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The only thing I would add is don't try and keep up with more skilled faster riders. Ride to about 80%of your abiltity so there is still something in the tank when something does happen.
Completely agree. Riding outside of your comfort zone can mean you might just be reinforcing bad habits... way better to focus on developing your skills and a moderate level of challenge.
I actually did a flat track training day a few years back, Walter. Heaps of fun but I don't have the gonads to try transferring those skills to the DR650. 😂
For me, going fast on a lose surface just always brings a lot of uncontrollable risk. In Spain, they have an amazing wealth of dirt tracks and roads and on them, they have pretty much universal speed limit, 40kph and I've pretty much adopted that everywhere. It's fast enough to let me cover some distance, but when you catch that patch of looser dirt that unsettles a bike and tries to throw you off, or when an animal crosses your path, it makes avoiding a crash so much easier. I think it's a really good trade-off, especially on a longer trips.
Another great video... Only thing I can add is if don't want to hit that rock in the road, then don't look directly at it once you have seen it. Look where you want to go.... And always ride at 80% of your talent.... you want to keep the reserves for when 100% is really needed
Good tip, Aubrey! That dreaded target fixation can be real issue, it was happening to me on my last dirt ride actually. Don't hit that rock, don't hit that rock... doh. I hit the rock. 🤣
As always, love the commentary, "you can always dial in the flat-track hero shit later on". I started riding motorcycles on a DR650 in 2016 and found this channel early on. I followed all the mods in the DR650 series and it made the "Mighty DR" feel like a 750. Thanks guys, your videos have been a *huge* help! As far as tips go (and as mentioned in the video), don't spend much time looking down at the front tire, there is nothing interesting happening there; all the interesting stuff is down the road. Keep your eyes up and looking *where you want to go*. Target fixation is a killer (ask me about a fractured ankle because I was fixated on a rut).
Relaxing is huge. Remembering to breathe helps that tremendously... fresh oxygen to the brain and body both makes everything work just a little better, even for my damaged noodles.
I know sometimes in the Moto GP the pit crew hang signs out to their riders saying "Breathe!" because they are holding their breath so often around the track.
My tip for gravel roads (wet conditons as well): You have more grip than you think, less grip than you want, you don't need to baby the bike around corners and you certainly shouldn't try to get a knee down. Relax and trust your machine
Another viewpoint on gravel roads: unless the gravel road is the ultimate offroad experience for those shortly leaving the asphalt, then usually gravel roads are the places where you can recover. Personally I ride gravel road mostly sitting to save energy, and I am always ready to apply pressure on the footpegs to keep control and shortly stand up to overcome uneven sections or to get a better overview of what is coming. I usually remain standing up when I ride higher paces, like constant 80-100+ kmh. Many bikes require for comfortable long standing of average size rider some bar risers, like 20 mm.
Our mate Chris Birch ass good advice on this (like everything). Weight the outside peg, bum cheek off the up side of the seat, elbows out wide, don't panic when the front slides out 'cos the back almost always follows it in a second and solves the problem for you. And from my own pitifully small pool of knowledge - slow in, fast out. Thanks for the vid!
I just fell yesterday and I am trying to identify what went wrong. Is going too slow also something that could make you fall. Either it was that or I just pulled the clutch lever all of the way in because I panicked.
@@carolbaez5891 Going too slow won't be the problem unless you were doing something like going uphill around a bend where you require a certain amount of momentum to just keep going. I really recommend you do Chris Birch's training video series - it's cheap - and take your time, learning properly from one of the best.
The old adage, being able to stop inside the distance you can see. I'm an old fart & would rather tootle along looking at the scenery. For me, riding is about relaxing. I spent my working life as a postie always rushing, so now I take it easy. It didn't take much for me to cross over. I used to ride an airhead beemer on gravel so the tiger with traction control & ABS was easy. The knarly stuff would be a different matter.
Aging isn't always fun, but one thing I've really enjoyed is finally slowing down and taking in the scenery. I actually sold my last adv bike because I felt I was heading for a big accident with the way I was riding.... seven years later I am now smelling the roses and only occasionally hitting the throttle for some fun.
Fascinating, I'm a returning rider at age 68 and went to a bike shop a couple of weeks ago to look at a 350 Enfield.... He wouldn't have it - I needed at least a T7 in his mind.....@@crosstrainingadventure
I’ve been riding on tarmac for over 20yrs and just started riding offroad on my KLX300 dual sport. I’m good with picking lines and braking. My arch nemesis is freshly scraped gravel. I stand up and let the bike do it’s thing, but it is very sketchy. I haven’t dropped it yet. I’m a fantastic rider on the tarmac, but it’s like I’m starting all over again. I’m taking my time and trying to get better at it. Mostly ridden forest roads in the Pisgah National Forest so far. I have a much greater appreciation for traction now… lol
Very unnerving to ride loose surfaces for the first time, Justin! Apparently it's one reason so many motoGP riders are into motocross... to get used to both wheels sliding sideways on bitumen.
As any road ride to your true ability and the conditions. Don't be afraid to dump 6psi from highway pressures to start with. Then go down gradually in lots of 4psi from there. Experience is golden
Nice video. It is a great topic. So many riders have problem on the gravel roads, tightening up and get all stiff. I would say its one of the biggest concerns and that causes many accidents. Practice, practice and practice. (Just as you describe) Start slow and on "easy" roads. Build confidence in yourself and the bike. When you can relax on the bike and start looking at the surroundings, then you can increase the speed. Thanks!
I have always felt that technique is always the most important thing, Andreas. E.g. The stock tyres on a DR650 are terrible offroad but you can still push them hard as long as you know what you are doing!
@@crosstrainingadventure Very true and that leads in to another topic. Tyres :) My opinion is that for learning and building technique, we are better of with a worn tyre or a say 50/50 (for enduro). That way we need to use the right technique and less cheating. Following your videos for years I know what you believe in question of tyres. Ofcourse we are nerds when it comes to the choice of tyres, but for me its more price/durability/handling combined.... Looking good on the DR :)
Stay in your own damn lane when cornering! Thank you for mentioning this. I see guys doing this all over RUclips. I cringe every time I see it and I see it all the time. Having been run off the trail multiple times but trucks in the middle/wrong side of the road it was painful to see my son do it on my quad. last season. I quickly overtook him and explained how bad it would be meet a truck head on. Keep pushing this point for the new riders.
@@baldandbiking Yeah same here. If theres a lot of loose gravel then Ill be on 3rd gear doing 40kmh average. My goal is to be on a safer side and take shit slowly. And ride another day.
The cagers and Amish are the dangers I face on dirt roads. I drag the rear in the s curves. I recommend doing down shift and braking skid and slides to get familiar with surface first. I learned a lot of riding skills doing stupid squid tricks on dirt.
I'm new to dual sport riding Ng but have ridden mountain bikes for years. Was shocked how easy it is to go down like a bag of shit on gravel. Last ride I turned my head left as I'd missed a trail head and found myself under my bike before I knew what had happened! No real damage apart from a hyper extended calf muscle. Awesome tips in this one. Thanks
It must be tricky at first, Peter. I think running quite low air pressures might help quite a bit as the bike skates around the gravel much less then... you just have to make sure you have rim locks and pump them up again for the long road sections.
