It’s easy to buy an adventure motorcycle or ADV bike, but it's not easy to ride on it, especially off-terrain. The right response to the relatively harsh reality of a lumpy or dirt road is to find a reliable motorcycle training course, which will allow you to stay safe on your bike, both on pavement and off.

What Is an ADV Bike?

ADV bikes are specially meant for dirt roads and lumpy trails, featuring greater ground clearance and knobby tires. The seat is configured for a perfect upright riding position. Your legs and core stay engaged and your arms stay bent as you ride this motorcycle. Here are a few training course tips to rideing an ADV bike on a dirt trail.

Eyes Controlling the Body

In any adventure sport, the body always follows the eyes. First, start very slowly with riding a cone course, weaving in and out of them. Eventually, you'll get the cones moved closer together by your instructor, which becomes very challenging to crisscross on a heavier motorcycle like ADV. The crucial tip here is to see the cone first and then look up. Focusing on the cone only will make you squish it for sure. Instead, looking beyond the cone to the direction you want to ride to, will make you line up your bike correctly.

Steering With Toes and Squeezing With Knees

Riding a motorcycle off-road requires using your weight, which is likely less than your bike’s weight, to your advantage. To do this, keep your body in a more athletic position, with toes, knees, and nose in rough alignment. This is basically the ready position for almost every sport. In this case, bend your knees and squeeze inward against the gas tank. Keep your elbows up, forcing the wrists to roll forward, giving you more control over the handlebar. While turning your motorcycle, use your toes to press down on the foot peg to initiate the rotation on the inside arc.

Skidding to Corner

While riding on a motorcycle in the dirt, you need to zigzag to change direction, instead of a smooth curve. There's a chance to meet an obstacle like a boulder, more often than a high road. To circle around the obstacle, you need to skid your bike to the corner. To do so, counter lean a little with your body and then counter steer using your hands. You can easily pop the back end of your motorcycle free, which will pitch it in an obstacle-free new direction.