If paved roads are beginning to look a little dull to you, then maybe it’s time to up the ante and give off-road riding a spin, literally. There are some awesome areas in Australia to go off-road biking. It’s gives a whole other level of thrills but if you think it’s easy, think again. The road is tougher and requires a new set of challenging skills. However, like any skill, it can be learned. Here are some off-road riding tips to brush up on before your first adventure.
Set up the controls
The first thing you need to do is to get comfortable with your bike. Think of it as an extension of yourself with full control over it. Modify the set-up of the controls according to your preference. Adjust the handlebar by loosening the bolts, then rotating the bar forward or backward. Then adjust the clutch and brake levers. Move them up or down, depending on the length of your fingers. You know you’ve found the best position when the pressure is on your elbows and not your wrist.
Lastly, adjust the shift lever and foot brake lever. Their positions should sit well with your feet size so you can easily reach them. Never fix them too high or too low. Adjust all controls to whichever positions that feel right for you.
Move your body around
When riding off-road, you can’t just stay in the one sitting position. You need to move your body around to balance when accelerating, braking and turning. If needed, you have to move back, put your weight on the front, or tilt on either side so you can maintain traction on the road for whichever road condition you are on.
Rev up on sandy, muddy or rough roads
When motorbiking on a conventional road, you are taught that slowing down keeps you safe. This doesn’t apply when you’re on a dirt road. To keep your motorcycle stable, you actually have to speed up. It will help you go through sand, silt, or rocks and keep you moving forward. To help make this technique even more effective, you can move back on your seat to put more traction on the rear wheel. This will make the front end considerably lighter so it can ride over any road types easily.
Lean on the bike when cornering
Steering doesn’t work the same when you’re cornering on a dirt road. To keep your balance, tip or lean the motorbike inward instead. Push it down while staying upright so you can easily control the bike and prevent it from sliding. Move closer to the front to give more traction when turning. Don’t even try trail braking, because that just doesn’t work off-road.
Brake hard when needed
Learning how to brake hard is a key skill in off-road riding. It’s especially useful when encountering unexpected obstacles. Braking hard while maintaining control of your dirt bike will also help you move faster compared to braking early when approaching an object.
Jump and wheelie
Speaking of obstacles, there’s many of them on a dirt road. You’ll only waste time if you try to get around all of them. When you do come across an obstacle, you’ll need to jump or do a wheelie to easily go over the obstacles. These skills take time to master but will help you gain better control of the dirt bike.
Don’t look down
The one thing that street riding and off-road riding have in common is looking ahead when driving. Keep your head up and don’t look down. Focus your attention on your destination and not on the obstacles that you’re trying to avoid. Doing so will point your body and the dirt bike towards the right direction. Keep in mind that the more you focus on the obstacles, the more you are likely to hit them.
Spend more time on the dirt
Not even the best riders mastered dirt roads overnight. Everyone has to start with the basic techniques and work their way up to the advanced skills with constant practice. There’s no going around this, even for you. So get your dirt bike on the (dirt) road and practice whenever you can. Soon, off-road motorbiking will be as easy as riding on paved roads.
Invest in the best gear
As with any type of outdoor adventure, riding off-road entails some risks of injury. In this case, you may fall off your motorcycle and land on your head, back, elbows, and knees. Basically, you may get hurt. That’s why protection is very important. So, if you want to take off-road riding seriously, you should invest in the best biking gear that you can afford.
Find the right bike
Last, and probably one of the most important tips for off-road riding is getting the right bike. Get the correct dirt bike according to the type of off-road riding that you’re aiming for. Do you plan to ride on trails only? Do want to conquer all off-road conditions? Is motocross something that you want to try?
Don’t make the mistake that most beginners do, which is purchasing a very basic dirt bike that they will eventually outgrow in performance. Invest in a good off-road motorbike because it will give you more benefits in the long run. You can do so by getting motorbike finance at Aussie Bike Loans.
We offer different loan solutions that will suit all types of financial profiles. Call us or apply online, and hit the off-road trails sooner rather than later.
