble but long distance is not for everyone on these bikes. I personally like the middleweight class and willing to take the trade offs to be able to ride everywhere. Best thing to do is go test ride each class and see what works for you. Once you get one, you'll have the time of your life, so much fun! Thanks for watching 👍
@@MotoTravelUSA I’m thinking the klr adventure might be the one isn’t as fast as the others but has good gas mileage and is basically the cheapest in price I’ve watched all ur videos on it and I think it might be the one thanks for all you do man
Great point and so true. However, my intention for this video was for people who just purchased or are considering large adventure bikes (GS, PA, ktm1090, etc) for off-road and touring. But agreed, a smaller and lighter bike will be a lot more fun in the technical and harder stuff, especially picking it up.
Overall there are two simple keys for riding adventure motorcycles off-road - get lots of experience and swap street tires for serious dual-sport tires. (Get Continental TKC-80s. Their traction on the street and their longevity are uncompromised by their badass treads).
Here are some basic off-road skills…
• Favor the rear brake except in emergencies, in which case try your best to straighten the front wheel first before using the front brake and rear brake together. Using the front brake tends to make the front tire knife into the dirt surface and trip the bike up.
• Similarly, keep the wheels straight when turning from asphalt to dirt, ideally making the turn completely on the asphalt part and entering the dirt surface at a 90° angle. If you enter the dirt at a shallower angle, treat it like a curve and counterbalance (see below).
• Know when to be aggressive on the throttle and when to be gentle on it (sometimes the best defense is a good offense, other times overconfidence will hurt). Speed and momentum are crucial on the softer stuff, but too much will backfire and destabilize the bike. You have to develop a feel for exactly how much throttle by practicing on different surfaces.
• Ride standing up in rougher terrain. That makes all the difference because it lowers the bike's center of gravity and makes it more maneuverable. Remember to keep your knees slightly bent to allow your legs to flex, and lean slightly forward on straight sections, more forward the steeper any climbs get. On downhills, reverse that and keep your butt rearwards.
• When encountering a road with ruts, either stay inside the ruts or outside the ruts. The problem is continually going back and forth in and out of a rut, making it an edge trap, which can throw the bike down. If the rut is so narrow that your tires are continually hitting against the sides of the rut, that's an edge trap, so only ride outside of that rut.
• When riding on softer stuff, shift your weight rearwards to give the rear tire more bite - that also has the advantage of making the front tire "ski" more, creating less drag and making it less likely to trip you.
• Counterbalance generously on curves, getting your hips outside the lean and weight on the outside pegs. You should be one gear lower for the speed - that discourages swinging wide and gives you more engine braking if you encounter a surprise around the bend. Your outside leg will be mostly bent, the inside leg mostly straight. Know that you can always make your turn sharper by leaning further (I usually like to just straighten out my lower side arm for that).
• When going over mounds, you need to use finesse on the throttle, going from aggressive to gentle at just the right moment heading up, then be relaxed and confident while finessing the rear brake as you go down the other side. Like with everything else, you get better at it with practice.
• When encountering hard obstacles you can't maneuver around, (with your butt off the seat and legs flexed), as the front tire gets to the obstacle, hit the throttle a little as you pull up on the handlebars while leaning slightly rearwards (as if to wheelie but not actually doing so) then pogo-stick the rear suspension as the obstacle reaches your rear tire. Practice that in an empty parking lot with a piece of two-by-four.
And here's a good video if you ever get seriously stuck...
ua-cam.com/video/kYf2iUY4jZ8/v-deo.html
Well said .. so true ..
I've been on pavement since 1976 and in 2018 at the age of 55 decided to get a F800 Gsa not realizing that I would have to learn what to do with an adv bike off road ..
Painful but oh so rewarding ..
Great video!!
Good advice. Wish I watched it before I bought my bike and started going off-road. Learned most of it the hard way.
I like the video, great job lots of good info.
Thanks, much appreciated 👍
Nice video! Thanks for making these. They're great! I just subscribed and look forward to what you'll do in 2022.
Thanks I appreciate that. 👍
I rode street bikes for decades then it got 🤓boring so I took up backpacking, primitive camping and bushcraft survival skills. Then one day I met the Adventure Bike. Oh its a match made in heaven.😘
Also a street rider transitioning to more off road riding. Good info, tips, and great video!
Thanks! I like your videos too. Your motorcycle camping store is such an great idea, love it. See you on the trails!👍
@@MotoTravelUSA Thanks! Hopefully we cross paths next year. Looking at taking the class at BMW early next year.
Enjoy the beautiful bike life brother
Your too man 👍🏍️✌️
Just took the BMW performance course. It kicked my ass, but I learned a lot. Great video!
Nice video😎👍🏍🎥👊switching over from a 2015 Road Glide to Pan America Special what a difference like having 3 bikes in one.
Thanks👍 congrats on the pan American, looks like an awesome bike. Totally agree, it's like 3 bikes in 1. See you on the trails. 🏍️🏞️
Just getting into this what is a good bike for all terrain good on the high way and long trips but also very dependable off road any other advice is greatly appreciated
That's a tough question. There are so many good bikes out there that for the bill, but with trade offs. The pan america and 1250gs are popular for what you're asking, but large and heavy. The 850gs and KTM 790 are a bit smaller, but some might wish they had more power for long distance (although I'm happy with my 850gs for all types of riding) them there's the tenere 700 and klr 650, both nimble but long distance is not for everyone on these bikes. I personally like the middleweight class and willing to take the trade offs to be able to ride everywhere. Best thing to do is go test ride each class and see what works for you. Once you get one, you'll have the time of your life, so much fun! Thanks for watching 👍
@@MotoTravelUSA I’m thinking the klr adventure might be the one isn’t as fast as the others but has good gas mileage and is basically the cheapest in price I’ve watched all ur videos on it and I think it might be the one thanks for all you do man
Great video 👍🏼👌🏼
Great Video New Sub. Second Favorite channel next to my own, LOL.
Thanks, I really appreciate that 👍 I'll go check out your channel now.
It’s like going backwards in time 😅
New follower india
First thing if you plan on offroading, Don't buy one that weighs like a touring bike!! Light weight is king!!!
Great point and so true. However, my intention for this video was for people who just purchased or are considering large adventure bikes (GS, PA, ktm1090, etc) for off-road and touring. But agreed, a smaller and lighter bike will be a lot more fun in the technical and harder stuff, especially picking it up.
Typical US rider. Wants everything to be perfect before one can enjoy it. Being riding offroad for over 20 years now....all this isnt necessary.