We all know that a motorcycle is less stable at slow speeds, which is when so many falls happen. For street riders, it’s usually parking lots or roadside stops where slow tip overs happens, but adventure riders have an even higher tip over rate, just because of the nature of riding an adventure bike. We tend to ride on dirt, gravel, rocks, mud, over uneven and slippery surfaces and that’s part of the appeal of adventure riding. How do we avoid falling over at slow speeds? What are the key ingredients that some riders have mastered so that they can slowly work their way around obstacles at slow speeds and not fall over? What’s the secret?
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Both on and off-road, choosing the correct line is an important riding skill and it can make the difference of whether or not you get through a challenging situation. But how do you build the skill of choosing a line? What should you watch for and what are key factors in your choices? On this episode, we have instructor Clinton Smout from SMART Adventures teach us these important skills.
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Motorcycle tire pressure settings are critical and for adventure motorcycles heading into the dirt it could make the difference between a fun ride or steady frustration, but does the perfect setting exist? Can we look at the chart, match our terrain and riding style to our payload and suspension, and then adjust our pressure to the recommended setting? Well not quite, but it may be a little easier than you think and to walk us through this we turned to two rider trainers with slightly different approaches. Bill Dragoo, although very technical minded, likes to keep it simple and has some great ideas he has developed for setting tire pressures he can live with. Chris Birch comes from a high level racing background and is very in touch with his tire pressures and how subtle changes make a difference in the way the bike feels. Both are top level rider trainers that will help put us on the straight and narrow for setting our off-road tire pressure on our adventure motorcycle.
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Riding a motorcycle downhill isn’t particularly difficult, but what does make it difficult and unnerving for many riders are the obstacles encountered on the hill. If it were just a steep slope with plenty of traction, the type you may have ridden in a parking garage or some other paved steep decent, it would be no problem. But in the dirt, surfaces are not flat, they don’t necessarily have good traction, they may have ruts, rocks, roots and a host of other obstacles that add to the challenge of riding downhill. On this episode of Rider Skills, Clinton Smout walks us through how to deal with each obstacle. Then he has some simple downhill riding exercises that you can practice with your own motorcycle at home, and you wont even need a hill.
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Aggressive rider? Sounds counterintuitive but there are times when you want to be an aggressive rider and riding instructor, Chris Birch, explains how becoming an aggressive rider, done properly, can improve your riding performance.
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Trip planning builds excitement - who’s going, what does the motorcycle need, what to pack and of course the route. The route is a big part of the excitement and there are some very important details to consider that can easily be overlooked, in part because it’s so difficult to assess - yet it could be the factor that makes the difference between getting into trouble or avoiding it. And when you consider the route, other questions come up. How do you know if your motorcycle, your gear and your physical fitness is suitable for your desired route? All that and more on this episode of Rider Skills with Instructor Clinton Smout.
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When you think ‘road hazards’, some of the obvious come to mind. Pot holes, uneven road surfaces, debris… those are just a few of the hazards we have to watch for, but the ones that are of the most concern are the ones you may not even think of. Clinton Smout has seen the statistics that prove that the road hazards he talks about today are ones that all riders need to be aware of and paying attention to at all times. In today’s episode of Rider Skills, some eye opening moments that will make you sit up and take notice.
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Counter Weighting is simply balancing your motorcycle with your body, and learning to do it correctly will take your skills to the next level. Today on our exclusive RIDER SKILLS program we have top instructor, Clinton Smout, to walk us through the skill using tips that speed up the learning process and get you on the fast track to improving your riding skills.
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Manufacturers have to work within the constraints of a budget to keep motorcycles affordable. If you want to make your bike a serious adventure motorcycle, the trick is to understand which components need to be replaced or what needs to be added to your bike. Clinton Smout has years of experience and understanding of motorcycles and he walks us through his list of necessary modifications to make the factory adventure motorcycle a serious adventure motorcycle.
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Getting your adventure motorcycle over a log can be a daunting experience, but learning how to do it can open up a whole new world for you. On this episode of Rider Skills we have instructor Chris Birch, world famous for what he does with an adventure bike, teach us how to get our heavy motorcycles over a log in three easy steps and look like a pro while we’re doing it.
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There is no doubt that practice improves our riding skills, but sometimes life gets in the way and then throw in weekend rides, how do you find time to set up practice sessions? On this episode of our exclusive RIDER SKILLS program we’re going to set you up with a number of slow speed practice exercises that you can do just about any time you have a few minutes. Perhaps when you’re waiting to meet up with someone or maybe you can scoot outside for a few minutes before dinner, the point is these are so easy to set up that you can do them almost anywhere and practising these skills will definitely make you a better rider.
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Riding a motorcycle over rocks present all kinds of challenges for the rider and as they get bigger, so does the challenge. On this episode we have instructor Shawn Thomas and he’ll be breaking down rocks - riding rocks into manageable pieces for the average rider and hopefully changing them from what you see as obstacles to overcome in to some seriously fun riding.
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When maneuvering at low speeds, slipping the clutch on your motorcycle is an essential skill with a manual clutch. Most riders learn that if you slip the clutch too much you can wear it out quickly, so why do riding instructors tell you that you need to slip the clutch? On this episode of Rider Skills we talk with Clinton Smout about clutches, how they work, warning signs that you’re abusing your clutch and more.
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Even if you don’t ride 2-up chances are if you ride with others, or are inclined to help someone in need, you may end up having to put someone on the back off your bike at some point. Maybe while riding off-road with friends, someone’s bike breaks down and they need a ride out to get help. If you have the skills, you suddenly become a rescuer, if you don’t have those skills, well - it’s a different scenario all together.
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When you see a group of motorcyclists getting ready to ride away after a break, you can be pretty sure that in that group, in any group really, you’ll probably see a few that haven’t got the hang of ‘The Turn Around’, especially in dirt. It becomes more obvious especially if they have to change directions, but even the slightest direction change at low speed can cause problems for many riders. On this episode of our exclusive RIDER SKILLS©, mastering ‘The Turn Around’ with instructor, Clinton Smout.
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On this episode of Rider Skills you’ll learn how to corner in gravel confidently, you’ll pick up key tips like when to sit and when to stand, and how your bike design will affect that decision. Instructor, Chris Birch, also talks about why peg weighting matters and how leverage comes into play, and how the dirt and asphalt corner differ and why the two shall probably never meet.
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On this episode of ARR RIDER SKILLS, off-road instructor Bill Dragoo walks us through the ascent and descent of a dirt hill climb specifically for adventure motorcycles and then off-camber riding. How-to instruction with tips and concepts of why we do what we do when riding hills.
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Ruts can be one of the most difficult challenges for motorcyclists and although ruts are usually found when riding in dirt off-road, you may come across them in construction areas and even at the side of the road where the asphalt often has a lip and a dirt shoulder. Riding off to the side of the road over that lip is usually uneventful, but if not done correctly re-entering the roadway and crossing that rut can put a rider down. Riding ruts, tips, tricks and even a few stories from Clinton Smout of SMART Adventures.
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On this episode of RIDER SKILLS, Bill Dragoo from Dragoo Adventure Rider Training walks us through some simple steps that will help improve your cornering skills while riding your adventure motorcycle on the street, either loaded or unloaded.
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One of the most feared surfaces for riders is sand and although some riders probably hold that fear level a little too high, it stems from the level of difficulty that sand presents for most of us. But, riding in sand is second nature to former racer and now instructor, Jimmy Lewis and on this episode he shares important techniques and tips that will help make you a better rider in the sand.
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