Posts filed under Rider Skills

RIDER SKILLS: Clinton’s New Technique for Riding in Sand

In this episode of Rider Skills, we’ll explore the challenges of sand riding and introduce a new technique to help improve your confidence and skills on sandy terrain. Expert riding instructor, Clinton Smout, will share practical tips and advice to help you navigate sand more easily and become a better rider.

Posted on September 19, 2024 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: ADV Motorcycle Hill Climb and Recovery

Determining the best line for climbing a hill and figuring out how fast is fast enough can be difficult. Understanding when to ease off the throttle and knowing what to do if the climb cannot be completed is crucial. Riders of heavy adventure motorcycles may question whether it is worth attempting the hill at all. This week, our exclusive RIDER SKILLS program will feature pro rider Clinton Smout from SMART Adventures, providing professional instruction on how to climb hills on adventure motorcycles.

Posted on August 8, 2024 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Arguably One of the Most Important Riding Skills You'll Ever Learn

This segment of Rider Skills could arguably be one of the most important riding skills you’ll ever learn, yet it’s fairly easy to master and comes with massive benefits. In about an hour, if done correctly, you’ll notice huge improvements in your ability to maneuver and control your motorcycle both on and off-road at slow speeds.  Whether it's in a parking lot, turning around on a road, or navigating through trail conditions, it’s a fundamental skills set for both adventure riders and street riders. You’ll stop dropping your bike as much and feel more confident riding slowly on any type of terrain. It’ll allow you to use your adventure motorcycle in the way it’s designed for - to comfortably explore less-traveled areas - while also enhancing your overall riding abilities.

Posted on July 4, 2024 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: No Time to Think - What Do You Do?

Understanding the underlying reasons for why we perform certain actions is crucial in building a strong skill set. When you know the ‘why’, you won't need to rely on remembering the steps because they will become obvious. When riding a motorcycle, there's often no time to remember to think about each skill. In this episode of Rider Skills with Clinton Smout, we will explore the essential elements for building and maintaining riding skills and discuss how long it takes to notice a difference in our riding.

Posted on June 13, 2024 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Total Control on Gravel

Clinton Smout from SMART Adventures returns to ARR’s exclusive Rider Skills to talk about one of the most feared riding conditions we encounter on the street, especially for street riders - gravel. He talks about why gravel is feared, if it should be and what you can do about it to make riding gravel easy and even fun.

Posted on May 9, 2024 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Proactive Off-Road Awareness

Proactive off-road awareness is a crucial safety step which allows riders to anticipate and respond to hazards effectively. Being in tune with the environment enables riders to navigate unpredictable obstacles such as rocks, roots, or uneven terrain, reducing the risk of accidents or injuries. And to talk about that we have SMART instructor, Clinton Smout.

Posted on March 21, 2024 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Situational Awareness on the Road

Situational awareness while riding a motorcycle means being aware of your surroundings and predicting what might happen based on what you see. It's about paying attention to the road, other vehicles, weather, people and more. In this episode, Clinton Smout, Chief Riding Instructor at SMART Adventures, tells us how by staying alert, you can anticipate dangers and react quickly to avoid them.

Posted on February 15, 2024 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Common Mistakes Motorcycle Riders Make and Ways to Avoid Them

On this episode of our Exclusive RIDER SKILLS we have Chief Riding Instructor Clinton Smout from SMART Adventures talking about common mistakes motorcycle riders make and how to avoid them. Clinton offers unique insights into what can go wrong with novel suggestions on prevention. He also talks about exercises that can be done while driving a car that will improve your motorcycle riding skills and safety.

Posted on January 11, 2024 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: In Your Head - Motorcycle Drills Practice

This episode of RIDER SKILLS is for all riders, regardless of the type of bike you ride or your riding style. Some simple drills that can be done on any surface, be it dirt or pavement. Do them before heading out on a ride, while waiting for a friend, or even when approaching a stop sign or traffic light. These are simple straightforward drills that require no pre-planning, no specific location, and each one will help develop multiple skills at once.

Posted on December 14, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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Skid Control - Clinton Smout - RIDER SKILLS

When riding on slippery surfaces, the risk of the rear wheel sliding out from under the bike is ever-present. Whether due to excessive braking or spinning out from rapid acceleration, the rear wheel's speed can cease to match the speed over the ground, causing it to stray from following the front wheel. Without adequate preparation and practice, this situation could lead to a potentially dangerous high side. However, with a grasp of the fundamentals and some diligent practice, managing this occurrence can transform from a potential hazard to an exhilarating experience—one that you might intentionally seek out for the thrill.

Posted on November 9, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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5 Techniques for Picking Up a Motorcycle - Clinton Smout - RIDER SKILLS

Riding a motorcycle through challenging terrain can be extremely satisfying, but even with experience, things can go wrong, and you may find yourself picking up your motorcycle from the ground. On today’s episode of Adventure Rider Radio’s exclusive RIDER SKILLS program, we have Clinton Smout from SMART Adventures sharing five techniques to help you pick up your motorcycle. You can choose the one or two that suit your style or learn all of them to use in different situations.

