Travelling to Off Road School...

[Taff]

If you can drive,surely you can ride.Why take a car when you can ride?

Because you'll be knackered, aching and soaked. One broke his foot on my course, and I lost count of the ones sprawled on their backs during the water breaks. Having said that, I enjoyed the whole 2 days.

IIWY I'd take a set of dry clothes to change into.

 

[swissrob]

You're booked on an 'off-road' course, and asking about the on-road navigation to get there........ un-fucking-believable!
Who wipes your shitter every morning for you.......?
You Southern f*ckers (Oxford!) make me laugh!


Timpo.

PS. Is it only 1200 owners that know the answer to your mammoth quest?

i was just wondering if this was the 1200 section

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

+ Me for taking the car , and put fastest time into your GPS , you'll be glad you did at the end of the course , I was in agony and had to Drive straight to an all day Clinic in Portsmouth .A few guys broke bones and would have had no chance of riding . Enjoy it , its harder than any other riding I've done , but set me up perfectly for riding in the Himalayas and Jungle Cambodia !! Have a great time !!

 

[Andy B]

A bit of balance!

I've done the off road skills days twice. Both times in April. Once in very wet slippery conditions and once in something resembling the sahara desert! On both occasions the group was about 20 to 25 people. Lots of falls and some bruises at the end of two days but NO broken bones! *And we weren't being a bunch of southern jessies either!

No one used their own bike - all on supplied bikes. 800's and 650's were most popular. Some 1200's but they are more of a handful and if you are new to offroading it isn't the best bike to learn on. You just don't need that added weight and complication.

I'd say roughly half of people drove and half rode on both occasions.

 

[Taff]

... On both occasions the group was about 20 to 25 people. Lots of falls and some bruises ..

The bloke in charge of our group had a lovely phrase "If you don't drop the bike at some time - you're not trying hard enough".

When the first one dropped it everyone laughed .... then after 10 minutes there were so many bikes dropping they barely got a glance.

 

[mrsroynie]

... On both occasions the group was about 20 to 25 people. Lots of falls and some bruises at the end of two days but NO broken bones!

.... 800's and 650's were most popular. Some 1200's but they are more of a handful and if you are new to offroading it isn't the best bike to learn on. You just don't need that added weight and complication.

It's very easy to get put off by stories of broken bones but, when you consider how many people do the course, they are pretty few and far between. We had about 40 split between two Level 1 courses, and there were just two course-busting injuries: torn thumb ligaments (requiring hospital treatment) and torn knee ligaments. The thumb was the result of the guy trying to wrestle the bike when he probably should have just let it go, and the knee injury happened when a fallen rider tried to pull his leg free of the bike unaided (even though help would have been quickly forthcoming).

On the subject of bike choice, in 2009 the 800 was relatively new and was one of the few bikes not recommended for complete off-road newbies. I had initially put myself down for an 800, being a slightly lighter bike than my own 1200. It was only when we arrived for registration on the first morning that they suggested a switch. Although they would have been quite happy for me to use a 1200, I opted for an X-Country ... and had a ball!

 

[kenseaton]

When I did the Level 1 course I rode a bike from Birmingham Airport and then back again afterwards - had planned to head back to Scotland but time ran out. No problem (at all) going and returning on a bike... sheesh.

You could perhaps ask if the advice on using the clutch is still valid - my dealer in France is quoting nearly £900 for a clutch repair after Seven Sisters sanctioned abuse on the Mercantour roads and trails.

 

[Wapping]

My sister lives in Northend, not far from Gaydon. I am also in Banbury for a funeral on Friday. I will ask a local

 

[Andy B]

My sister lives in Northend, not far from Gaydon. I am also in Banbury for a funeral on Friday. I will ask a local

When I was a kid we used to sneak up onto the Burton Dassett hills behind your sisters on very crudely built scramblers. Nobody cared a hoot. Not a hope now unless it's under the cover of darkness!!

 

[Flipper_Man]

Update

So....glad I drove - pissed it down all the way there.

Probably been said a lot here but the 2 days were unbelievable. I'm pretty hard to please and rarely do things exceed my expectations - f*cking superb ! I never thought I'd be power-sliding a 1200 after 1.5days tuition.

Ok...so maybe its not a full on slide......put the picture taken after this one would have shown that......probably.....

Great, great fun - knackering but fun.

Oh - and Touratech were very helpful in selling me a jacket and I didnt feel ripped off. Checked on return and can't find it cheaper anywhere - great customer service.

 

[Nutty]

So....glad I drove - pissed it down all the way there.

Probably been said a lot here but the 2 days were unbelievable. I'm pretty hard to please and rarely do things exceed my expectations - f*cking superb ! I never thought I'd be power-sliding a 1200 after 1.5days tuition.

Ok...so maybe its not a full on slide......put the picture taken after this one would have shown that......probably.....

Great, great fun - knackering but fun.

Oh - and Touratech were very helpful in selling me a jacket and I didnt feel ripped off. Checked on return and can't find it cheaper anywhere - great customer service.

Fantastic Glad you had a good time, and didn't break anything

 

[Flipper_Man]

Helicopter

....there was a guy that had a low speed fall and had suspected broken shoulder....they called an ambulance and the helicopter came out and picked him up.

 

[Tim the trim]

Top bit of training, did my level 1 on a 1200 and found it superb, makes riding my GSA on the road feel even better and gives you so much more confidence (my instructor was Jenny, and if she can lift up a dropped GSA then i'm sure I could).
On the last day in the afternoon we were encouraged to swap bikes for 10 mins, thought I'd try a Sertao as a new model just out, it felt so small and dinky. Could not wait to get back on 1200.

 

[Deleted account 230818001]

I was in the group run by Kev, great bloke with loads of spot on advice. Good bunch of participants, all very like minded and keen to make the most of the opportunity to learn and experience as much as possible.

Really enjoyed the whole weekend, but ....... I rode the Sertao and what a pile of shite ! You can screw it in 1st gear or stall it in 2nd, that's it !

In the bikes defence, I was told it's an entry level bike, fair enough but if I'd bought this as an entry level BMW I'd never buy another BMW again !

I fell off loads, thankful I'd hired a jacket and especially the boots when the bike trapped my leg against a rock. Can't wait to do level 2 next year.

 

[Andy B]

Second time I did it one of the instructors was on an HP2. When it came to the (standard) swap bikes section on the last afternoon I hounded the instructor to let me try it. Eventually got my way and now I understand what all the fuss is about over these bikes. Don't for one moment think you're riding a stripped-down 1200! It's a completely different bike!

Make the most of the swapped bikes time. It's a really great chance to see what the other bikes can do. Some you'll love and some you'll hate but until you've tried it you won't know.