Off Road Riding - Modifications and Basic Tecniques
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
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Motorcycle Adjustments and Techniques for Off Road Riding.
In this video I am going to talk about the basic modification we need to make if we want to ride our bikes off road. I will show you some very practical tips and hacks how to ride off road. The most important is that I will tell you how to do it without need to rob a bank.
I have seen couple of videos like this in TH-cam and the guys there advice to buy some really expensive stuff, in the name of the adventure. To be able to ride the bike in any conditions, especially off road. Usually, behind the person on the camera is sitting a huge GS Adventure, Yamaha Super Tenere or KTM. Of course loaded with hard cases and hundreds of expensive gadgets, which will aloud you to make desired Adventure! They will try to convince you that if have a specific gear you can go whatever you like. Is it really like that?
I am sorry guys, but I have to disappoint you! To ride any bike over 120kg off road is not easy job and almost impossible for many of you. It doesn’t matter how expensive the bike and gear are, the weight is just too much. Even my bike, which is 200kg leaded with 22l of petrol is way too much to do any serious off road riding. I can ride it on some dirt roads, sand, mud and even snow if necessary, but the possibilities are limited. If you know that, right from the beginning you will save a lot of money for useless stuff trying to reach an impossible task.
What I will show you now is how to make some basic adjustments. They will not make you better off road rider, just will improve a bit your riding comfort off road. Let’s get started.
First and very important is to make some small changes. Take out all the stuff you don’t really need. Remember the weight is always matter. If you always ride alone remove the rear foot pegs as well. Believe or not on my bike they are very heavy about 2 kg. Forget about hard cases or top box, they will not survive the bumps. Keep it simple, less is always better.
You will need engine guard. This is something very important. No compromises. Buy the best you can afford, or make your own.
Better foot pegs, wide enough to support your weight when you stand on the bike.
28mm handle bar and bar risers. This will give you the chance to ride on standing position.
The next step will be to adjust the levers, clutch, front, rear brakes and gear shift. They need to be on the proper position to be used with motorcycle boots from standing position.
It is the same with handle bar levers. The position while you ride on the seat and stand are different. One very simple trick is to leave it a bit loosen so you can change it if need it.
Of course you will need hand guards to protect it, if the bike goes down.
Better Suspension
You have to understand the tires are what keep you straight. The difference between the same bike with and without a proper dual sport tires is like the difference between the day and the night.
After you finish with the adjustment is time to learn how to ride off road.
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Very valuable instructions Pavlin for beginners in offroading like me. Thanks
Thanks man! I am glad that it helps.
Just bought a 2011 XT660Z after my GS was stolen on Monday. You inspired me to do it. Honestly I am excited about this thanks for your wisdom!
I am sorry about the GS, but I am glad that I inspired you to make this step, you will not regret. Enjoy your new toy!
Hi Pavlin, when you get up on the bike the center of gravity does not lower, on the contrary, if you stand up, the center of gravity also rises. What makes the bike more stable is that the support base is widened, with all the weight on the footpegs, instead of on the saddle. This allows you to better balance the bike, especially in rough terrain. A greeting and if you pass by Italy I'll wait for you for lunch!
You said the same with different words.
Thanks Pavlin, I have booked my place in September for the ‘paddy’ dakar. This is Ireland’s answer to the Paris Dakar. It is basically a weekend across the green lanes and mountains of southern Ireland through all the mud and forests. Most guys bring their BMW’s and Africa twins all followed by a big piss up afterwards. You’re a Videos have given me inspiration to get up and do something exciting on my bIke, thanks For that.
You are welcome anytime!
Momentum is important, you will fall off if you ride too slow and trust the bike, the tyres and suspension. Look ahead where you want to go, trust the bike to roll over the bumps. Takes practice but your riding will be better off road.
Valid points, thanks for adding!
Thanks Pavlin. Good practical advice delivered in a no nonsense way as usual. Your advice about light weight is something I have always subscribed to. It is so important. I ride a KLX150 in Indonesia and have racked up more than 30K kms. I am usually pretty careful about loading the bike before a long trip but last year I fitted a larger PVC storage tube to my home made rack. I stupidly put my tools and etc in it. All up may have weighed 10 kg. After a few days of seriously bad tracks one side of my sub frame, behind the seat had split! It's made of very light weight material. Lesson learnt. Never let any heavier weight over hang at the back of the bike. I reloaded my gear and next day found a garage to effect a repair. Once again thanks.
My pleasure!
Good, practical advice, as always. Really appreciate your emphasizing a lighter bike - under 160 kg (350 pounds), if possible. There aren't too many new bikes that meet that criteria and are still highway-capable. Am not sure why Yamaha didn't offer the Tenere 660 in the USA. Seems it would've been a strong seller with well-known reliability and dealer support.
Thanks man!