I realize not everyone can benefit from this as not all bikes have ABS, but gravel forest service roads were where I learned the true value of ABS, whenever I am riding off-road I turn the ABS off. I ended up doing a 100km trip on the FSR and left the ABS on. What a difference ABS makes for gravel, I thought I had pretty good brake control from my off-road experience. I still keep the ABS off when on trails and single track, but I will never ride a gravel road again with it off. I rarely go faster than 60 km/h off-road on the trails but it is easy to be doing 100+ km/h when it is safe to do so on a gravel road and ABS shines. Stopping fast and with that level of control is amazing.
Actually I've never used ABS but I get the impression it initially got a bad name for itself as it could be very clunky and many riders suggested turning it off, but modern versions are doing a much better job?
@@crosstrainingadventure There are definitely situations where ABS is not ideal, there are places where you want to be able to lock up the brakes particularly the rear wheel. If I could separate the front I would consider always having the front on. These situations where you don't want ABS are generally during slower type riding of tight trails and you are not generally in a panic stop situation. When the speed starts picking up yes ABS is the way to go for sure!
@@RodNeufeld I enjoy gravel roads with 790 Duke. I switch rear abs always off and leave front always on. No complaints. Only once I have had problem. I went very slowly down about 45 degree sandpitch downhill. I wanted to lock my front but felt like abs disagreed first, but locked "at last moment"
When i first rode on gravel with my adv. I thought i would gun it. Well at 90 mph i lost control and ran into a tree. i was trapped there for 4 days until resuced.
My motorbike got skid on gravels spread on concrete Highway. My speed was 70km/hr and I was on flyover, to my left was definite death so when I saw gravels, I quickly applied brake to rear but not front. My rear wheel went to right first then I pulled it back to centre but it went to left then again right till then speed was manageable, so I squeezed my thighs to tank and let the bike drop, It slided on Gravels for 3 meters and my bike's gaurd is now scrubbed to half. Once I see that now my bike is slow enough for me to touchdown, I dropped the bike and did a small body roll. Got away from minor bruises.
cutting clutch and break leaver so they are just enough for 2 finger operation, so the handlebars hit ground first. hand guards can, and will twist under speedy fall, exposing leavers anyway. ask me how i know.
That’s fine if you don’t need your bike to road legal/registered. If you take your bike on the back of a Ute and aren’t on public roads (regardless of whether they are sealed or unsealed), then no worries!
Been riding for over fifty years, but only off tarmac for the last fifteen or so. The epiphany for me was how many non-tarmac roads there are “out there” and how much great riding I missed for the first thirty-five years. And sure, I ran out of skill long before I ran out of bike. But, bikes can’t learn . . .
so true. Never use 100% of the skill, traction, vision, reaction time, braking power, power to "just baRELY MADE it" on the public road. It really is pointless and specifically dangerous since ultimately you are trusting other drivers/riders/pedestrians/road conditions/animals 100% to not mess you up. Unless you ar e a racer or get solo laps on a track never ride 100%
I grew up on dirt roads gravel/limestone rubble. Bikes and cars are very similar style on slippery rubble I let them stay loose ie minor left to right snakes are fine but don't let the rear out to far unless your going to use more power to push the slide and keep enough counter steer. And for braking half cocked slide works well if need to stop fast
I have a dual sport motorcycle. I took it to a club with my son, they advised us both to deflate to around 15psi. The difference in the amount of traction was said to be day and night. What they didn't know is that the dual sport tires have thin side walls and it actually made the bike handle like crap.
Learn the gravel and dirt road techniques then hit the slimy leaf covered clay and slick rocks in January. If you can conquer this your balance will increase tremendously. If you have never road on slimy clay be prepared to fall multiple times as I did. But now the slimy clay slick rocks and mud have all been conquered I can ride in these conditions with confidence. I can’t wait until the dry season because all of the hard work put in during the slimy season will pay off and help peg the fun meter!
I'm just jealous because I'm not game to attempt flat track on the DR650, Victor. 🤣 I did do okay at a flat track training day once on specially set up bikes though!
After many years (and many bikes) of commuting on gravel roads, I mostly stay in the seat in case I need to throw a leg out for balance, I stay in the middle of the bike and get my legs around the tank to help keep my upper body loose and light on the bars so the bike can do its thing. And watch those blind corners. I once had to drop the bike in front of me so it would hit the bear before I did, and while I wasn't on it. Loose gravel, blind corner, too fast... I'm lucky it wasn't a moose. It can come down to crashing or hoping to make it through without really using the brakes. Never a bad idea to slow down.
Really helpful - thanks for this video. I'm starting to ride dirt bikes again after many years away. In a couple of trail areas where I ride, there are gravel roads in the campsites and getting to the trails that I have found a little sketchy compared to dirt. So thanks again for the tips (from Bend, Oregon, USA)!
Glad it was helpful! Over the past seven years I've made about 100 training vids over on our enduro channel so I might start something here for adventure and dual sport riders.
Brilliant. If this video isn't helpful for you, watch it again. And again. He's revealing all the truth. BTW, in Australia they drive on left side. So don't think they're being reckless around blind corners; they're riding on the correct side.
Love engine braking. It's impossible to lock the rear wheel excluding a critical mechanical failure. Too much braking force and you lose traction, but the engine keeps turning the wheel and you find traction again, unlike using the brakes where the wheel stops and you have to release pressure to get it turning again before you can increase pressure again.
Love the info you give out on all your videos. My only feedback, and it’s not a criticism, is just that I’d like to see what you are explaining instead of the riding shots. Watching becomes tiring with all the shots that don’t really match what you are seeing. I work in television and the rule is “see and say” when creating content. What you say is so great that I’d i were you I’d get some inspiration from Fortnine, the Canadian YT channel.
Yep, we do exactly that on our enduro training channel... the problem is this adventure channel is just a sideline and I only have a limited amount of time to edit stuff so took the easy way out on this one. But I'll do detailed versions when I have the time. I would have to mention too that Fortnine has a whole production team behind him and is well paid for just being front man and can leave all the rest of the work to others. I'm a one man show lol.
Wow one man band?! Congratulations then. Too bad you’re not in the US. I would have been your production guy (my actual job). I’ll check out your other channel then
Crazy amount of work, but still loving it after seven years. 60 to 75 hour weeks are pretty typical to pump out three vids a week across both channels. 😊
I wish I had this video last year when i first took my DR Off-road. It took me a little while to figure out to stand up, put my weight over the front tire and relax. The golfball sized gravel i was on was pretty scary before i figured that out.
The weird thing is I've been meaning to start these training vids years ago, Lee. But I wanted to put out all the enduro training vids on my other channel first. I'm hoping to really start getting into it properly now.
Yep the local farm boys always have tractors, headers, cattle trucks and utes in the middle of the road. Learning how to spot and miss them is a skill. The occasional audi or merc always stick to the middle of single lane black top so they do not have to wash them.
A few years back I was having fun on a twisty freshly graded dirt road snaking through a valley then came around a corner head to head with the grader.... they didn't even put warning signs out saying they were working on the road, doh. Thankfully it wasn't too close but you really do need to be prepared for anything.
We found this pea gravel rd in Idaho..........amazing,no matter what speed was carried into corners the bike just built it's own berm and kept zooming along.
I noticed quite a bit of the semi desert stuff looks like it could be part of Idaho or Colorado...and the desert stuff reminds me of Utah. Would still love to ride in adventure land some day.
