http://crosstrainingenduro.com http://tractionerag.com Riding a dual sport or adventure bike on gravel roads? If you are a new rider, or an experienced road rider, then gravel roads are nerve wracking and potential very dangerous as the bike skates around and possibly heads for the woods. So here is how to ride a motorbike on gravel roads. The good news? These basic tips will build your confidence fast. And once you've mastered gravel roads you will be a much more competent rider on road as well. It is critical to start slow, work on your technique, then build up the speed riding an adventure bike on gravel roads. Things can go wrong very quickly with both wheels skating around on marbles. An oncoming car in the middle of the road mid-corner. An animal running out. An off camber bit washes your front wheel out. As so many riding coaches say, Want to learn to ride fast? First learn to ride slow when learning how to ride a motorbike on gravel roads. We always sit on motorbikes when first learning to ride. But start standing on the footpegs as soon as you feel comfortable doing this. Moving your body weight around can make active corrections for the bike slipping and sliding around riding a dual sport bike on gravel roads. When you are sitting on the bike, your body weight becomes a lump of dead meat that can actually get you into trouble faster. You can also see further down the road and spot potential trouble spots sooner riding an adventure bike on gravel roads. Relax. This is very hard to do as the wheels skate around over the gravel and it's counter intuitive. But you will actually have more control by letting the bike do its own thing to some extent. Consciously relax your fingers so you are only gripping the bars as much as you need to. The death grip gets very tiring and trying to overcontrol the bike will only result in bad technique. It's a key reason we start slow learning how to ride a motorbike on gravel roads. Practice on an isolated gravel road that has good visibility on corners and no traffic. It's much easier to develop your skills on a known section of road so you are ready for the unknown. Braking! We will do a braking vid later so these are just some basics riding a dual sport bike on gravel roads. When you are first learning, do all your braking while in a straight line before you enter the corner. Beginners tend to avoid using the front brake because it can lock up easily on gravel. But with practice it's quite safe to brake heavily as long as you are riding a straight line. Find a straight section of road and gradually brake harder and harder using mainly the front brake riding an adventure bike on gravel roads. Using only one finger on the lever is a good idea for extra control. With practice, you will quickly build up to partially locking up the front wheel... kind of like a human ABS. Dropping down a gear to use your engine brake can be useful too as it's less likely to lock up your rear wheel than the rear brake when riding a motorbike on gravel roads. Cornering on gravel roads! We will do cornering vid later so again these are just some basics. Lean the bike but try to keep your body upright. Keep your body toward the front of the seat if possible, to weight the front wheel for traction. Beginners often try to spread themselves over the bike too much and sit at the rear with straigh arms, definitely a bad idea for cornering. If you are standing, put the weight on your outside footpeg for extra traction. If you are sitting and the bike is unstable, you can stick a leg out as a counterweight. Try not to put your boot on the ground though to avoid possible injuries. Choose your line carefully. Don't clip that apex in case of oncoming traffic. Don't go too wide either as the shoulder on gravel roads can be very soft. Low revs and a higher gear are always a good idea when first learning on gravel roads. Sure it's fun to roost sideways out of a corner with massive handfuls of throttle. But learn the basics first by keeping things smooth and in control. You can always dial in the flat track hero shit later on. Look ahead on gravel roads. Pretty basic hey? But when learning it's surprising how often we focus on what's just ahead of the front wheel, not the distance. Especially when cornering. Look ahead for those ruts, off camber bits, deeper sections of loose gravel and oncoming traffic. Finally, bike setup for on gravel roads. Many riders obsess over their choice of tyres, but your riding skills will always be the most important thing. No matter how grippy your tyres are, a flat track rider will probably fly past you on a bike road bike going sideways into and out of corners. We won't get into the endless debate about which are the best tyres.
Music: "Clockworks" by Dolby
#crosstrainingadventure #gravelroads #adventure riding