What is adventure riding

[Jantar]

There have aften been questions asked about Adventure rides, what clothing is best, what tyres etc. Yets when the details are revealed, it appears that what is really meant is Trail rides with road sections to get there. So lets hear what your thoughts are on what adventure riding really is.

Personally, I see adventure riding as travelling to places you haven't been to before. Particularly going to out of the way places, taking scenic routes, and irrespective of the type of road to get there. It is long distance, semi-self contained riding.

Some discussion did start in http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=34702 , but please dont reply to such an old thread.

[Motu]

Well,organised Adventure Rides are generally as many gravel transport sections with the odd bit of seal to link up paper roads and farm tracks.Some are practically trail rides,some are mostly gravel....some have a sealed road only option.

My experiance started in the early '70's when we just rode our trail bikes to somewhere we could ride them.After many a ride home soaking wet and muddy on a damaged bike,we stripped our bikes down and bought an old International pick up truck to transport them....so we were out of adventure riding then I reckon.Still later I was riding mainly British bikes - and we rode them everywhere.We would ride gravel roads,we rode them up walking tracks,into forests,onto beaches and across farms.Big bikes on road tyres...I wouldn't take a dirt bike there these days.

These days I just just ride back roads to get to gravel,and try to get in as much gravel road riding until they take it away from me.There will always be off road riding,but our gravel roads are getting less and less....I aim to maximise my experience in my favorite medium.

My option which you have not listed is - Gravel,plus seal.

[young1]

For me it is;
Avoiding the State Highways
Taking the back roads
Going to remote settlements and historic places
Enjoyable roads and tracks to ride on
Going places that the majority of New Zealanders have never been (and most may not have heard of)
Meeting, riding and being led by fellow adv riders in their part of New Zealand (eg the various rides that were and are being organised through this forum)
Basically having a great time, with similar minded people where it is not all about speed from A to B.

[XF650]

Good discussion topic & helps justify why I have two adventure bikes -
The Freewind for long distance on all roads (in comfort) with the ability to do a little off road. The DT230 for all roads & a lot off road, but it's no tourer.
But I would prefer one bike, tyres, riding gear etc to do it all......

[NighthawkNZ]

Well not being a gravel rat, but if you get a sense of adventure from it then... maybe...

[tri boy]

Where's the option of:
Reaching far away country pubs to drink booze in?
NZ needs more pubs at the end of gravel roads, and farm tracks. (keeps those ponsey sprotbike riders away).:girlfight:

[marks]

I think that the adventure starts when the tar seal stops. If its tar seal its the "getting to/from the adventure ride" bit

[Howie]

To Me Adventure riding is traveling by the back roads, be they sealed or gravel, or a 4WD track, and even a little bit of single track stuff, it is as others have mentioned going to the out of the way places, and having fun getting to them. they can be long distance trips, or shorter close to home trips. it doesn't really matter which, The fun and enjoyment is in the ride to where your going, not just getting somewhere.

[Jantar]

I think that the adventure starts when the tar seal stops. If its tar seal its the "getting to/from the adventure ride" bit

Whereas I'd call that dual purpose rather than adventure. But that's why I started this thread, to canvas all thoughts on the subject.

[young1]

Whereas I'd call that dual purpose rather than adventure. But that's why I started this thread, to canvas all thoughts on the subject.

I agree Adv riding is different to trail riding. To me trail riding is far more extreme, mud holes, maybe having to walk your bike down a steep hill, more obstacles etc, (yes I know some adv rides may be like that!) that is why I have a DR400.

However a "dual purpose" bike can still be an adv bike!

[merv]

Adventure rides to me are the ones that cover quite a long distance with seal, gravel and dirt tracks used to allow us to enjoy the ride and soak up the scenery and because they are on much public territory require a road legal bike and some are the organised events pioneered by the Kiwi Rider 500.