I remember coming into a corner then the DR650's rear just gracefully slid out... then kept sliding... then eventually stopped in the middle of this gravel corner facing the opposite direction. 🤣
@@crosstrainingadventure i did a full 180 on my dr last year. riding in a sand rut and got a tank slapper right as the rut ended into dirt. first day of a week long trip, bout an hour in haha.
Nice surprise this morning, a video on Barry's Adventure channel. Thanks mate, Tylers channel is a ripper as well. Better go dust off the mighty Berg 570 for some casual gravel roads riding today
I grew up riding on gravel all day, when I ride its normally on gravel. I have a 1st gen klr650 with street tires. Keeping your body upright is key, while accelerating and slowing down I position my body as far back as possible with a loose grip. Roads I know pretty good I enjoy riding 90 to 105 mph. Let the bike do its own thing. Corners tend to have all the loose gravel so stay on the inside and look for the path where the gravel is pushed to the side and stay upright don't lean your body.
I was just saying in other comment... I have always felt that technique is always the most important thing, Zach. E.g. The stock tyres on a DR650 are terrible offroad but you can still push them hard as long as you know what you are doing.
Once you’re going over 50km/hr your bike isn’t going to fall down unless you do something stupid. The gyroscopic effect and newton’s 3rd law of motion will keep the bike upright and travelling in a straight line. Watch motorcycle racers get thrown off their bikes, the bike usually stands up and travels in a straight line till it runs into something. Let the bike dance around a bit as long as the ruts aren’t too deep. BTW.. Love your videos.
Love the video, love the tips. Just started riding on my drz400 last August, and... the bike's been breaking me in! Hahaha. Definitely learning to trust the bike! My hardest "speed bump" as far as learning atm is the deep gravel. Or going downhill with deep/thick gravel. Or rocks the size of golfballs. Tips for managing it? Last time I went down one of those roads, bike got slapped down and I ended up with a black eye😅. Always keep eye protection on even if you cant see thru it apparently! Cheers and thanks for making these!
The mighty DRZ... had all three models and loved them all! See our training vids on the enduro channel, they cover those scenarios and the techniques will be the same. 😊
Just had a deer run out in front of me yesterday while on gravel. Was doing about 40mph. I have no idea how there wasn't a collision. Somehow the deer kicked up some gravel that cut my legs up pretty good. Many of the gravel roads I ride are convex (crowned). You don't want to get close to the edge because it will "suck" you even closer to the edge and even off the road.
I'd definitely be interested in taking a look AC. I was thinking of doing a vid about road riding tips for when we have to ride through cities... info@crosstrainingenduro.com
I was out riding gravel roads and bush tracks today and i forgot to lower the air pressure and the front and back wheel was skateing side to side, I came to a wide bend and the corragations just made the bike slide anyway having 30psi in ya tyres don't help any but it's fun doing great big long burnouts in 3rd and 4th gear on the gravel, my friend said to me "your bloody crazy" I tell him every time we go riding open the throttle and have some fun it's FREE 😂😂😂
Not only amazing bike riders also an amazing camara man and drone pilot, very cool combination of that 360 degree and drone shots. Which drone do you use for the videos and what is the camera set up?
Thanks! As per the end of the vid, I credited the Torimoto and Everide channels for the drone footage as I can't afford a drone yet. Tori uses a Skydio 2, I don't know about Tyler's setup on the Everide channel.
Cool, a vid on how to ride gravel the day I get back from a 700k gravel ride. LOL. Im off in a month with the bush pig to do an adventure ride with Birchy. Mildly terrified. You back on a DR yet Barry?
Say hi to Birchy for me, Rob. He'll probably still remember me. I eased back into riding very carefully on the DR650 about three months ago, I'm riding normally now but only up to two hours as the back ache kicks in otherwise.
I'm trying to focus on keeping my feet on the pegs especially during a slide, putting that foot down transfer so much energy, Tibial plateau fx just waiting to ruin everything.
Question regarding the foot out technique, how often should I use it when it comes to harsher roads/off road? Was getting a bit of practice (and LARPing) in a local gravel lot and I tried that technique while doing sharper turns. Not that I was uncomfortable doing it, but how often do I really need to do that for sharper corners/trail riding.
There are so many variables it's hard to say, Leeroy. But for trail riding we did discuss this in our cornering while seated video on the enduro channel.
Is a drone being used for a lot of this footage? I feel like you are moving too fast for it to be a drone but I don't know what else it would be. it looks sick!
I'm not really sure, I've never owned a bike with traction control. I have heard it's improving and now often has lots of settings that allegedly can be good off road...
I damaged my hand in a 30 mph ish crash last spring doing that very thing hands out superman style. .. Which can damage hands and wrist significantly originally I thought it was just sprained wrist won't go to a doctor. Probably ever again.. But that's another story. Anyway, there is a bone in. Our wrist called a hamate bone ? Or somthing like that. Fairly sure I fractured that! It still is not healed and grabbing bars with a tight grip is painfull. Especially when pulling back on them. It requires surgery to repair , and will not heal by its self. According to web MD anyway.
I find this content so helpful. Could have used it the other weekend though.. Just bought a DR and wanted to get a taste of gravel so did the Mount Hay fire from Leura (on a long weekend...) Couldn't agree more with your remark choose a quiet road. Ps. I stacked it on the way in and on the way out, ffs
Big slide along the gravel each time, Max? How did your riding gear hold up? I've been very lucky with the adventure riding so far... I had years of dirt riding under my belt already so I haven't had any issues or crashes with gravel roads yet. Touch wood.
use your eyes, turn your head the bike will follow where you want it to go as you say look ahead not at the front wheel, try Trials it will teach you the skills when to use front or back brakes or both
When riding behind someone, always live some space even in slow pace if you were in the same track. This comes handy in case you need to speed up a bit when front end start to wobble in the soft section. Speeding up just momentarily to get out of trouble may be in conflict with your buddy slowing down in front ;-)
Hey guys at 0:59 you mention standing on your pegs as soon as you feel comfortable. I have a wr450F. Totally love it but when standing, I feel im bending down at the front. and for good balance I cant bend my knees. The reason why this is odd is because im only 5'7" (172cm) .. I fond the position way to low for me to have the stance you guys have. any advice would be welcome.
Great video, although I see lots of scenes where the rider is standing with his legs straight. This is even worse than sitting, first because you are not gaining the manuverability advantage that standing correctly provides, and second because this highers the center of gravity, making the bike more unstable.
I would probably disagree in some contexts, Valentin. If the terrain is rough and/or unpredictable, ideally your knees should be slightly bent. But a flat road? I see no issues... although personally I usually keep my knees slightly bent all the time. There are massive debates about the higher centre of gravity hypothesis when standing. I tend to disagree it's an issue. If you are prepared to move your body around, the weight goes through the footpegs, not the seat. But it's a really interesting debate when the physicists get involved!
hi barry i love your videos. i have dr 650 and a put in it almost all the inprovment thet there is ! i love my bike but my bigest problem is thet my hite am 1.87 and i can not stand for along time i get tired ... i lower the pegs and lift the hand bar and stil not anouf . i am abig havy guy. i just naw chang the main sprig of procycel to the stong they have 130 kg . the bike is litel small for me what to do ???? idont want to sell it. sorry for my english mate.
The danger of watching Pol Tarres! I might possibly buy a T7 in the future and I know I'll be tempted to try 5% of what he does... and I'll probably hurt myself lol.