Hey Pavlin, thanks for the video! I would say the best money I ever invested was a course in off-road riding for big bikes. It wasn't cheap, but I went from being very tentative off road to just enjoying it. If you're in the mud, use the throttle. If you're in the mood, use the throttle! Great advice.
Yes, this is the best you can do, of course if you can afford it.
My first comment ever on TH-cam. Been watching a bunch of your videos - thank you so much for your no bull, straight forward, informative and well done content. I have been watching hours of stuff on long distance riding. Done my share, been riding for 50 years, but am about to embark on a 3 year world motorcycle tour. And I am no longer young, but I can hardly wait to get going. I have dirt experience, and been on lots of long rides across the country, and have travelled to other parts of the world....but this will be something new. Your channel is the only one I continue to watch. And I am finally dropping you a line. There are so many things to consider in a venture like this....the process is making me more alive than I have been for a while. Again, thanks for all the great advice.
It is absolutely my pleasure to help! Good luck on your trip!
Thanks Pavlin, now I know I am not that clumsy as I rider. After more than a year, as you said, I still sit when I come to a curve in off road riding.
😄
And that is also because I do not compite and follow nobody else's path or rithm but mine.
Good advices as always
Hi pavlin you are absolutely right my friend 👍 thanks for sharing your experience. 😊
No problem, you are welcome anytime!
Germany is a strange country where "freedom" is only a word in dictionary ;-). Not so far away in Poland you can go off-road.
You are right, the freedom is only myth here. The country of the regulations...
This is sensible advice from a wise and experienced adventurer. Thank you Pavlin 👍
Thanks!
12:22 ... I wish I saw this video 1 year ago. I was on my 1st offroad and I crashed on almost staight path with some mud and wet grass, just because I instinctively pressed front break and front wheel went somewhere to the left side. Almost broke something in my right leg with my Transalp, but luckily only broken thing was Transalp handguard. Thanks for the videos Pavlin!
fantastic guide, thank you very much for it!
I've learned how to ride a bike on off road mountains and streets on the west coast of India, I wish I knew all this then! It is the same for me as for you - learning by experience!
Glad it helped!
Hi Pavlin, this are the absolutely basics, every biker should know. Very understandable explained (es ever). Best regards, Hans
Yes Hans, thanks!
Good lesson with a lot of information and good advice. Thank you!
Thanks for watching Ahmed!
Totally agree, especially about the weight and breaking the front wheel.
In Laos I was in the middle of the nowhere and got stuck in a dirt hole(1-1,5m deep). I had the choice to walk several kilometers to find someone to help me or to try it by my own. I was so happy that my bike was quite small (about 120kg) so I could do it by my own, but it took me nonetheless 45 minutes.
Then I had one of my first scooter rides I had to drive on a dirt road. Unfortunately a group of cows came across and one of these damn animals changed spontaneously the direction, staying suddenly half infront of me. In a quick reaction I used unfortunately the front break, the wheel slipped and I fell to the side. Because the scooter was rented I had almost no protection gear, ripped of my knee and had to drive to a hospital which was 2 hours away where it got fixed with 7 stitches.
So yes: take care on the weight, never use the front break offroad and always use safety gear! ^^
I am sorry that you learned the hard way, so do I!
Thanks Pavlin for this awesome video . Just began some off-road riding and found these tips very helpful ,Thanks once again.
Good advice...nice to see the sun shining for you.
Yes, finally the sun is here...
As usual Pavlin you are a very good teacher! You give examples with your own experience and knowledge which is a very good way to pass the message!! The other guys on the other videos, they only want to sell products because maybe they are sponsored by brands and what not! I love your videos man!! Keep up your good work!! Ride safe!!
Thanks man! I will try to keep my independence and keep positing useful videos!
5:35 Never cut your levers. You need the ball at the end to prevent slipping from the lever. Well, if you have an alround handle guard, you cant slip...
Better option is to buy levers with a predetermined breaking point at the end.
One of your best videos (and I love them)
I am going to have a off road class next Saturday. Thank you for making me want to become a better rider
You are welcome anytime!
Greetings From India. Nice Coach & Support.
Thanks!
lots of Your philosophy applies to bicycle riding too. or the other way around. perhaps that's a good starting point? to realize motor is also not an unlimited power unit - just like human body and can be easily overloaded. needles to mention worse balancing, more maintenance, possibility of loosing something and rest of factors on the real road. keeping in mind that less (but more practical) is actually (more) better for nearly all situations. with bicycles, motorcycles and even car traveling (despite lack of many two wheel vehicles factors) it's always better to bet on practical aspect rather than „i need everything”, „this can be useful in certain situations” or „expensive equals better reliability”. You probably don't need all of the stuff You get for Your adventures! personally with each of my adventures my equipment is getting lighter and more universal and i never missed a single thing that was with me on my first adventures. use Your head, listen to more experienced folks, don't get too sentimental over certain items. keep Your head open for new solutions and i promise that this attitude will grand You more enjoyment in the end.
great video as always, best regards from northern Poland!
