Well, I did it 
Cracking day 
Before yesterday I was a complete off road newbie, closest I'd ever been to a green lane was bumping round the camping field at the Hogroast
.
They had every 2008 KTM bike there to try out, from 125 up to 525, 2 strokes and 4 strokes. The end result was this:
Do I look a) very knackered, b) extremely knackered or c) extremely very knackered?
The bike, spotless when we started, needed a bit of a clean by the end
It was great to try both 2 stroke and 4 stroke bikes, and as a beginner I swapped between a 125 EXC (2 stroke) and a 250 EXC-F (4 stroke). The more experienced lads (and Ady himself) preferred the 2 strokes and their lively powerband , but I was much happier on the 250 4 stroke, the more linear power seemed to suit my tentative riding style .
The Eastbourne site has all sorts of conditions, from narrow, twisty little tracks to wide open, blasts along gravel to deep mud wallows to motocross-style jumps. Ady split the day up and spent a bit of time talking about how to tackle stuff such as (in no particular order):
- Cornering, both flat corners and berms
- Ruts and deep mud
- Jumps
- Slow speed, walking pace, feet up turning
- Skidding the bike round with the back wheel locked up
- Getting grip and keeping the tyres clear of mud
After each talk they left you to practise that technique. If you wanted any feedback or look at a particular area again, it was up to you to pipe up and ask.
Obviously, with only 6 hours to play with, you're not going to get an in-depth training on everything and I imagine this is where the 2-day BMW course has an advantage. As a complete newbie there were quite a few moments and right from the start you're on the bikes and straight into it. However, Ady is a top bloke, a fecking riding god 
, and, provided you're willing to get stuck in and ask for feedback when you want it, it was an enjoyable day and a great intro to off-road riding for me.
Apart from being a nervous newbie, my other real limitation was fitness (or lack of it). By the end of the day I was completely knackered . If you're thinking of doing it, it might be an idea to do some exercise during the weeks before. It's not that you can't do the day unless you're fit, it's just that you will enjoy it more if you're not dead on your feet (like I was by the end ). (And feck me do I ache today... )
More info here.
The day did it's job - I want to do some more now and am seriously thinking of trading the 950adv in for an 1100GS and a 250 4 stroke green lane bike. Now where's that back issue of TBM gone.....
Cracking day Before yesterday I was a complete off road newbie, closest I'd ever been to a green lane was bumping round the camping field at the Hogroast
.They had every 2008 KTM bike there to try out, from 125 up to 525, 2 strokes and 4 strokes. The end result was this:
Do I look a) very knackered, b) extremely knackered or c) extremely very knackered?
The bike, spotless when we started, needed a bit of a clean by the end
It was great to try both 2 stroke and 4 stroke bikes, and as a beginner I swapped between a 125 EXC (2 stroke) and a 250 EXC-F (4 stroke). The more experienced lads (and Ady himself) preferred the 2 strokes and their lively powerband
, but I was much happier on the 250 4 stroke, the more linear power seemed to suit my tentative riding style .The Eastbourne site has all sorts of conditions, from narrow, twisty little tracks to wide open, blasts along gravel to deep mud wallows to motocross-style jumps. Ady split the day up and spent a bit of time talking about how to tackle stuff such as (in no particular order):
- Cornering, both flat corners and berms
- Ruts and deep mud
- Jumps
- Slow speed, walking pace, feet up turning
- Skidding the bike round with the back wheel locked up
- Getting grip and keeping the tyres clear of mud
After each talk they left you to practise that technique. If you wanted any feedback or look at a particular area again, it was up to you to pipe up and ask.
Obviously, with only 6 hours to play with, you're not going to get an in-depth training on everything and I imagine this is where the 2-day BMW course has an advantage. As a complete newbie there were quite a few
moments and right from the start you're on the bikes and straight into it. However, Ady is a top bloke, a fecking riding god , and, provided you're willing to get stuck in and ask for feedback when you want it, it was an enjoyable day and a great intro to off-road riding for me. Apart from being a nervous newbie, my other real limitation was fitness (or lack of it). By the end of the day I was completely knackered
. If you're thinking of doing it, it might be an idea to do some exercise during the weeks before. It's not that you can't do the day unless you're fit, it's just that you will enjoy it more if you're not dead on your feet (like I was by the end ). (And feck me do I ache today... )More info here.
The day did it's job - I want to do some more now and am seriously thinking of trading the 950adv in for an 1100GS and a 250 4 stroke green lane bike. Now where's that back issue of TBM gone.....