Re, low revs... Yes, that has a lot going for it, but it's not the only way. In iffy traction I like to run high revs with very small throttle. If the rear breaks away, the motor speeds up and demands more air, but with the small throttle, it can't get it and the torque falls away. That self limits the wheel spin and you get a nice controllable slide. For example, you're spinning 7500, the rear breaks away and revs climb to 8500 before the motor is starved of air with the small throttle. The rear is only going 10-15% faster than the front, all is well. Using low revs you need a large throttle to get the same power from the bike. If the rear spins up the motor has no trouble breathing and the revs climb much more as a percentage of the original speed. For example you're turning 2500 with full throttle. The power made is similar to the earlier example. Break traction and the motor can gulp down air and spin up to the rev limiter, say 10000 rpm. Now the rear is going 4 times faster than the front, which doesn't ever end well.
As a rider gets more comfortable on gravel roads this certainly becomes an option, but I preferred to emphasise low revs for riders new to gravel roads as the results aren't so dramatic if their throttle control isn't good yet. 😊
Can't emphasize the importance of handguards. Many stories abound about broken wrists etc etc, but I have dropped my bikes so many times both on and off road and never have my wrists been at risk but those levers...
I was out riding gravel roads today and when the roads are loose stones I always find my tires and bike just gliding on the stones like marbles. Makes me panic straighten out in turns and hit the brakes. Is it just the condition of the stones? What can I do to prevent the bike from wanted to just glide on the rocks and worry about sliding out?
Hard to say without seeing the road surface but it's pretty normal for bikes to skate around on loose gravel roads. If you came from a road riding background it's an understandable reaction. Whereas dirt riders ar so used to poor traction they'll find dirt roads very predictable.
@@crosstrainingadventure it was mainly the turns it was like freshly stoned road if I leaned with the turn it felt like both front and rear wheel were just gliding side ways. Should I be counter leaning on gravel stone roads in turns? Like your off road videos suggest? Weight the inside peg lean a little forward and have my back side leaned out counter leaned?
@@crosstrainingadventure Tried again today. Weighted the outside peg and counter steered after initiating the turn with my inner heal dropping and counter steering. I could feel The back tire wanted to drift on the gravel once I got use to that I felt much more control and it was incredibly fun!
Maybe someone here can help me? I’m a total noob. If my body weight is toward the front wheel and I apply counter traction on a turn when that front tire slips out. I feel like something is going to break in my body.
Not sure what you mean by counter traction. But we've got two more indepth vids on our Cross Training Enduro channel... cornering when seated. Cornering when standing.
I’m enjoying the bike so far ruclips.net/user/postUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA My only real complaints are the brakes and the pedals. I feel like a bike designed for bigger people should have much larger pedals and more heavy duty brakes. I’ve only gotten two really good rides out of it, minimal downhill action, and the brakes feel like they’re already going out. A larger person has more momentum, so I think this wasn’t thought through very well. Also, I wear size 13-14 wide shoes. My feet cramp up on these pedals that are clearly made for smaller feet. Since I’m not a pro rider (and I don’t think many are who purchase this bike) I don’t think that the straps on the pedal are necessary at all. None of this takes away from the enjoyment I get from riding, however. I’ll just head to a bike shop to improve on a few things.
I'm comfortable standing balance wise. But I am so choppy with the throttle. Like I can be consistent with throttle. It's like a kid learning to drive stick shift for the first time lol.
It can get like that, John! What are you riding? Some of us like the Steg Pegz partly for that reason. If you squeeze with your legs, you get anchored to the bike and you aren't hanging off the bars so much... which can mean better throttle control.
@@crosstrainingadventure I litterally just bought a 2020 drz400. I'm 5'8 with a 30in inseam but I can touch the ground tippy toeing. So I'm still learning how to handle it with foothold. I was going for a klx300 but couldn't find one. This 2020 drz400 was to good of a deal to pass up!
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Good video. To be fair, you don't appear to speak English but Aussie ;)
Fair crack of the sav, mate!
The only thing I would add is don't try and keep up with more skilled faster riders. Ride to about 80%of your abiltity so there is still something in the tank when something does happen.
Completely agree. Riding outside of your comfort zone can mean you might just be reinforcing bad habits... way better to focus on developing your skills and a moderate level of challenge.
also, don't be afraid to hang back and let the literal dust settle.
I tried... I ate dirt. Should have come here 1st
Leave the “flat track hero shit” until later? That snagged my subscription; well done!
I actually did a flat track training day a few years back, Walter. Heaps of fun but I don't have the gonads to try transferring those skills to the DR650. 😂
For me, going fast on a lose surface just always brings a lot of uncontrollable risk. In Spain, they have an amazing wealth of dirt tracks and roads and on them, they have pretty much universal speed limit, 40kph and I've pretty much adopted that everywhere. It's fast enough to let me cover some distance, but when you catch that patch of looser dirt that unsettles a bike and tries to throw you off, or when an animal crosses your path, it makes avoiding a crash so much easier. I think it's a really good trade-off, especially on a longer trips.
Another great video...
Only thing I can add is if don't want to hit that rock in the road, then don't look directly at it once you have seen it. Look where you want to go....
And always ride at 80% of your talent.... you want to keep the reserves for when 100% is really needed
Good tip, Aubrey! That dreaded target fixation can be real issue, it was happening to me on my last dirt ride actually. Don't hit that rock, don't hit that rock... doh. I hit the rock. 🤣
“Aprende a andar despacio, para andar rápido” lo primero que hay que aprender 👍🏻
Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷
I reckon this video should just about be mandatory viewing for all motorcyclists. Excellent, comprehensive advice - many thanks as always.
Cheers, Simon!
As always, love the commentary, "you can always dial in the flat-track hero shit later on". I started riding motorcycles on a DR650 in 2016 and found this channel early on. I followed all the mods in the DR650 series and it made the "Mighty DR" feel like a 750. Thanks guys, your videos have been a *huge* help!
As far as tips go (and as mentioned in the video), don't spend much time looking down at the front tire, there is nothing interesting happening there; all the interesting stuff is down the road. Keep your eyes up and looking *where you want to go*. Target fixation is a killer (ask me about a fractured ankle because I was fixated on a rut).
Glad you are enjoying your bush pig, Scott! One day I would really love to ride the DR800, or a 650 with the big bore kit. 😁
I have that fractured ankle reminder too, on a 650 as it happens.....
Relaxing is huge. Remembering to breathe helps that tremendously... fresh oxygen to the brain and body both makes everything work just a little better, even for my damaged noodles.
I know sometimes in the Moto GP the pit crew hang signs out to their riders saying "Breathe!" because they are holding their breath so often around the track.
My tip for gravel roads (wet conditons as well): You have more grip than you think, less grip than you want, you don't need to baby the bike around corners and you certainly shouldn't try to get a knee down. Relax and trust your machine
cheers
Another viewpoint on gravel roads: unless the gravel road is the ultimate offroad experience for those shortly leaving the asphalt, then usually gravel roads are the places where you can recover. Personally I ride gravel road mostly sitting to save energy, and I am always ready to apply pressure on the footpegs to keep control and shortly stand up to overcome uneven sections or to get a better overview of what is coming. I usually remain standing up when I ride higher paces, like constant 80-100+ kmh. Many bikes require for comfortable long standing of average size rider some bar risers, like 20 mm.
