Rider Training Buyers Guide – Adventure and Off-Road

No review of an adventure bike is complete without the observation that few of them will probably ever turn a wheel off-road, since ADV bikes are the SUVs of the motorcycle world, and SUVs rarely get taken off-road. But motorcycle people are way more adventurous than car-driving ones. And even though the new crop of adventure bikes have a lot to recommend them even if you do only ride on pavement, the best of them are packing technology that makes hitting the dusty trail easier and safer than ever. It seems a bit wasteful and sad if you never use that capability.

Ultimate Sports Adventure Touring Shootout

Combine that new technology with a little training, and the places you’ll go are suddenly exponentially expanded. Now you can really get away from it all. Here’s a not-too-partial list of North American schools which can help you get there and back with minimal pain. For international schools, of which there are a bunch more, please consult your Google.

Adventure Riders International’s lead instructor and chief proprietor, Lorne Banks, won two Canadian roadracing championships in 1988 and is now a freelance professional driver/rider, facilitator, and project manager for several manufacturers and Fortune 500 companies. He’s also trained Military, Federal Law Enforcement and other government agencies in how to execute specialized maneuvers and tactics at several military training facilities and bases in the U.S., Canada and abroad. When that’s not enough to keep him busy, he also provides professional riding/racing teaching and coaching services, in the following genres: off-road, enduro, motocross, flat-track, road racing, street riding, adventure riding and dual-sport riding. Most of ARI’s events – from five-hour Fundamentals courses to multi-day Teach ’n Tours – are scheduled on the east coast, but Banks is willing to travel wherever his services are needed.

http://www.AdventureRidersInternational.com/

BMW Off-Road Training At Hechlingen Enduro Park

“The sum of two days of instruction and drills will take you from little-to-no experience riding off-highway to confidently piloting your dual-sport / adventure motorcycle in the dirt. You will then have the freedom to embark on day-trips and weekend rides down dirt roads in search of that secluded fishing hole, rarely seen and spectacular vista, or to simply take that head-clearing afternoon adventure.”

Beyond that, Black Swan’s A.R.T.S. class takes your skills to the next level. The company also offers tours, including four- and 12-day Baja adventures.

http://www.BlackSwanMoto.com/

BMW’s official East Coast training facility in Greer, South Carolina, offers one- and two-day courses for everyone from new-to-dirt riders to skilled off-roaders. Ride your own bike or abuse a BMW rental for a few dollars more. All BMW schools utilize a “challenge by choice” training method and are taught by certified BMW Motorcycle Instructors who use a method of “explain, demonstrate, teach.” How hard could it be?

http://www.BMWUSA.com/

These guys offer one-, two- and four-day classes all over Utah. According to Dual Sport School’s founder Fran Tully, there are distinctive skills needed for adventure riding, even for riders with years of know-how riding on paved roads. “The dynamics of dirt riding is often completely the opposite of pavement riding, and this can get a new rider in trouble. Most street riders never work on balance, peg riding or how to pick up a 600-pound motorcycle by themselves, but we can teach them how. Off-road adventure riding requires additional work on balance, shifting, braking, and slow speed driving. The most significant accessory that one new to adventure riding can get is proper training.”

This sounds like no fun at all: “Some of our courses will be taught on the Utah Backcountry Discovery Route (UTBDR). The UTBDR is an 871-mile off-road route that runs from AZ to ID. It visits some of the most scenic and challenging terrain, including deserts, dense pine forests, and canyons.”

http://DualSportSchool.com/

The author taught Jimmy Lewis everything he knows about motorcycles when JL came to work in the bike magazine business circa 1993. Okay, not entirely true: Jimmy already knew a little. Then he went on to wins in Dakar, the Baja 1000, four gold medals at the ISDE Six Days, etc. Not many people know their way around a big enduro machine better than Jimmy. Now he and spouse Heather offer training from their home base in Pahrump, Nevada, mostly during the winter months when it’s cool and beautiful out there. Also there’s the Brothel Museum.

http://JimmyLewisOffroad.com/

Everyone wants to know the secret to how to ride their big dual-sport bike better, and Motoventures claims to know it: “The secret is to learn to ride in the dirt first, on a friendly little dirt bike. The simple truth is the skills you develop on a smaller dirt bike are the same skills you need to pilot a big adventure bike. Dirt bikes are small, light, and easy to operate. If you develop your riding skills in the dirt first… your abilities will probably be greater than what a big dual-sport bike can handle… so the key to riding them well in the dirt is to understand your bike’s limits and to stay within them.”

Gary LaPlante wrote the book on the topic, in fact, and has been teaching off-roading, MX, trials and all sorts of dirty secrets for more than 15 years, most recently at his 350-acre compound near Anza, California.

http://www.motoventures.com/home

http://www.PSSOR.com/

Jim Hyde might’ve been here first. From many accounts, his school does it best when it comes to combining motorcycle training with gourmet noshing, and RawHyde’s official BMW Motorrad-backed school offers rider training both in Southern California and now Park County, Colorado. From RawHyde’s home page:

“Over 95% of the world’s roads are unpaved, so if you don’t like to (or can’t) ride in the dirt, you’ll find yourself confined to a mere 5% of the planet.

RawHyde Adventures has something fun and exhilarating for any adventure rider. Whether you are new to the sport or a seasoned veteran; our training programs, rallies and special events truly provide the definition of adventure.”

http://www.RawHyde-Offroad.com/

Xplor International is based in the Northeastern United States, offering a range of training and programs in the spectacular National Forests in western Pennsylvania and Maryland – a vast area with a variety of terrain. XPLOR says it is one of the only schools in the world with a dedicated MSF Dirt Bike RiderCoach training program designed to help its cadre grow as off road RiderCoaches so they can provide the best customer care, service and teaching environment.

http://www.XPLOR-Int.com/