Adventure ride to me by definition stops when the ride is a trail ride and those are generally gravel and dirt only, typically held on someone's farm or in a forest. I did a lot of trail rides up until a few years ago and they usually had me stripping all the vulnerable road gear off the bike when I had my Suzuki because it was equipped more road oriented and it was no point busting that stuff. On a trail ride thick mud, greasy slopes etc are the norm and so was arsing off the bike. That's where my old XR Honda was fanastic with its rugged but practical construction I never needed to strip it for trail riding and I never broke anything on it doing trail rides. Most people turn up at a trail ride without a road legal bike so you get a lot of MX bikes and quads at those.

On an adventure ride I try to stay on the bike and the route usually isn't that rugged anyway so I keep most bits intact. The other thing about the organised adventure rides is the route sheets you have to follow making it bit like a two wheeled version of a car trial. A trail ride is usually just follwo the leader.

Here's a couple of pics back when I had my Suzuki - firstly one is on Capital Coast 2003 fully kitted with mirrors, route sheet holder etc for adventuring http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23897&d=1137103420 and then the pic below is when I was at Tikokino on a trail ride bike fully stripped of mirrors winkers, taillight, number plate etc.

[oldrider]

Riding exclusively on sealed roads is "motorcycling".

Riding on seal, gravel and dirt, "formed or semi-formed roads" is "venture riding", irrespective of the bike you use.

Time and distance are irrelevent, just more or less of the same thing!

You can have a short venture or a long distance one, it's still a venture ride.

Very long distances could be better described as "venture touring"

Beyond semi-formed roads is "trail or off road riding".

Thankfully, manufacturers now make models specificaly more suitable for these individual choices. :ride: Cheers John.

[TgaAdv]

For me its more about off road riding and getting to remote locations without being too extreme.

My bike is not too comfortable to ride long distances on the road anyway. Im usually pretty muddy and dusty when i get home and the bike needs a good wash to get all the dirt and mud off.

[jafar]

Anywhere there is some kind of road will do. The more I ride the roads the more I dislike cars,so anywhere away from civilization even for a short period is Adventure riding.

[cooneyr]

This thread is very relevant to me given my web site. To me it is seal, gravel, and dirt that can be ridden without being so technical that the likes of a transalp, R80 GS or similar can be ridden without too much trouble. Anything where you are bashing through big mudholes, need full on knobblies, so steep you have to walk the bike etc but with sections of seal is dual sporting. We do some reasonably challenging stuff if you don't have the right skills but pretty much anybody should be able to ride an adventure ride on a big adventure bike without having to be an enduro ace.

Cheers R

[Ixion]

To me , it comes down to tyres.

I consider than Adventure riding implies at least a significant sealed road component (otherwise it's trail riding). That means tyres (and and engine size) that are practical for several hundred kilometre of seal at a stretch.

That in turn places an upper limit on the off roadedness that is practical.

But, if there is no offroadedness, I don't think that can classify as Adventure riding.

Seal and gravel (or seal only) isn't adventure, that's simply touring. If seal with maybe gravel is adventure riding then just about every ride I go on would be adventure riding.

I have actually found that the opportunities for adventure type riding in the North Island are in fact so restricted that I am thinking of getting rid of the Yamaha. Almost all the organised events seem to demand full blown moto-x knobblies, and are really more akin to moto-x in my opinion.

[merv]

Ixion you coming down to the CCA - it certainly won't be a Moto-X ride?

[bart]

Adventure riding to me is getting from A to B, no matter what the road, track, or conditions. It's the ability to travel over the most varied terrain.

[merv]

Adventure riding to me is getting from A to B, no matter what the road, track, or conditions. It's the ability to travel over the most varied terrain.

I would call what we did with Zukin on Waitangi Day an adventure ride, slightly biased with the amount of tarseal we covered.

[JATZ]

To me ADV riding is going for a ride, seeing a side road or track(gravel,dirt,whatever) and having a look up it to see whats there and where it goes, or just going somewhere by the most scenic route possible.

my 2c

[Crisis management]

At my age, getting on the bike is an adventure (it's been a hard weekend, ok?)

Seriously folks (with my best Spike Milligan accent), adventure riding is going places you don't usually go, for me, that is tracks, gravel and out of the way sealed roads and usually seems to involve bushes at some part of the ride.