Our mate Chris Birch ass good advice on this (like everything). Weight the outside peg, bum cheek off the up side of the seat, elbows out wide, don't panic when the front slides out 'cos the back almost always follows it in a second and solves the problem for you. And from my own pitifully small pool of knowledge - slow in, fast out. Thanks for the vid!
Good old Birchy, loved his training sessions. We included a bit of his stuff in our how to corner vids over on the enduro channel..
I just fell yesterday and I am trying to identify what went wrong. Is going too slow also something that could make you fall. Either it was that or I just pulled the clutch lever all of the way in because I panicked.
@@carolbaez5891 Going too slow won't be the problem unless you were doing something like going uphill around a bend where you require a certain amount of momentum to just keep going. I really recommend you do Chris Birch's training video series - it's cheap - and take your time, learning properly from one of the best.
We have a lot of loose gravel roads here in Southern California. Learning to ride them well is definitely a skill in and of itself. Great video! 🍻
Glad it was helpful, I'll probably start doing a pile more of these for adventure and dual sport riders.
The old adage, being able to stop inside the distance you can see. I'm an old fart & would rather tootle along looking at the scenery. For me, riding is about relaxing. I spent my working life as a postie always rushing, so now I take it easy. It didn't take much for me to cross over. I used to ride an airhead beemer on gravel so the tiger with traction control & ABS was easy. The knarly stuff would be a different matter.
Aging isn't always fun, but one thing I've really enjoyed is finally slowing down and taking in the scenery. I actually sold my last adv bike because I felt I was heading for a big accident with the way I was riding.... seven years later I am now smelling the roses and only occasionally hitting the throttle for some fun.
Fascinating, I'm a returning rider at age 68 and went to a bike shop a couple of weeks ago to look at a 350 Enfield.... He wouldn't have it - I needed at least a T7 in his mind.....@@crosstrainingadventure
Hello from Northern Vancouver Island. Great respect for your video and narrative. A genuine gift for those wanting to develop skills. Thank you.
Our pleasure, Art! We have about 100 training vids on our enduro channel, we might start doing some more on this channel soon.
I’ve been riding on tarmac for over 20yrs and just started riding offroad on my KLX300 dual sport. I’m good with picking lines and braking. My arch nemesis is freshly scraped gravel. I stand up and let the bike do it’s thing, but it is very sketchy. I haven’t dropped it yet. I’m a fantastic rider on the tarmac, but it’s like I’m starting all over again. I’m taking my time and trying to get better at it. Mostly ridden forest roads in the Pisgah National Forest so far. I have a much greater appreciation for traction now… lol
Very unnerving to ride loose surfaces for the first time, Justin! Apparently it's one reason so many motoGP riders are into motocross... to get used to both wheels sliding sideways on bitumen.
As any road ride to your true ability and the conditions. Don't be afraid to dump 6psi from highway pressures to start with. Then go down gradually in lots of 4psi from there. Experience is golden
Nice video. It is a great topic. So many riders have problem on the gravel roads, tightening up and get all stiff. I would say its one of the biggest concerns and that causes many accidents. Practice, practice and practice. (Just as you describe) Start slow and on "easy" roads. Build confidence in yourself and the bike. When you can relax on the bike and start looking at the surroundings, then you can increase the speed. Thanks!
I have always felt that technique is always the most important thing, Andreas. E.g. The stock tyres on a DR650 are terrible offroad but you can still push them hard as long as you know what you are doing!
@@crosstrainingadventure Very true and that leads in to another topic. Tyres :) My opinion is that for learning and building technique, we are better of with a worn tyre or a say 50/50 (for enduro). That way we need to use the right technique and less cheating.
Following your videos for years I know what you believe in question of tyres. Ofcourse we are nerds when it comes to the choice of tyres, but for me its more price/durability/handling combined....
Looking good on the DR :)
Stay in your own damn lane when cornering! Thank you for mentioning this. I see guys doing this all over RUclips. I cringe every time I see it and I see it all the time. Having been run off the trail multiple times but trucks in the middle/wrong side of the road it was painful to see my son do it on my quad. last season. I quickly overtook him and explained how bad it would be meet a truck head on. Keep pushing this point for the new riders.
yep, whenever im offroad on blind corners i hug the right side like crazy(canada). gotta be so careful
50-60 feels fast enough for me on gravel lol. So many different kinds of gravel though. The corners are what concern me the most.
kmh or mph?
@@rolandtiiroja KM :)
@@baldandbiking Yeah same here. If theres a lot of loose gravel then Ill be on 3rd gear doing 40kmh average. My goal is to be on a safer side and take shit slowly. And ride another day.
Good video! Eyes forward is my only additional thought. Your bike will go where your eyes go.
Great point Dave, I'll make sure that's included when we do some more indepth stuff.
The cagers and Amish are the dangers I face on dirt roads. I drag the rear in the s curves. I recommend doing down shift and braking skid and slides to get familiar with surface first. I learned a lot of riding skills doing stupid squid tricks on dirt.
I'm new to dual sport riding Ng but have ridden mountain bikes for years. Was shocked how easy it is to go down like a bag of shit on gravel. Last ride I turned my head left as I'd missed a trail head and found myself under my bike before I knew what had happened! No real damage apart from a hyper extended calf muscle.
Awesome tips in this one. Thanks
It must be tricky at first, Peter. I think running quite low air pressures might help quite a bit as the bike skates around the gravel much less then... you just have to make sure you have rim locks and pump them up again for the long road sections.
I realize not everyone can benefit from this as not all bikes have ABS, but gravel forest service roads were where I learned the true value of ABS, whenever I am riding off-road I turn the ABS off. I ended up doing a 100km trip on the FSR and left the ABS on. What a difference ABS makes for gravel, I thought I had pretty good brake control from my off-road experience. I still keep the ABS off when on trails and single track, but I will never ride a gravel road again with it off. I rarely go faster than 60 km/h off-road on the trails but it is easy to be doing 100+ km/h when it is safe to do so on a gravel road and ABS shines. Stopping fast and with that level of control is amazing.
Actually I've never used ABS but I get the impression it initially got a bad name for itself as it could be very clunky and many riders suggested turning it off, but modern versions are doing a much better job?
@@crosstrainingadventure There are definitely situations where ABS is not ideal, there are places where you want to be able to lock up the brakes particularly the rear wheel. If I could separate the front I would consider always having the front on. These situations where you don't want ABS are generally during slower type riding of tight trails and you are not generally in a panic stop situation. When the speed starts picking up yes ABS is the way to go for sure!
@@RodNeufeld I enjoy gravel roads with 790 Duke. I switch rear abs always off and leave front always on. No complaints. Only once I have had problem. I went very slowly down about 45 degree sandpitch downhill. I wanted to lock my front but felt like abs disagreed first, but locked "at last moment"
When i first rode on gravel with my adv. I thought i would gun it. Well at 90 mph i lost control and ran into a tree. i was trapped there for 4 days until resuced.
My motorbike got skid on gravels spread on concrete Highway. My speed was 70km/hr and I was on flyover, to my left was definite death so when I saw gravels, I quickly applied brake to rear but not front. My rear wheel went to right first then I pulled it back to centre but it went to left then again right till then speed was manageable, so I squeezed my thighs to tank and let the bike drop, It slided on Gravels for 3 meters and my bike's gaurd is now scrubbed to half. Once I see that now my bike is slow enough for me to touchdown, I dropped the bike and did a small body roll. Got away from minor bruises.
