4 Mistakes EVERY New Adventure Rider Makes OFF-ROAD!

If you are new to adventure motorcycle riding, off-road riding in general, here are the 4 most common mistakes I see beginner riders make. Avoid these and you will have a great start in building confidence and skill when riding off-road!

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[TheMotoBarista]

Leave your tips and tricks for new riders in the comments below!👇

[hazcat]

New Rider Advice: Slow down, sit down when you can, enjoy the scenery, enjoy the ride, the trail is not an enemy to be attacked or defeated it is simply a path that needs to be negotiated. You aren't riding the Dakar. Edited for typos.

[The]

Great Tips! Some other tips I think that are important when first starting out:
- 2 Fingers on the clutch all the time (when off road) - feathering the clutch right is important to control.
- Don't fear the rear brake and get comfortable with skid braking (make sure ABS is off when you go off road).
- Light on the bars through loose stuff - if you are to far over the bars, you will plow into sand or mud.

[hugonunezb.]

Great vid! Really valuable tips for off-roading … I would add up to this: lower down or remove the secondary windshield as it can actually get you hurt

[Andrew-svck]

Gotta agree on the letting the bike go down. Crushed my foot and I still have a few more weeks in a boot with my bike getting dusty in the shed.

[BigDaveTALKS]

Very good info. I am so glad I started off trail riding on a dirt bike. That's where I fell in love with off road riding. I promptly sold my ZH2 and got into the ADV world. That said, I always stood and kept both feet on the pegs, even in the sand, so luckily I never got in that foot out habit. I recently did some single track on my Africa twin in some very loose and deep sand and like you said, I only found myself in a pickle when I let off the gas. I have learned so much since I started riding dirt bikes and ADV bikes. I have also learned that I still have a lot of learning to do.

[bennyaufreisen]

well I love it to get a foot of the peg. I love it when the back wheel comes out in to a slide and it feels way better to go around a corner

[gaminiediri]

Thank you for good, practical advice on riding off road.

[jasondunn]

Just watched a couple of your vids. Well presented and communicated. All good tips👍

[kevrenshaw]

Thanks for the info. Really great video. I go camping with friends on our bikes. I have a WR450 with bigger tank. Its light enough that I feel I can let it go if things go south whereas my old BMW650 was a beast to lift up after a sweaty hot Queensland days riding. As a top tip I always put hydralite ice pops in my hydration tank when I go out in the heat. It keeps my water cool and when we camp, I can replenish my fluid intake properly.

[grahamegilson]

Great riding and safety tips Michael! 👍

[a-warthog]

I relate to the thumbnail bc once I did it right my front wheel slipped and the bike fell over my leg. It's been 2 years and my ankle hurts every now and then.

[UltralightMotorcycleCamping]

Reading the comments, it's clear that many people do not understand how standing on the pegs allows the rider's legs to be shock absorbers for the mass of the rider, effectively decoupling the rider's mass from the mass of the motorcycle so the bike's shocks only need to absorb and release the energy associated with vertically accelerating the motorcycle. Someone needs to make a video of a motorcycle riding over rough terrain, seen from the side, comparing a rider sitting versus standing. When standing, the rider's body remains relatively motionless as the motorcycle bounces up and down between the rider and the ground. Seated, the motorcycle and rider bounce up and down together, and that places greater demands on the motorcycle's suspension, with shocks bottoming out when riding over larger obstacles.

Many people are saying that the shocks behave the same whether the rider is standing or sitting. That's only true in the static situation, when parked, where the combined weight of the rider and motorcycle compress the shocks. Statics can't be used to analyze riding on a rough trail. We must use dynamics once the motorcycle and rider are accelerating vertically when riding over obstacles.

[richardverity]

I suggest you discuss how to handle the clutch when going up hill and things get sticky. Not a good idea to clutch in and loose momentum, better to stall the bike, let the gears help stop (or slow) the bike going back down the hill. Also: If you can't make it up, you can use the clutch to help you back down the hill with the engine off which is a lot easier then trying to turn a 200+ kg adv bike around. Good technique for a beginner (or anyone) who gets stuck on a hill they can't get up and the practice helps prevent panic for a new rider.

[alexdengg]

Use the proper riding mode of your bike when available.

Experiment with the handle bars tilt angle to find whats your best fit for on and offroad riding.

Use the pegs to initiate a turn when standing, bring your butt to the other side of the bike in a slow speed corner to counterbalance, use your knees to stabilize while keeping loose on the bars.

And probably the most important tip....
Always try to ride in groups of at least two.
It's easier, safer and more fun than alone.

[Crust]

I luv sitting into a loose dirt, gravel stoney bend on my 1090R it gets loose as, turn up the wick push the front around..

[donparker]

Been riding my 2020 KTM 790 Adventure S for about 2 years. I heartily endorse all the above. Wish I knew how to ride sand better because it scares the dickens out of me.

[tazyt]

great tips cobba add mud and there even more important follow them and you and the bike will get home in pretty good nick you know ya shit mate subd cheers

[MikeBurtch]

Why mx riders use the legs then by cornering?

[jasonearles]

Butt back is for slower corners than pictured here.
I personally corner faster if I sit coming into the corner and stand up and forward coming out of the corner to weight the front wheel and let the rear wheel step out.
and then to get more speed sit with butt back for traction to the ground.
For a beginner I would suggest coming into the corner as fast as you’re comfortable while standing and then really put your weight forward and hug the tank with your knees and controllably slide the rear out coming out of the corner.
Do this until it becomes more and more comfortable and you will pick up speed and confidence dramatically.
Before long you’ll be doing 110 mph on gravel roads stepping the rear out.
Every time I hear someone talk about standing the whole time I think of Toby Price who does a lot of sitting and is very fast.
Everyone has their own technique that works for them but I have ridden with a lot of people enough to know what works for well me.
The rest of the video I agree with.
I not wanting to discourage you or sound like a hater just sharing from my experience.
Cheers!