Pubs sound good too. Purely for research reasons of course.

[marks]

Whereas I'd call that dual purpose rather than adventure. But that's why I started this thread, to canvas all thoughts on the subject.

Hi Jantar

looking at it the other way ... surely any ride that is all on tar seal cannot be classified as an adventure ride? therefore it is the gravel/dirt component that makes an ordinary ride an adventure ride??

cheers


Mark

[Ixion]

I agree , but go one step further. I think it is necessary to distinguish adventure riding from ordinary touring. And since the latter will usually involve seal and gravel, if a distinction is to be made, then some non-formed-road riding is required

(Of course, adventure bikes also make excellent tourers)

[tri boy]

+1 with Jatz.

[Jantar]

.... surely any ride that is all on tar seal cannot be classified as an adventure ride? therefore it is the gravel/dirt component that makes an ordinary ride an adventure ride??...

I would tend to agree with you, with the exception that I believe the adventure is going somewhere you haven't been before, and not knowing what road or track surface you may be facing. At the end of the ride you may well find that the whole trip was on seal, but because you didn't know that it could still be an adventure.

I see that someone has voted that an adventure ride is sealed roads only. I wouldn't agree, but for that person, they may be able to get a feeling of adventure without leaving the seal. I know of many in USA who will never leave sealed roads, yet still consider the ride to be an adventure. So maybe its all in the mind of the rider.

I voted for the middle option (suprise, suprise), but already we are starting to see a definite two way split rather than a range of views.

[deanohit]

I consider any combo of seal, gravel or dirt an adventure ride, part of the adventure is adapting to the different surfaces and enjoying each different style for me.

[twotyred]

Hi Jantar

looking at it the other way ... surely any ride that is all on tar seal cannot be classified as an adventure ride? therefore it is the gravel/dirt component that makes an ordinary ride an adventure ride??

cheers


Mark

agreed, unless a ride goes "off road"(not just gravel) it is just "motorcycling"... many people seek out gravel roads on their road bikes and enjoy them .... gravel roads are still roads.
"adventure riding" requires going where the Volvos can't/won't go IMHO

[kevfromcoro]

just read a post in a forum.adventure riding in Laos..
these guys are doing it...hardly any tarseal.carring there bikes across rivers on bamboo rafts.were riding xr 250s....sleeping out in villages..with no power...coming across mine feilds and bomb shells left over from the war.
sounds like a bit of an adventure to me..
not the sort of thing one would do on a sportbike or cruiser

[Ruralman]

Riding exclusively on sealed roads is "motorcycling".

Riding on seal, gravel and dirt, "formed or semi-formed roads" is "venture riding", irrespective of the bike you use.

Time and distance are irrelevent, just more or less of the same thing!

You can have a short venture or a long distance one, it's still a venture ride.

Very long distances could be better described as "venture touring"

Beyond semi-formed roads is "trail or off road riding".

Thankfully, manufacturers now make models specificaly more suitable for these individual choices. :ride: Cheers John.

Well summed up there John - unfortunately with the softening of the new Transalp and Tiger the choice of manufacturers making the best true adventure bikes seems to be between 2 European marques

[Quasievil]

Each time I get on my bike I tend not to label it as a road ride or a adventure ride or a anything ride, I do like to have a bike that will carry me anywhere I want to go without any particular thought or pre preperation for what lies ahead, so when I jump on the KLR I end up where I end up, some would call that an adventure, I think its a ride.

However if I was to define an adventure ride I think a daily toddle wouldnt classify as particulary adventurous, knowing you will be tucked up in your warm bed that night, for me an adventure would be about a week plus long trip into areas where I had not been before, with lots of unexpected challenges on the way, sleeping in a tent and eating out of a billy somewhere in Mongolia for example, which is where I will be in a couple of years!

[kevfromcoro]

sleeping in a tent and eating out of a billy somewhere in Mongolia for example, which is where I will be in a couple of years![/QUOTE]
Shit that would be fun...i hope to be a few thousand ks south of u.