Well done!
cutting clutch and break leaver so they are just enough for 2 finger operation, so the handlebars hit ground first. hand guards can, and will twist under speedy fall, exposing leavers anyway. ask me how i know.
That’s fine if you don’t need your bike to road legal/registered. If you take your bike on the back of a Ute and aren’t on public roads (regardless of whether they are sealed or unsealed), then no worries!
Been riding for over fifty years, but only off tarmac for the last fifteen or so. The epiphany for me was how many non-tarmac roads there are “out there” and how much great riding I missed for the first thirty-five years. And sure, I ran out of skill long before I ran out of bike. But, bikes can’t learn . . .
Tips?
" Always leave a little on the table, no matter the situation "
so true. Never use 100% of the skill, traction, vision, reaction time, braking power, power to "just baRELY MADE it" on the public road. It really is pointless and specifically dangerous since ultimately you are trusting other drivers/riders/pedestrians/road conditions/animals 100% to not mess you up. Unless you ar e a racer or get solo laps on a track never ride 100%
I grew up on dirt roads gravel/limestone rubble. Bikes and cars are very similar style on slippery rubble I let them stay loose ie minor left to right snakes are fine but don't let the rear out to far unless your going to use more power to push the slide and keep enough counter steer. And for braking half cocked slide works well if need to stop fast
I have a dual sport motorcycle. I took it to a club with my son, they advised us both to deflate to around 15psi. The difference in the amount of traction was said to be day and night. What they didn't know is that the dual sport tires have thin side walls and it actually made the bike handle like crap.
We've got a vid about air pressure. There are so many variables including the stiffness of the sidewalls. Worth experimenting!
Great fundamental video everyone should re-read and remember 😎👍 . As for tips, ummmm, have fun! It's a journey not a race 😉
Learn the gravel and dirt road techniques then hit the slimy leaf covered clay and slick rocks in January. If you can conquer this your balance will increase tremendously. If you have never road on slimy clay be prepared to fall multiple times as I did. But now the slimy clay slick rocks and mud have all been conquered I can ride in these conditions with confidence. I can’t wait until the dry season because all of the hard work put in during the slimy season will pay off and help peg the fun meter!
Flat track hero shit! I giggled. You're so practical and done in THAT voice!
I'm just jealous because I'm not game to attempt flat track on the DR650, Victor. 🤣 I did do okay at a flat track training day once on specially set up bikes though!
@@crosstrainingadventure nice. Ya as fantastic as the mighty DR is......
this channel should have millions of subs
After many years (and many bikes) of commuting on gravel roads, I mostly stay in the seat in case I need to throw a leg out for balance, I stay in the middle of the bike and get my legs around the tank to help keep my upper body loose and light on the bars so the bike can do its thing.
And watch those blind corners. I once had to drop the bike in front of me so it would hit the bear before I did, and while I wasn't on it. Loose gravel, blind corner, too fast... I'm lucky it wasn't a moose. It can come down to crashing or hoping to make it through without really using the brakes. Never a bad idea to slow down.
Really helpful - thanks for this video.
I'm starting to ride dirt bikes again after many years away. In a couple of trail areas where I ride, there are gravel roads in the campsites and getting to the trails that I have found a little sketchy compared to dirt. So thanks again for the tips (from Bend, Oregon, USA)!
Glad it was helpful! Over the past seven years I've made about 100 training vids over on our enduro channel so I might start something here for adventure and dual sport riders.
@@crosstrainingadventure I've probably watched 95 of them.
Brilliant. If this video isn't helpful for you, watch it again. And again. He's revealing all the truth. BTW, in Australia they drive on left side. So don't think they're being reckless around blind corners; they're riding on the correct side.
Ah that might explain why I'm getting so many comments about cutting corners in other vids!
Love engine braking. It's impossible to lock the rear wheel excluding a critical mechanical failure. Too much braking force and you lose traction, but the engine keeps turning the wheel and you find traction again, unlike using the brakes where the wheel stops and you have to release pressure to get it turning again before you can increase pressure again.
Wow those are some smooth gravel roads.
Love the info you give out on all your videos. My only feedback, and it’s not a criticism, is just that I’d like to see what you are explaining instead of the riding shots. Watching becomes tiring with all the shots that don’t really match what you are seeing. I work in television and the rule is “see and say” when creating content. What you say is so great that I’d i were you I’d get some inspiration from Fortnine, the Canadian YT channel.
Yep, we do exactly that on our enduro training channel... the problem is this adventure channel is just a sideline and I only have a limited amount of time to edit stuff so took the easy way out on this one. But I'll do detailed versions when I have the time. I would have to mention too that Fortnine has a whole production team behind him and is well paid for just being front man and can leave all the rest of the work to others. I'm a one man show lol.
Wow one man band?! Congratulations then. Too bad you’re not in the US. I would have been your production guy (my actual job). I’ll check out your other channel then
Crazy amount of work, but still loving it after seven years. 60 to 75 hour weeks are pretty typical to pump out three vids a week across both channels. 😊
I wish I had this video last year when i first took my DR Off-road. It took me a little while to figure out to stand up, put my weight over the front tire and relax. The golfball sized gravel i was on was pretty scary before i figured that out.
The weird thing is I've been meaning to start these training vids years ago, Lee. But I wanted to put out all the enduro training vids on my other channel first. I'm hoping to really start getting into it properly now.
Yep the local farm boys always have tractors, headers, cattle trucks and utes in the middle of the road. Learning how to spot and miss them is a skill. The occasional audi or merc always stick to the middle of single lane black top so they do not have to wash them.
A few years back I was having fun on a twisty freshly graded dirt road snaking through a valley then came around a corner head to head with the grader.... they didn't even put warning signs out saying they were working on the road, doh. Thankfully it wasn't too close but you really do need to be prepared for anything.
Pea gravel in western Australia is super fun . I love not knowing what direction I'm going to go
We found this pea gravel rd in Idaho..........amazing,no matter what speed was carried into corners the bike just built it's own berm and kept zooming along.
I noticed quite a bit of the semi desert stuff looks like it could be part of Idaho or Colorado...and the desert stuff reminds me of Utah.
Would still love to ride in adventure land some day.
I remember coming into a corner then the DR650's rear just gracefully slid out... then kept sliding... then eventually stopped in the middle of this gravel corner facing the opposite direction. 🤣
@@crosstrainingadventure i did a full 180 on my dr last year. riding in a sand rut and got a tank slapper right as the rut ended into dirt. first day of a week long trip, bout an hour in haha.
Nice surprise this morning, a video on Barry's Adventure channel.
Thanks mate, Tylers channel is a ripper as well.
Better go dust off the mighty Berg 570 for some casual gravel roads riding today
the mighty Berg, Rob... such a pity I couldn't afford to keep mine seven years back. A beast of a machine! Do you mainly adv ride on yours?
Very good. Can't think of any else..................nice job. "Don't over think it, stay smooth and fluid." most of all enjoy ;-)
Yep, chilling and staying smooth will get us through most situations, Josh. 😎
It's the same for driving in the snow but to me at least it's harder to be calm doing it when the bike is constantly moving
I grew up riding on gravel all day, when I ride its normally on gravel. I have a 1st gen klr650 with street tires. Keeping your body upright is key, while accelerating and slowing down I position my body as far back as possible with a loose grip. Roads I know pretty good I enjoy riding 90 to 105 mph. Let the bike do its own thing. Corners tend to have all the loose gravel so stay on the inside and look for the path where the gravel is pushed to the side and stay upright don't lean your body.
