I have also posted on the very old BMW course thread - but in case I put it in the wrong place.
Can anyone recommend and AFFORDABLE place to get some off road training please? The BMW course is for me, £500 for the weekend, represents a huge amount of money, it is as much I usually have for our holidays for the year - but I have been saving for a couple of years, it was for going on a trip to Sri Lanka, where we used to live (only it was Ceylon then) and we were going to rent a motorbike out there and explore a bit by bike. I love the thought of doing some of the holiday type trips you see, but I found the gravel roads in The Faroes very daunting and it has made me realise I need to know how to ride on stuff other than tarmac. There were roads I got part way along and bottled out and turned and came back because of my lack of confidence and ability on loose surface with tyre ridges and where the rain had created little gutters. I was on Tourance tyres which I didn't find that grippy on these gravel roads, but I then don't know how to use them. I have never been a hero, I cover long distances and do it as economically as possible, I have got 105,000 out of the clutch on my 1150 Adv so far and no reason why it won't do another 50,000 yet, but riding on gravel roads with the tyres slipping just frightened the hell out of me.
So, what I am really asking is are there other alternatives to give me the tuition that I need to get some confidence to take the bike off the tarmac. Wet grass on a campsite fills me with dread at the moment - to the point I will leave it at the gate on hard standing and walk in with my kit, rather than risk dropping it trying to ride across the field.
What can people recommend please? I am not new to riding, I ride my bike all year round and have been riding as my main means of transport for 40 odd years. Probably very badly though judging by what I have seen on the videos - I would never dream of being able to ride like that. All ideas very welcome. Thanks.
Can anyone recommend and AFFORDABLE place to get some off road training please? The BMW course is for me, £500 for the weekend, represents a huge amount of money, it is as much I usually have for our holidays for the year - but I have been saving for a couple of years, it was for going on a trip to Sri Lanka, where we used to live (only it was Ceylon then) and we were going to rent a motorbike out there and explore a bit by bike. I love the thought of doing some of the holiday type trips you see, but I found the gravel roads in The Faroes very daunting and it has made me realise I need to know how to ride on stuff other than tarmac. There were roads I got part way along and bottled out and turned and came back because of my lack of confidence and ability on loose surface with tyre ridges and where the rain had created little gutters. I was on Tourance tyres which I didn't find that grippy on these gravel roads, but I then don't know how to use them. I have never been a hero, I cover long distances and do it as economically as possible, I have got 105,000 out of the clutch on my 1150 Adv so far and no reason why it won't do another 50,000 yet, but riding on gravel roads with the tyres slipping just frightened the hell out of me.
So, what I am really asking is are there other alternatives to give me the tuition that I need to get some confidence to take the bike off the tarmac. Wet grass on a campsite fills me with dread at the moment - to the point I will leave it at the gate on hard standing and walk in with my kit, rather than risk dropping it trying to ride across the field.
What can people recommend please? I am not new to riding, I ride my bike all year round and have been riding as my main means of transport for 40 odd years. Probably very badly though judging by what I have seen on the videos - I would never dream of being able to ride like that. All ideas very welcome. Thanks.
for now, and learn the basic principles on a small bike ie. one that's not going to bite you, putting you off further 