Posted on October 12, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills, Clinton Smout.

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RIDER SKILLS: Pro Tips for Day Tripping with Fellow Riders

Day trips with a group of riders are a great way to have full-on adventures. Whether starting from a hotel room or your own doorstep, having others along not only makes the ride safer but also more enjoyable in many ways. You get to share the experience with someone else and learn from other riders. Additionally, riding with others provides the benefit of working together to tackle tough situations. And if you don't ride with others, how can you follow Clinton Smout's advice to let your friend go first? Today on our exclusive RIDER SKILLS program, we have some tips for riding with others, as well as insights into what a motorcycle instructor and guide packs for their day trips.

Posted on September 14, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: The Magic Formula for Climbing Hills - Clinton Smout

Every hill has its own characteristics that often change with the season and over time, which for an adventure rider means having a unique approach for every hill climb. But according to Clinton Smout from SMART Adventures, there is a magic formula. And once you learn it, you’ll be powering up those hills that will make your riding buddies wonder who this new rider is.

Posted on August 10, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Why and How to Stand on Your Motorcycle Properly - Clinton Smout

Should you stand up on your motorcycle and if so, why would you stand and when would you do it? And if you are going to stand how do you do it and feel confident? Perhaps you're a rider who sometimes stands but automatically sits at the first sign of trouble. If so, then this episode is for you, too. Motorcycle riding instructor, Clinton Smout, covers everything from when and why to stand, to bike set-up and tips that with practice will help you become a more skilled rider.

Posted on July 13, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Obstacles - Avoid, Hit or Stop - The Hows and Why's - Clinton Smout

For motorcyclists, obstacles appear in many forms. On the street there may be road damage including missing asphalt on the road edges, potholes, construction, debris, dead animals and more. And off-road, anything from washouts that weren’t there yesterday, to rocks, boulders, roots, trees, and the list goes on. We have two choices when an obstacle presents itself, we can either avoid it or hit it. That may seem trite but it’s not just whether we hit or miss, it’s how we hit or miss. All with the goal of having the least negative result or, ideally, a positive one.

Posted on June 8, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Pivot and Spin Turns in Tight Spots- Clinton Smout

Combine a heavy adventure motorcycle with a narrow trail or tight space and turning around becomes a foot wrestle at best, or a job fit for a team. Today on Adventure Rider Radio’s exclusive Rider Skills we are learning two great methods to make the turnaround a non-event and get you back in the saddle again.

Posted on May 11, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Dirt Rider Refresher for Adventure Motorcycles - Clinton Smout

There is a lot to remember when riding an adventure motorcycle in the dirt and challenges often come up quickly leaving little time for contemplation. That’s when having the skills you need in muscle memory can make the difference between an exhilarating ride or a ‘pick up you bike’ exercise or worse. So, to get some things clear in your mind once again Clinton Smout is going to walk us through almost every challenge we find when riding adventure motorcycless in the dirt.

Posted on April 13, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Easy Lesson Makes Sand Riding Fun on ADV Motorcycles - Chris Birch

Chris Birch thinks that sand really gets a bad rap and that riding in sand is fun, not just for him but for all riders. And if you disagree, it could be that you either need to tweak your skills or perhaps you’ve missed one of the fundamentals of riding in sand. Time after time, Chris teaches riders to have fun in the sand, not just survive, but have fun. So, if you fear sand or you struggle in it, this episode of RIDER SKILLS should make it so that the next time you see sand through your visor, you’ll anticipate it with a smile on your face.

Posted on March 9, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Motorcycle Wrestling - Clinton Smout

Rolling along a trail or down the road on a motorcycle emanates a sense of grace and precision, but when the rolling slows to a stop that same motorcycle suddenly feels like a pig. And trying to move it around while standing beside it quickly become a wrestling match, or more over, a mismatch as you try to shove and pull the hefty two wheeled behemoth while it seems to do it’s best to oppose your every effort and flops down on the ground. On this exclusive Adventure Rider Radio RIDER SKILLS segment, we learn the methods of the pros on moving a motorcycle while standing beside it, all the while making it look like a well balanced bicycle, with you taking control.

Posted on February 9, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Brushing Up on Motorcycle Water Crossing Techniques - Clinton Smout

Crossing a river, pond or puddle can be great fun, exhilarating in fact, that is assuming you make it through. Because if you don’t, the result can run from mild to very serious, even leaving you stranded or walking out. And it only takes one of many possible mistakes to ruin your day. But there is a procedure, and if you follow it through you will have the best chance of getting to the other side smiling. On this episode of Rider Skills, instructor Clinton Smout will walk us through that procedure, step by step, and give you some exercises to do at home to build your skills while you’re still dry.

Posted on January 12, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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