New to DS // Practice areas?

[Kilo5]

Hi everyone!

I picked up a GSA at the end of last year in anticipation of moving to BC. In July, I finished a cross country trip (from Ottawa to Van) - all pavement riding. It was a great trip, but now I want to use the bike in the manner in which I intended when it was purchased - to explore BC backroads!!

My off road experience, however, is limited to a few short rides on a WR250R... with stock tires. So let say it's relatively zero. I want to learn how to ride the big pig off road to a degree where I can comfortably travel at more than a snail's pace. I'm signed up for a session with BMW Van to learn the basics.

Are there some loose-surface spots in the area which can be used for practice - slow speed control, turning, etc?
Also, are there any members here - with a very high degree of patience - who'd be willing to show me the ropes on how to manage the fattest DS-ish bike available for purchase?

Thanks in advance!
I look forward to meeting members of this board.

[Buddie]

Good to see your thinking about biking at 8:59 in the morning! I love this sport! Welcome to B.C.

[Kilo5]

Good to see your thinking about biking at 8:59 in the morning! I love this sport! Welcome to B.C.

Ya... I got up late.
Thanks for the welcome!

[Shuswap]

Welcome to BC! Unless you`re under 5 years old, you will not have enough time to explore even 1/4 of the off-road areas here.

I`m a 95% off-road guy, but do all my riding in the Shuswap Lake area.
You will find that there are people riding all over that use this site to improve their skills, connect the places and explore the outdoors.

I`m glad to see you`re getting some instruction in handling the bike off-road....this is a good start.
BUT, you made it all the way to BC, so you can`t be too much of a novice rider!!

Personally, I think that a few key points to off-road are:
The bike will need to move around a bit on looser surfaces as the tires seek grip, get accustomed to that happening. You will need to shift your weight also to keep the tires directed to where you want them to go.
Keep your feet on the pegs as much as possible, weighting them, rather than being bounced up and down on your butt.
Learn to stand comfortably while crossing bumpy areas, loading the pegs from side to side to assist in steering.

There is no substitute for actual saddle time, especially with other more-experienced riders. I have heard that there are very good videos out there that demo various techniques.

[MtB]

A really good place to practice especially if you are a bit short on time is Triangle beach in Richmond, just behind Silver city cinema. (google it for a more exact location). Though small, it is a fairly safe area, with lots of terrain variation to practice on.

[tinpusher]

Where in the Lower mainland are you?

[Kilo5]

Shuswap - Thanks for the tips! I have 8 yrs of street riding, but recognize that off-road riding is a different beast... hence the training.
I heard that BC has a lot to offer for adventure roads - now I need a few good ones that are newb friendly, but still fun.

MtB - Thanks for the head's up. As long as it doesn't draw too much unwanted attention... I don't want to get any grief just for cruising around an empty lot.

tinpusher - I'm in New West.

[xr8d]

Come out to the Gnarly Parts ride Aug. 25 and ride the C. I just traded my 450EXC for a 990 Adventure that will stay stock for the immediate future. I have plenty of off road experience, but nothing on a bike nearly this big. I would be happy to help you out. Just look for the very unscratched (so far!!) white 990.

Jon

[MtB]

K5: its much more than just an empty lot, perfectly legal to be there, and a lot of bikes use it (Mark (offworlder) practically lives there, and has the best knowledge of the area, I'm sure he'll chime in when he's back from Kamloops). Unless your bike is stupid loud, or you act totally obnoxious, there will be no problem.

[Kilo5]

Jon - thanks for the offer! It's a great idea, but I'm not sure if I can break away that weekend. If I'm able, I'll PM you.
Any thoughts about doing this ride on Anakee 2s?
BTW, white 990 is a gorgeous bike!

[Kilo5]

MtB - Good to know. I'll check it out sooner than later.

[SouthPoint]

I just traded my 450EXC for a 990 Adventure that will stay stock for the immediate future.
Jon

You did what?????

Congrats on the new bike, but that's a surprise!

[xr8d]

Hi Ted,

I went on a 600 km road ride with the 450 a few sundays ago and realized how much I missed it (and riding at night), and how unsuitable it was for that. Couldn't get a second bike past my significant other, and I am not big on single track anyway. Figured this is a good all round bike that can do a bit of everything. Haven't had it off road yet, but it's sure nice on tarmac.

[Farp]

Hi Ted,

I went on a 600 km road ride with the 450 a few sundays ago and realized how much I missed it (and riding at night), and how unsuitable it was for that. Couldn't get a second bike past my significant other, and I am not big on single track anyway. Figured this is a good all round bike that can do a bit of everything. Haven't had it off road yet, but it's sure nice on tarmac.

Hey, Jon, anytime ya wanna go for a road ride lemme know. Don't matter much to me when or where.

John

[Cord]

For local practice, like it was already mentioned, the Triangle in Richmond is the closest and for a small area, has a wide range of terrain to practice on.

Watch the DSBC site for the Noobie rides, usually spring and fall. Those are great events and there's always a ton of people there to give you a hand. You won't be the only noob getting his feet wet on a big bike.

Lastly, you may want to check out the thread on ADVrider for the BC Big Adventure Trail Ride in Sept. http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=747592

It's a 3 day tour which starts in Harrison and is designed for the bigger bikes. There's also talk of a one day offroad clinic the day before the event. For that you'll want to connect with Mike who is teamgrizzly on advrider. (He's also on this board but I'm not 100% sure if he has the same username....I believe it is though).

Welcome to BC.

C

[r1200gsa]

I'll probably be heading to Triangle beach this Sunday with a buddy to check it out if you're interested in meeting up with us. At least one of us will be on a GS or GSA, so you wouldn't be the only one falling down! We're both pretty easy going, so you wouldn't have to worry too much about looking "dumb" in front of people you don't really know. (We're also both terrible... terrible... offroad riders, so it could be a real confidence builder for you :P)

[offworlder]

Just a heads up, weekends @ T-beach tend to be semi-populated with hoons and goons; loud piped bikes, helmet-less fools, and dads riding quads with their kids in their lap (sound like Stave ?). While its still always worthwhile, ideally go after dinner, or during the week.

[r1200gsa]

Great info. Thanks a lot!

[Kilo5]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the good advice and the welcome reception on this board.
I'll keep an eye out for the Newb rides, though I'll probably skip the 3day ride for now since I don't have any camping gear (and I'm still kinda soft).

r1200gsa - I'm hoping to attend the BMW-Vancouver training day this Sat, so we'll see how pumped / busted up I get. If it's all good, I wouldn't mind checking out the beach with you and buddy on Sunday. It'd be nice to not be the only GS taking a dirt nap! Let me know when you're planning to head out.

[SouthPoint]

Hi Ted,

I went on a 600 km road ride with the 450 a few sundays ago and realized how much I missed it (and riding at night), and how unsuitable it was for that. Couldn't get a second bike past my significant other, and I am not big on single track anyway. Figured this is a good all round bike that can do a bit of everything. Haven't had it off road yet, but it's sure nice on tarmac.

The 450 would be downright painful on a ride like that! Can't wait to see the new ride and I can't wait to get some video of you doin' a wheelie with it on the FSRs.