Burma.Laos. Cambodia..Thailand.Viet-nam,,
down into Malasia.and indonesia.
think i can get a 3 month visa for every country...just keep going around in circles till i get sick of it....soon as i can get out of here.

[Gizzit]

Well for me adventure riding is about getting on a suitable bike, and exploring any roads or easily rideable tracks available to the public, to see our amazing country.

I think adventure ... is what you make it. My 'adventure' is exploring places I haven't been before .... and revisiting those places again, that I really enjoy.

The good thing about riding bikes, is that it is such a personal thing to enjoy, and to share .... but you don't have to go by anyone's rules about what you call fun.

In spite of differences of opinion on particular aspects of riding, and preferences in bikes and equipment ... what we do all have in common .... is the shared enjoyment of riding and owning bikes. :wari:

[marks]

perhaps its all about rider attitude rather than where you ride. I ride mainly off road (which I don't class as adventure riding) but I have more in common with the people who post here than I do with most off road riders I meet.

Something to do with appreciating out of the way places etc regardless of how we get there?

[kevfromcoro]

Just trying to stick a few pics in here....not to good at this ...but this is adventure riding in Laos.
dont know how to put a caption to the pics....have a look anyway

[far queue]

Riding exclusively on sealed roads is "motorcycling".

Riding on seal, gravel and dirt, "formed or semi-formed roads" is "venture riding", irrespective of the bike you use.

Time and distance are irrelevent, just more or less of the same thing!

You can have a short venture or a long distance one, it's still a venture ride.

Very long distances could be better described as "venture touring"
Very well put, I agree with this.


Beyond semi-formed roads is "trail or off road riding".I would also include “trail and off road riding” as a part of the adventure ride IF seal, gravel etc were a part of that same ride.


I would tend to agree with you, with the exception that I believe the adventure is going somewhere you haven't been before, and not knowing what road or track surface you may be facing. At the end of the ride you may well find that the whole trip was on seal, but because you didn't know that it could still be an adventure… I feel the type of surface actually encountered dictates whether you did an adventure ride or not. If you have left home not knowing where you are going to go or what type of surface you are going to encounter along the way, then yes, you are setting out on a ride which undoubtedly has an air of adventure about it BUT at the end of the day if you have ended up staying on the seal all day you have not been on AN adventure ride. You may feel you have had an adventurous time but that’s not the same thing.


…not the sort of thing one would do on a sportbike or cruiserI believe the type of bike is irrelevant, it all about where you take the bike.


… I think adventure ... is what you make it. My 'adventure' is exploring places I haven't been before .... and revisiting those places again, that I really enjoy. I agree, and this type of ride is no doubt adventurous for you regardless of the type of terrain covered.


The good thing about riding bikes, is that it is such a personal thing to enjoy, and to share .... but you don't have to go by anyone's rules about what you call fun. Here here, get out there and have fun, do what you want, the way you want, on what you want, and who really cares what it’s called.

I have a road bike and a “dual purpose” bike (the manufacturer’s description, not necessarily mine) and I’ve had many adventures on both of them. But I only go adventure riding on my “dual purpose” bike.

[JATZ]

How about classifying an adventure ride, as a ride on a claped out old shit kicker, where just getting to the shop is an adventure,

[Ixion]

How about classifying an adventure ride, as a ride on a claped out old shit kicker, where just getting to the shop is an adventure,

And getting back home again a marvel!

[twotyred]

THIS is "adventure" riding... a Jedi knight on a ratty old KLR,smoking a cigar,listening to sounds,no lid and a Macaw on ya shoulder! :clap:

and no, it's not a posed shot...

[oldrider]

Just trying to stick a few pics in here....not to good at this ...but this is adventure riding in Laos.
dont know how to put a caption to the pics....have a look anyway

Formed roads turned into semi-formed by nature, yep, that's venture riding/touring in my book. :yes:

The choice of bike is optional, it all adds to the mix of "venture" that one gets their jollies from!

