Level 1: Intro to Adventure

Motorcycles like the BMW GS and KTM 1290 and the Yamaha Super Tenere are the SUVs of the motorcycle world, yet many owners of these bikes are nervous about taking them off into the dirt, even though that’s what they were designed for. Why is this? Well, mostly because they are heavy and awkward, as well as expensive to repair. This combination makes riders reluctant to ride them off the pavement. But consider this – even if you’re on a “paved road” you may find segments of the road that are under construction and you’ll have to creep through miles of mud and gravel in order to get to your destination Or perhaps you’ve planned to visit a special attraction in a national park only to find it way out in the dirt somewhere.

Off road skills can be useful even if you are not interested in becoming a dirt rider, because sometimes you find dirt in unexpected places. If our training helps you avoid one unintentional dismount, then the savings you get from not having to repair your bike will pay for the class. And as an additional bonus: it’s a recognized fact that dirt skills improve your street riding. So, speaking of dirt, ponder this: Many of our National Parks have some of their most incredible natural wonders at the end of a dirt road. Let’s use Death Valley National Park as an example. Death Valley is America’s second largest national park, but it sports only 150-miles of paved roads, while there are over 1100-miles of dirt roads. Imagine that…in actuality, almost all of Death Valley’s most incredible views and natural wonders are 10 to 30-miles into the back country on rough, dirt roads. And most of our National Parks are similar.

For additional perspective, consider this fact: more than 95% of the world’s roads are unpaved. And just to prove the point here are a few statistics from some of the great places in the world to visit.

1. Our home country the good old U S of A has more than a third of its infrastructure unpaved. We have about 4.5 million miles of roadways in the U.S. and nearly 1.3 million miles of dirt roads and trails. Who says there’s no place to ride??
2. Canada – is 60% unpaved
3. Mexico is 64% unpaved
4. Colombia is 80% unpaved and –
5. Bolivia is 93% unpaved.

In our “Intro to Adventure” program you will learn the top five mistakes all street riders make in the dirt. We’ll teach you a series of “building-block” skills which will get you comfortable with the basics of riding the dirt roads of the world.