I was just saying in other comment... I have always felt that technique is always the most important thing, Zach. E.g. The stock tyres on a DR650 are terrible offroad but you can still push them hard as long as you know what you are doing.
A KLR650 can do 105?! Wow, never seen one exceed 75 before ;-)
awesome tips, i find that i implement most of em instinctively
Love gravel, love your wheelies more! Wish I could wheelie like that!
Unnecessary in a training video though...
Great tips. Thank you for sharing your knowledge
Glad it was helpful!
Favorite motorcycle channel keep it up. 🤙
Thanks BC!
Once you’re going over 50km/hr your bike isn’t going to fall down unless you do something stupid. The gyroscopic effect and newton’s 3rd law of motion will keep the bike upright and travelling in a straight line. Watch motorcycle racers get thrown off their bikes, the bike usually stands up and travels in a straight line till it runs into something.
Let the bike dance around a bit as long as the ruts aren’t too deep.
BTW.. Love your videos.
I wish Newton's laws applied to my riding more. I seem to be more affected by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle lol.
Love the video, love the tips. Just started riding on my drz400 last August, and... the bike's been breaking me in! Hahaha. Definitely learning to trust the bike!
My hardest "speed bump" as far as learning atm is the deep gravel. Or going downhill with deep/thick gravel. Or rocks the size of golfballs. Tips for managing it? Last time I went down one of those roads, bike got slapped down and I ended up with a black eye😅. Always keep eye protection on even if you cant see thru it apparently!
Cheers and thanks for making these!
The mighty DRZ... had all three models and loved them all! See our training vids on the enduro channel, they cover those scenarios and the techniques will be the same. 😊
Question related to the dangers of gravelriding... Hard or soft armor?
Thanks 🤗
Good question, I'm not sure if one would be better than the other...
Just had a deer run out in front of me yesterday while on gravel. Was doing about 40mph. I have no idea how there wasn't a collision. Somehow the deer kicked up some gravel that cut my legs up pretty good.
Many of the gravel roads I ride are convex (crowned). You don't want to get close to the edge because it will "suck" you even closer to the edge and even off the road.
Had one or two close calls with kangaroos, it usually all happens so fast there's not much you can do and just have to hope for the best.
Most of these techniques are exactly what Roadcraft (UK Police riders manual) describes - I have an electronic copy if you are interested.
I'd definitely be interested in taking a look AC. I was thinking of doing a vid about road riding tips for when we have to ride through cities... info@crosstrainingenduro.com
Neat book. I read it years ago
@@crosstrainingadventure Link sent. There's a lot of ideological waffle in it, but lots of good stuff. How to read corners is priceless.
I was out riding gravel roads and bush tracks today and i forgot to lower the air pressure and the front and back wheel was skateing side to side, I came to a wide bend and the corragations just made the bike slide anyway having 30psi in ya tyres don't help any but it's fun doing great big long burnouts in 3rd and 4th gear on the gravel, my friend said to me "your bloody crazy" I tell him every time we go riding open the throttle and have some fun it's FREE 😂😂😂
RUclips is full of howto howto videos. I cant find those 3rd and 4th gear pure fun sliding videos. Only howtohowtohowto.......
@@790duke8 just lean forwards and open the throttle start in 2nd gear hold the front brake a little and hold ya balance
If it looks scary ahead, stand up. In curves lean the bike one way and your body the opposite.
Not only amazing bike riders also an amazing camara man and drone pilot, very cool combination of that 360 degree and drone shots. Which drone do you use for the videos and what is the camera set up?
Thanks! As per the end of the vid, I credited the Torimoto and Everide channels for the drone footage as I can't afford a drone yet. Tori uses a Skydio 2, I don't know about Tyler's setup on the Everide channel.
Another awesome video man - great job / great tips. Keep up the good work for sure !!!!
Thanks! Will do!
Cool, a vid on how to ride gravel the day I get back from a 700k gravel ride. LOL. Im off in a month with the bush pig to do an adventure ride with Birchy. Mildly terrified. You back on a DR yet Barry?
Say hi to Birchy for me, Rob. He'll probably still remember me. I eased back into riding very carefully on the DR650 about three months ago, I'm riding normally now but only up to two hours as the back ache kicks in otherwise.
Where is that road mate, NSW? Stunning!
Bits of footage from Vic, NSW and Qld as usual so hard to say...
I'm trying to focus on keeping my feet on the pegs especially during a slide, putting that foot down transfer so much energy, Tibial plateau fx just waiting to ruin everything.
Question regarding the foot out technique, how often should I use it when it comes to harsher roads/off road? Was getting a bit of practice (and LARPing) in a local gravel lot and I tried that technique while doing sharper turns. Not that I was uncomfortable doing it, but how often do I really need to do that for sharper corners/trail riding.
There are so many variables it's hard to say, Leeroy. But for trail riding we did discuss this in our cornering while seated video on the enduro channel.
Thank you very much mate great video , keep it up
Thanks Peter, will do!
Useful stuff. Go practice!
Is a drone being used for a lot of this footage? I feel like you are moving too fast for it to be a drone but I don't know what else it would be. it looks sick!
360 cam, Ean. We have a review vid about it on this channel.
What about turning off traction control when going off road, is it a good idea to do?
I'm not really sure, I've never owned a bike with traction control. I have heard it's improving and now often has lots of settings that allegedly can be good off road...
Gumby tip: tuck your arms in a medium to high speed crash, trying to catch yourself usually ends in soft tissue damage
Yes, Dont try to stop the crash. Roll or slide out of it.
Yep, I can attest to that
Not just soft tissue
I damaged my hand in a 30 mph ish crash last spring doing that very thing hands out superman style. .. Which can damage hands and wrist significantly originally I thought it was just sprained wrist won't go to a doctor. Probably ever again.. But that's another story.
Anyway, there is a bone in. Our wrist called a hamate bone ? Or somthing like that. Fairly sure I fractured that! It still is not healed and grabbing bars with a tight grip is painfull. Especially when pulling back on them.
It requires surgery to repair , and will not heal by its self.
According to web MD anyway.
@@davelambardo6464 wrist can be better than head or collarbone injuries
1:20 just wheelie the whole time lol
I find this content so helpful. Could have used it the other weekend though.. Just bought a DR and wanted to get a taste of gravel so did the Mount Hay fire from Leura (on a long weekend...) Couldn't agree more with your remark choose a quiet road.
Ps. I stacked it on the way in and on the way out, ffs
Big slide along the gravel each time, Max? How did your riding gear hold up? I've been very lucky with the adventure riding so far... I had years of dirt riding under my belt already so I haven't had any issues or crashes with gravel roads yet. Touch wood.
Gravel Road
Just when you are starting to get a bit comfy, yu come across a long stretch that’s freshly GRADED.
FAwk 😳😆🤪!
use your eyes, turn your head the bike will follow where you want it to go as you say look ahead not at the front wheel, try Trials it will teach you the skills when to use front or back brakes or both
Critical point Ray, I'll definitely work this into the cornering vid. 👍
@@crosstrainingadventure 👍👍
Great information. Was this filmed with a drone?
No Travis, see our budget drone alternative vid on this channel
I got highsided on a gravel road while cornering... wasnt going fast 20km/h. Didnt brake. I don´t understand why I lost traction to begin with.