I have just discovered (painfully) that I don't do off road very well any more! :lol:

Actually, I only tried off road because I wasn't doing gravel very well at the time either! :o

You know how it goes sometimes, you gambles and you lose it! :rolleyes: Cheers John.

[pete376403]

one definition...

[OV Lander]

For me Adventure riding is loading the camp/survival gear on the bike and heading off on a multi-week/month trip to a country such as China. Using the bike for transport no matter what condition the roads.

The stuff we do here in NZ, be it seal metal or dirt, is just training for the real trip.

[Quasievil]

The stuff we do here in NZ, be it seal metal or dirt, is just training for the real trip.


YES TO THAT !!

[marks]

The stuff we do here in NZ, be it seal metal or dirt, is just training for the real trip.

if you treat NZ as a training exersize then you will miss out on much.

EVERY adventure ride is the "real trip"

[clint640]

if you treat NZ as a training exersize then you will miss out on much.

EVERY adventure ride is the "real trip"

Amen brother!

It's worth remembering that many people travel 1/2 way round the world to spend weeks or months riding in NZ. I can just imagine Hans in Munich saying "Ahh sheiss, I haf to go riding in ze Bavarian Alps again, iz such a chore, but I need ze practice for my trip to Neuseeland..." :D

In the words of the great Taihape philosopher; We don't know how lucky we are.

I reckon an adventure ride is a ride that involves some proper roads, as well as some dirt &/or gravel. It's what I do on my motorcycle. YMMV.

Clint

[oldrider]

I have just discovered (painfully) that I don't do off road very well any more! :lol:

Thanks for all the kind thoughts, I didn't realise just how many friends I have made on KB!

Just a simple little off, only broke the left hand front indicator on the bike but managed to break my own left shoulder-blade and spring a couple of ribs etc!

Rode the Tiger home OK but slowly continued to get sore so went to the local Quack to register with ACC, consequent X-rays showed the breaks.

Still hard to believe I fell off where it was and so slow too but, hey!!!! :calm:

Can't wait to get back on it, so many miles, so little time! :ride: Just love riding that Tiger! :niceone: Cheers John.

[warewolf]

Adventure is where you find it.

Any discussion about which adventure is the only true form is just pointless redneck drivel.

[bart]

[QUOTE=warewolf;1494623]Adventure is where you find it.
QUOTE]

I agree.

Last weekend I rode through town, did the legal speed limit (and some) down the main road (SH2), then continued down a gravel road to my olds farm. Once off road, I ripped around the hills doing a very bad impression of Ricky Carmichael.

Now this was hardly an adventure, but it pretty much sums up what I want out of motorcycling..................everything.:niceone:

My 1.33c (bloody tax)

[NordieBoy]

An adventure ride to me is a ride that I have to stand up on at least once.
Either because it's too bumpy or slippery or just too long to stay sitting.

[Gizzit]

if you treat NZ as a training exersize then you will miss out on much.

EVERY adventure ride is the "real trip"

I totally agree. This is regarded by many people around the world as a top adventure playground. I think we have heaps to offer, and adventure is what you make it !! :shit: :gob:

[buggsubique]

Hearing of some place or looking on a map or satellite photo to find some road / track that looks like it goes somewhere,

Riding there,

Finding some other access along the way & having a look at that,

Seeing some country that bugger all other people see,

Wondering "what if..." and feeling isolated at some point,

Coming back in a better frame of mind than when you left,

Looking forward to the next ride at the end of it.

[Bonez]

Hmmm, never been on that road before wonder where it goes...................

Get home many hours/days later.

[pete376403]

wondering about those six fingered banjo players sitting on the front steps of the derelict looking house the track goes past.....

[merv]

You boys put your Capital Coast entries in yet? Dropped mine in the mail box yesterday :done:.

[tri boy]

Whats adv riding?
Ask Xer (he of the CB250RS fame).

[xwhatsit]

Whats adv riding?
Ask Xer (he of the CB250RS fame).

Bahahaha. That was too fun to be an adventure! I thought they were nasty dangerous things?