Learning to ride on gravel/dirt

[awa355]

I'm going to be covering a few k's on gravel today (sat 28th) in the Rotorua area. On the little 250 cruiser, that should prove interesting. I know it is not meant for gravel, but fuck it!, if gravel is between me and where I want to go, then the bloody bike (and me) will just have to live with it.

What gravel I have ridden on my previous cruiser (xvs650), I found very little feedback from the front end. My 100cc scooter which was all I had to ride for two years loved the gravel, apart from corrugations.

[MarkH]

OK, I have always been interested in trying this.

For me, I am playing with dual sport riding for many reasons:
- For the fun of it!
- For the challenge of something new
- For the ability of seeing more of our fantastic country by not being limited to just the sealed roads

I don't have off-road riding experience so I'm a total newby with this stuff, but I'm keen to learn and having been shown a bit of basic theory I'm racking up a bit of practise kms.
Heaps of gravel riding around the Colville peninsular (up passed Coromandel) has helped a heap for my confidence riding on gravel.
Last weekends 42nd traverse ride added a lot of useful experience riding demanding tracks (42nd traverse, Fisher's track, Old Whangamomona road).

I want to travel all over NZ over the next bunch of years and I want the ability to ride damn near anywhere that is rideable.
I don't want to be avoiding gravel because it is painfully slow to ride on with my ST1300, if my exploring will include a bunch of gravel then the DR should be fine with that.
For trips with just sealed roads and for riding to work and back the ST1300 is fine, fantastic even.
But why should I only be limited to that type of trip?

Get yourself a good dual sport bike, capable tyres, some knowledge - then go out and get some experience and enjoy the fuck out of the riding while you are at it!

[eldog]

For me, I am playing with dual sport riding for many reasons:
- For the fun of it!
- For the challenge of something new
- For the ability of seeing more of our fantastic country by not being limited to just the sealed roads

I don't have off-road riding experience so I'm a total newby with this stuff, but I'm keen to learn and having been shown a bit of basic theory I'm racking up a bit of practise kms.
Heaps of gravel riding around the Colville peninsular (up passed Coromandel) has helped a heap for my confidence riding on gravel.
Last weekends 42nd traverse ride added a lot of useful experience riding demanding tracks (42nd traverse, Fisher's track, Old Whangamomona road).

I want to travel all over NZ over the next bunch of years and I want the ability to ride damn near anywhere that is rideable.
I don't want to be avoiding gravel because it is painfully slow to ride on with my ST1300, if my exploring will include a bunch of gravel then the DR should be fine with that.
For trips with just sealed roads and for riding to work and back the ST1300 is fine, fantastic even.
But why should I only be limited to that type of trip?

Get yourself a good dual sport bike, capable tyres, some knowledge - then go out and get some experience and enjoy the fuck out of the riding while you are at it!

Sounds like the plan, I am just a bit slow and careful but will get there eventually.
if it's going to go wrong then it will happen to me.
no worries learning, it is what it's about. Got to sort out a few outstanding things I have promised to others. Then it will be thunderbirds are GO
in the meantime it's the trusty Scorpio......

[Big Dog]

Scorpio would be a fine steed for gravel. The gnarlier stuff not so much but the style of bike lends itself well to rutted gravel roads and track. Just getting a taste would be plenty of bike.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[george formby]

Sounds like the plan, I am just a bit slow and careful but will get there eventually.
if it's going to go wrong then it will happen to me.
no worries learning, it is what it's about. Got to sort out a few outstanding things I have promised to others. Then it will be thunderbirds are GO
in the meantime it's the trusty Scorpio......

Slow and careful. Good. Don't look at the scenery until you can move your hips without thinking about it.

Bikes like your Scorpio are thrashed in their thousands across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Places where our gravel roads would be considered a luxury.
If Osama Tenzing Mugabe can carry his whole family and all they possess over goat tracks on one I'm sure you will have a ball.
Adventure riding is relative.

[eldog]

Slow and careful. Good. Don't look at the scenery until you can move your hips without thinking about it.

Bikes like your Scorpio are thrashed in their thousands across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Places where our gravel roads would be considered a luxury.
If Osama Tenzing Mugabe can carry his whole family and all they possess over goat tracks on one I'm sure you will have a ball.
Adventure riding is relative.

Moving my hips is the one thing I like doing when riding the Scorpio, when I am in the mood I like to move all over the bike, feels so natural. Even though I ant the most flexible person, I find it very normal. I keep the bike upright while I move about. The bike is so light makes it easy to control. Yet to do any countersteering or leaning of the bike. It's what saved me on a bigger bike.

I don't thrash my gear unless necessity requires it. I keep it serviced and generally clean.
done a few ks outpassed Big Dogs playground on my own and loved it. Not fast but learnt a lot. The skinny tyres make for interesting sensations as it sinks and slides into unseen ruts below the gravel. Generally keep head up and move weight around to suit. Mate of mine reckons I move like an offroad rider should.

i leave the tyre pressure as is, they are road tyres with tubes in cast rims

[nzspokes]

I air the front down from 30 something odd to mid 20's or lower on my little DR to make it less skittery and enjoy/usemuchlesseffort easy gravel riding way more since I started doing it.
For just gravel on a heavier bike I can see how it might be seen as a waste of time but on a wee one it's great.

Not quite as nerdy as you'd probably hope

Meh, 12psi and keep it on the pipe.