Great video!
Thanks Scott!
When riding behind someone, always live some space even in slow pace if you were in the same track. This comes handy in case you need to speed up a bit when front end start to wobble in the soft section. Speeding up just momentarily to get out of trouble may be in conflict with your buddy slowing down in front ;-)
It looks like the rider's body stays aligned (upright) with the bike-structure?? Should the body not angle slightly to the outside of the turn??
Hey guys at 0:59 you mention standing on your pegs as soon as you feel comfortable. I have a wr450F. Totally love it but when standing, I feel im bending down at the front. and for good balance I cant bend my knees. The reason why this is odd is because im only 5'7" (172cm) .. I fond the position way to low for me to have the stance you guys have. any advice would be welcome.
We haven't done a body positioning vid for adventure riding yet, Kev. But the one on our enduro channel should help....
Great video, although I see lots of scenes where the rider is standing with his legs straight. This is even worse than sitting, first because you are not gaining the manuverability advantage that standing correctly provides, and second because this highers the center of gravity, making the bike more unstable.
I would probably disagree in some contexts, Valentin. If the terrain is rough and/or unpredictable, ideally your knees should be slightly bent. But a flat road? I see no issues... although personally I usually keep my knees slightly bent all the time. There are massive debates about the higher centre of gravity hypothesis when standing. I tend to disagree it's an issue. If you are prepared to move your body around, the weight goes through the footpegs, not the seat. But it's a really interesting debate when the physicists get involved!
Stability comes with speed. 80-100km/h may feel like on rails and at 40-50km/h there is unpleasant squirming.
Ditto for soft sand.
hi barry i love your videos.
i have dr 650 and a put in it almost all the inprovment thet there is !
i love my bike but my bigest problem is thet my hite am 1.87 and i can not stand for along time i get tired ...
i lower the pegs and lift the hand bar and stil not anouf .
i am abig havy guy.
i just naw chang the main sprig of procycel to the stong they have 130 kg .
the bike is litel small for me what to do ????
idont want to sell it.
sorry for my english mate.
We covered a pile of options in our DR650 Ergos vid, worked great for us!
How are you getting those drone looking videos?
ruclips.net/video/kCeg8zX1zeU/видео.html
Wow, that's crazy. Gives an interesting perspective
Steering stabilizer. Not a substitute for skill, but a great thing for gravel.
I started on gravel with the dr650
Not a bad starter bike for gravel... 21 inch front wheel and light enough to not feel as though you are wrestling it when things get sketchy.
Do you have a link to the gear video? I can't find it and am looking for an alternative jacket and pants to my road gear
Just use the search function on my channel or even through Google.
I took my T7 offroad for the first time today and crashed lol...I feel like this popped up in my feed for a reason. 😅😅
The danger of watching Pol Tarres! I might possibly buy a T7 in the future and I know I'll be tempted to try 5% of what he does... and I'll probably hurt myself lol.
Put in miles, lots and lots of miles, you will get better.
Not trying to control the bike makes a huge difference, I imagine it as riding a bull, stay loose and let it do its thing
What type of camera set up are you using?
For which bit of the vid, Michael? I've got four cameras.
Re, low revs...
Yes, that has a lot going for it, but it's not the only way.
In iffy traction I like to run high revs with very small throttle. If the rear breaks away, the motor speeds up and demands more air, but with the small throttle, it can't get it and the torque falls away. That self limits the wheel spin and you get a nice controllable slide. For example, you're spinning 7500, the rear breaks away and revs climb to 8500 before the motor is starved of air with the small throttle. The rear is only going 10-15% faster than the front, all is well.
Using low revs you need a large throttle to get the same power from the bike. If the rear spins up the motor has no trouble breathing and the revs climb much more as a percentage of the original speed. For example you're turning 2500 with full throttle. The power made is similar to the earlier example. Break traction and the motor can gulp down air and spin up to the rev limiter, say 10000 rpm. Now the rear is going 4 times faster than the front, which doesn't ever end well.
As a rider gets more comfortable on gravel roads this certainly becomes an option, but I preferred to emphasise low revs for riders new to gravel roads as the results aren't so dramatic if their throttle control isn't good yet. 😊
@@crosstrainingadventure yes, I agree completely.
Can't emphasize the importance of handguards. Many stories abound about broken wrists etc etc, but I have dropped my bikes so many times both on and off road and never have my wrists been at risk but those levers...
I was out riding gravel roads today and when the roads are loose stones I always find my tires and bike just gliding on the stones like marbles. Makes me panic straighten out in turns and hit the brakes. Is it just the condition of the stones? What can I do to prevent the bike from wanted to just glide on the rocks and worry about sliding out?
Hard to say without seeing the road surface but it's pretty normal for bikes to skate around on loose gravel roads. If you came from a road riding background it's an understandable reaction. Whereas dirt riders ar so used to poor traction they'll find dirt roads very predictable.
@@crosstrainingadventure it was mainly the turns it was like freshly stoned road if I leaned with the turn it felt like both front and rear wheel were just gliding side ways. Should I be counter leaning on gravel stone roads in turns? Like your off road videos suggest? Weight the inside peg lean a little forward and have my back side leaned out counter leaned?
I figure it should be the same technique? Chris Birch has done a series of adv training vids, it would be interesting to see what he says.
@@crosstrainingadventure Tried again today. Weighted the outside peg and counter steered after initiating the turn with my inner heal dropping and counter steering. I could feel
The back tire wanted to drift on the gravel once I got use to that I felt much more control and it was incredibly fun!
Try it on p-gravel.
what do you when you have a non-standing bike :))))
Maybe someone here can help me? I’m a total noob. If my body weight is toward the front wheel and I apply counter traction on a turn when that front tire slips out. I feel like something is going to break in my body.
Not sure what you mean by counter traction. But we've got two more indepth vids on our Cross Training Enduro channel... cornering when seated. Cornering when standing.
I’m enjoying the bike so far ruclips.net/user/postUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA My only real complaints are the brakes and the pedals. I feel like a bike designed for bigger people should have much larger pedals and more heavy duty brakes. I’ve only gotten two really good rides out of it, minimal downhill action, and the brakes feel like they’re already going out. A larger person has more momentum, so I think this wasn’t thought through very well. Also, I wear size 13-14 wide shoes. My feet cramp up on these pedals that are clearly made for smaller feet. Since I’m not a pro rider (and I don’t think many are who purchase this bike) I don’t think that the straps on the pedal are necessary at all. None of this takes away from the enjoyment I get from riding, however. I’ll just head to a bike shop to improve on a few things.
Can a sport bike ride on dirt roads?
Sure.
I'm comfortable standing balance wise. But I am so choppy with the throttle. Like I can be consistent with throttle. It's like a kid learning to drive stick shift for the first time lol.
It can get like that, John! What are you riding? Some of us like the Steg Pegz partly for that reason. If you squeeze with your legs, you get anchored to the bike and you aren't hanging off the bars so much... which can mean better throttle control.
@@crosstrainingadventure I litterally just bought a 2020 drz400. I'm 5'8 with a 30in inseam but I can touch the ground tippy toeing. So I'm still learning how to handle it with foothold. I was going for a klx300 but couldn't find one. This 2020 drz400 was to good of a deal to pass up!
You short guys can stand but at 6’2” I find it almost impossible to stand. And I have bar risers.