LiquidLAN
Registered user
Not long got back from Kent and boy what a great day I've had!!
I'm not a great rider report writer (I'm not a great report writer full stop
) but I can totally recommend Patsy's Adventure Academy! I've got to be honest I was getting a little nervous about the whole thing when I'd not received any payment confirmation by Saturday evening, but when the confirmation came through direct from the lady herself, Patsy was able to supply a whole wealth of info, including good recommendations for a local B&B.
I arrived on site just before 9 to be met by a beaming Patsy and Clive, the bikes where all lined up and waiting for us, they'd thankfully lowered one of the 690's for me as I think I might have struggled with it other wise. I've got to be honest I'm hugely impressed with the 690 Enduro - I was half expecting it to be a big of a monster and a lot of a handful, but it was neither. The days riding started with a 15-20 minute road section to allow us to get a feel for the bikes and see what they could do with the engine mapping turned up and they proved to be very capable road bikes, we didn’t get a chance to really hoon on them (that wasn’t what the day was about) but from what I could tell they should be an excellent fun on-road bike and I know the TKC gave my BM all the grip it ever wanted and got the same positive feel from the 690.
After the road section we turned into a forested area that they have managed to gain exclusive access to for the purposes of their academy - it's excellent, peaceful, quiet, no-one else around and only dear to cross your path. The area itself was really good a good wide variety of terrain and challenges and the 690??? unbelievable off-road! I was pretty uncomfortable when we first turned in as the whole thing felt really hard and lumpy off-road and I just couldn’t seem to get to handle it smoothly, but we stopped after a few minutes and remapped the engines (seat off, turn the dial - how simple's that?), jumped back on to find it was a totally different bike! It was just so easy to ride (yeah ok I did drop it a fair few times and yes I did break a clutch lever, but still...) Knowing what my BM's been like off-road in the past, I was kind of expecting the 690 to be leaning in that direction - none of it. To ride it didn’t feel all that much heavier than my WR450, certainly it was easy enough to pick up time and time again through-out the day (no I didn’t drop it that much, but it all adds up) but when it came to getting it up slippy stuff it was superb! Slopes I'd have had trouble persuading the 450 up the 690 just plodded on up, I really am so impressed the bike really complements my riding – I know that they say about a bad workman and tools, but credit where its due, this tool really did make life so much easier!
All credit to Clive, he really is a very good and patient instructor and I found his style of instruction very helpful. I’ve learnt a lot from Geraint Jones and the REME school in the past, but in many ways Clive’s approach is a better as he explains stuff before you have a shot at it, finds good examples of things you’ll have trouble with in the real world and gives you the skills and understanding to get past them. That’s not to knock the REME school, just that I appreciated Clive’s approach to teaching.
Anyway, as I said I’m not a great one for writing reports and I don’t want this one to start rambling on, so the long and short of it is that I’ve had an excellent day and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Patsy Quick’s Adventure Academy to anyone. I think its fair to say that it’s a small outfit, but really very personally run and I’ve come away with a feeling of being included into something rather than being just another punter. It was a real pleasure getting the chance to meet both Patsy and Clive today.
edit : I know its lacking a little in pictures, but I was a bit too busy to take any
, but this is what we're been riding and there are some shots here of the location
I'm not a great rider report writer (I'm not a great report writer full stop
) but I can totally recommend Patsy's Adventure Academy! I've got to be honest I was getting a little nervous about the whole thing when I'd not received any payment confirmation by Saturday evening, but when the confirmation came through direct from the lady herself, Patsy was able to supply a whole wealth of info, including good recommendations for a local B&B.I arrived on site just before 9 to be met by a beaming Patsy and Clive, the bikes where all lined up and waiting for us, they'd thankfully lowered one of the 690's for me as I think I might have struggled with it other wise. I've got to be honest I'm hugely impressed with the 690 Enduro - I was half expecting it to be a big of a monster and a lot of a handful, but it was neither. The days riding started with a 15-20 minute road section to allow us to get a feel for the bikes and see what they could do with the engine mapping turned up and they proved to be very capable road bikes, we didn’t get a chance to really hoon on them (that wasn’t what the day was about) but from what I could tell they should be an excellent fun on-road bike and I know the TKC gave my BM all the grip it ever wanted and got the same positive feel from the 690.
After the road section we turned into a forested area that they have managed to gain exclusive access to for the purposes of their academy - it's excellent, peaceful, quiet, no-one else around and only dear to cross your path. The area itself was really good a good wide variety of terrain and challenges and the 690??? unbelievable off-road! I was pretty uncomfortable when we first turned in as the whole thing felt really hard and lumpy off-road and I just couldn’t seem to get to handle it smoothly, but we stopped after a few minutes and remapped the engines (seat off, turn the dial - how simple's that?), jumped back on to find it was a totally different bike! It was just so easy to ride (yeah ok I did drop it a fair few times and yes I did break a clutch lever, but still...) Knowing what my BM's been like off-road in the past, I was kind of expecting the 690 to be leaning in that direction - none of it. To ride it didn’t feel all that much heavier than my WR450, certainly it was easy enough to pick up time and time again through-out the day (no I didn’t drop it that much, but it all adds up) but when it came to getting it up slippy stuff it was superb! Slopes I'd have had trouble persuading the 450 up the 690 just plodded on up, I really am so impressed the bike really complements my riding – I know that they say about a bad workman and tools, but credit where its due, this tool really did make life so much easier!
All credit to Clive, he really is a very good and patient instructor and I found his style of instruction very helpful. I’ve learnt a lot from Geraint Jones and the REME school in the past, but in many ways Clive’s approach is a better as he explains stuff before you have a shot at it, finds good examples of things you’ll have trouble with in the real world and gives you the skills and understanding to get past them. That’s not to knock the REME school, just that I appreciated Clive’s approach to teaching.
Anyway, as I said I’m not a great one for writing reports and I don’t want this one to start rambling on, so the long and short of it is that I’ve had an excellent day and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Patsy Quick’s Adventure Academy to anyone. I think its fair to say that it’s a small outfit, but really very personally run and I’ve come away with a feeling of being included into something rather than being just another punter. It was a real pleasure getting the chance to meet both Patsy and Clive today.
edit : I know its lacking a little in pictures, but I was a bit too busy to take any
, but this is what we're been riding and there are some shots here of the location
) but everything was done at a steady pace allowing us to build confidence and grow - presenting new challengues when we were ready.
