By Phil Sauter
Originally Published in the IAMC Newsletter, December 2010
I’ve been involved with off road riding now for only 4 seasons… first year or so on a Suzuki VStrom 650 and the last couple of years on a DRZ 400. During that skill building time, I’ve been very fortunate to ride with a partner who is much better than I will ever be. Why he wanted to train such a complete NooB as me, is the subject for another article. However, I was faced with the task of keeping up and building my skills without employing the most common advice I heard which was “Twist The Throttle you BABY!!” After a number of get offs including one high side, twisted saddle bags, two fires and a bike that looks like I should just throw it away, I have some hard earned advice that will transform your skills.
1) Relax!! Yes, you are slow. It’s O.K!!! I was so worried about slowing everybody down, I was riding beyond my capability. The combination of fear and worry zapped all the fun out of it. Hey, they all know you are not as experienced. They knew that when you signed up for the ride. So what if they are taking a break waiting and talking bikes. That’s half the fun of the ride. Enjoy your learning curve, and remember everybody was new at some point.
2) The comfort zone. If you ride ONLY on the terrain you are most comfortable, how will you improve? Then again jumping directly into a level 4 ride that feels like a “Trail of Death” is not the answer either. Believe me! I’ve found that riding just a tad past your comfort zone helps a lot. That way slowing down a bit, if things get a bit dicey, puts you back in your safety zone. Riding at speeds or conditions that are right at the top of your limits gives you the gain without a lot of pain. I once saw a YouTube interview with Indy car driver Danica Patrick where she described that same method when she first started to race. It works.
3) Relax your grip on the handlebars. Most of these bikes are much more steerable with a very light grip on the handlebars, and they steer best by shifting your weight… meaning steer with your butt. Weight shifts and very light steering inputs are much easier on you and your bike.
4) Look up ahead. No, further… a little more!! Most people starting out look at the trail about 10‐20 feet ahead of their bike. Got to look for those rocks, right?? Then everything that happens is a big surprise, and you feel out of control quickly. Look up!! Look all the way to the next curve. When you are looking 100 feet ahead, you have much more time to judge the line and obstacles. Your peripheral vision will take care of things closer. Besides that rock 100 feet ahead you see and steer around, while its way up there, is no longer an obstacle when you get 20 feet away from it. Those curves don’t jump out at you either. Suddenly, you will find those turns are not so tight because you picked the line and saw the end of the turn before you ever got there. This adds a ton of comfort, and you will notice your pace getting quicker. Which brings me to SPEED
5) As a fan of watching road racing on TV, there is a common phrase that applies to any type of riding. “More haste…Less Speed,” meaning the faster you TRY to go, the more tense you are, the harder the grip on the bike. You pay less attention to body position, your line and looking up ahead. As a result, you feel more out of control, and you go SLOWER, or you crash. Wow, not a lot of fun huh?? That’s when you have to forget the speed with trying to keep up with the group and concentrate on the skills, making sure you are doing all the right things with grip, body position and looking ahead. Then presto, in about 10 min you will look down and notice you are doing 10mph faster than normal with a ton more comfort.
6) Standing up!!! Yep, standing up lowers the bike’s center of gravity and gives you more balance and better traction. The problem is, when you suddenly need to stand, you realize you’ve never done it. A steep rocky climb with the bike sliding to and fro is not the time for training. Start by standing up and steering of level ground. Then increase the difficulty. In the mean time, if you need to weight the pegs in rough terrain, raise your butt an inch off the seat. This will weight the pegs and put your weight a bit forward, helping with control.
7) Pace yourself. Be Patient!! Building skills takes time. Enjoy the ride. If you are an avid day rider but have not done many overnighters, don’t sign up for that 8‐day 230 miles a day death march. Stamina needs to be built up over time. Start with a two‐nighter doing 100 miles each day. Then work up. Before you know it, you will have discovered a ton of new trails to ride and be ready for the ICT (Idaho Centennial Trail). Keep yourself hydrated and your energy level up. Every time you stop, you should be drinking water or Gatorade and eating something. If you wait till your energy is gone, you may find yourself 80 miles from nowhere and zapped. Keep your energy up, stay patient and take the ride as it comes.
8) Train!!! Learn and Train!! Every time I ride, I’m practicing skills. I always know what I need to work on, and I practice those skills. But even more important, I will plan a day ride to work on a specific skill. Two DVD’s that should be in everybody’s collection are “Dual Sport Riding Techniques” and “Advanced Dual Sport Riding Techniques.” Both explain how and why bikes handle in dirt the way they do, and they have drills you can use to build your skills. Learn from the experts, I say, and add in your own experiences. I have found it’s much better to spend some money on proper technique than new bike parts after the crash. See http://www.dualsportriding.com for more information on these videos.
9) Be prepared! Know how to change your tubes in a flat, and have the proper equipment. Have some tools and knowledge how to get your bike running again. Everybody will be glad to lend a hand as well.
10) Don’t compare yourself! Don’t worry about your skill level compared to other riders. Everybody’s physical condition, age and learning rates are different. If you are like me, and decided to START riding off‐road at age 51, when most people have given it up, give yourself a break. Don’t compare your riding level with that new 28 year‐old riding at light speed. Remember when YOU were 28?? Ride within your own level, and train to the level you at which you want to be. You may never ride as hard or as fast as that kid, but who cares. Build your skills, and you can share the ride with him with confidence. Let them have all that youthful exuberance and get their own battle scars.
Dual Sport riding is a lot of fun in Idaho. We are blessed with the best riding terrain around. But folks just are not comfortable posting a ride or signing up for one. Do a little practice and learning, and then jump on those rides. It’s a great sport that everybody loves to share.