In Search of Single Track Roads

[Scooter Britches]

NBC, always a good time tearing up someone else's rides! LOL! Nice!

SG, I'm a noob too, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express...ha!

The things I got in those 1-day classes I took were (in no particular order): 1. Make sure the bike fits you-risers, pegs, bar position, etc. Should be as neutral as possible. 2. Look well ahead. Staring at your front wheel or even just a few feet out won't help you. Keep your eyes up. Pick a spot on the horizon and keep your peripheral open. Let the bike feel it's way through whatever (except sand...keep as much weight off the front as possible and keep on the throttle or go a bit faster to keep from bogging). 3. Gear. Make sure your gear is comfy and protective. Dual sport/off-road boots will keep your feet and calves from getting tired & sore. Street boots were killing my feet standing on them all day. I got a nice pair of Sidi dual sport boots and OMG, night and day difference. Felt like I was standing on a flat surface all day. 4. Practice counter-intuitive turning. Get yer butt off the outside of the bike...lean it under you. Find an open flat stretch of dirt and practice doing fig 8's or running some cones. You want 3 points of contact...your foot, your outside knee (in the tank) and your inside calf (exaggeratedly across the seat). Our instructors made us pick our inside foot up off the inside peg...really made you concentrate on technique. Practice this without your bags first unless you need them to help pick the bike up (you will drop it...everyone in the class did, incl me!). Once you are comfy with them, add your traveling weight to get used to it, before you hit the road.

Remember the bike will handle differently on dirt (duh!). It'll wander a bit more and feel like it's wallowing. Let it! Trust your machine.
Oh, air pressure. We were running at 25-28 psi. You want it to be soft enough to bite, but not so soft that your rims are getting beat up. Air pressure may vary due to personal tastes, but I liked it at 25/26 or so.