Golden advice, thank you Pavlin for the video.
You are welcome anytime!
nice video and good advices!
Glad it was helpful!
India is waiting for you bro for offroading
I look forward to my India trip!
very good tips, but you can do almost anything on big bike what you can do on small bike. The problem is you need better skills and the risk of injury is much higher. Actually it can be fun taking your 200+ bike off-road :)
Agree
great advice Pavlin, for a beginner or experienced rider thanks.
You are welcome Joel!
yesh, i just fail down by using front break when i ride down the KaoKaJome mountain, Thailand last week. lol
You learned the hard way...
Another great video , I learn something each time I watch one of them , WOW no off road in Germany that's sad
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent video brother! Really appreciate all the good advices and recommendations to improve our motorcycles. I have a Honda Twister 250 2017 and I've been modifying it step by step in order to go off road from time to time. Thanks for the knowledge!
You are welcome anytime!
Again, thank you. Brilliant - and low cost! Les
You are welcome anytime Leslie!
As a complete newbie to off-road, I was trying to practice standing *and* turning on pavement! I found that the handlebar was really “heavy”, and I had to fight with my CB500X to keep the line in the turns. Considering your advice, I will stop trying to do both at once, at least for a while. Thanks!
You are welcome anytime Xavier!
Great videos! Can you suggest if side stand or center stand is better for adventure bike storage in garage
Center
Great educational video. I wish you luck on your trip to India.
Thanks Michael!
Another great video! Especially the first advice is one you never hear in beginner trainings but it is 100% true. In doubt u can make it? Just accelerate! ;)
But with one thing I have to disagree. To switch off the abs is not worth it. I always turned it on and off and on and off. While a training in hechlingen the guide showed me that u can come to a full stop on a steep gravel hill with abs on. He recommended to never switch it off if u have a more or less modern abs system on board... Why? Cause there are many more situations beginner- or intermediate riders benefit from it than it reduces your brake power. Your brakeway on gravel is still shorter with abs on and it's much more unlikely that ur frontwheel slips. No offense just wanted to share the knowledge :)
No offence at all. You might be right in some situations, but totally wrong in another - downhill, hill climbing or sand for example. In the first case you will need to lock the rear time to time to control the speed, in the second the traction control will not let you to spin the tire.
Pavlin, I agree with you in turning both T/C & the rear abs off for the reasons you mention, though I'm not too sure about scaring the novice off from using the front brake. Relying solely on the rear brake could get you into just as much trouble as simply grabbing a big hand full of front brake. Maybe a video on teaching them how to use it - at speed and squeezing gently and learning by feel. Riding at slower speeds standing on the pegs and deliberately locking the front brake whilst still accelerating is another good method used by instructors to teach the student bike control. Keep the vids coming
Excellent Video with very practical information
Thanks Nishad!
Great video and advice bunch of awsome tips. I been only riding 4 season
Thanks!
Really good and realistic instructions and tips. Thanks for making great vids!!
You are welcome anytime!
Jam-packed with great information and excellent tips as a starting point for off road riding. Thanks and well done. As a comment, I can't believe there is no o/r riding allowed there! Looked like you were under a hydro line area -on access trail- a perfect place to disturb no one on otherwise useless land. Here our clubs have to lobby provincial and municipal governments pretty hard to keep access to specific trails and forested areas open. How many KTM's and dual sports do they sell there? The market must be here in North America. If they can devote huge amounts of land there for solar and wind farms they can certainly set aside tracks and trails for the recreational purposes of the people.
Thanks! Yes, it is not right to be forbidden, but ...
@8:53 - 9:22 : Best advice ever. Saved my buddy's bacon today!
Great!
Hello, I am the owner of an xt660z, and as we all know the suspension is not good, I am thinking of changing forks and I would like to ask you several questions, could you tell me which bike the fork and seatposts come from? Have you had any problem mounting them? Is the new geometry of the bike okay? Thanks for your attention!
th-cam.com/video/xHre7pkvejA/w-d-xo.html
Great work. I like your vids a lot. Simple, clear and without bullshit. I try to live by the same philosophy on my KTM 640 adventure, light, nimble and fast.
Do you know about the TET? Trans European Trail?
Yes, I have heard about it.
Great Video and some Great Advice Thanks
I am glad that you found it useful, thanks!
great video, great presentation, great advice! good work friend
Thanks for taking time and watch it Bob!
Great advice 😀 👍 🇭🇷
Glad it was helpful!
Wow.. very2x informative.. thank you..
My pleasure!
Very good advices
Thanks!
very nice Advice
Thanks!
Rock solid advice young man, keep on keepin on. Kindest regards A82 Joe.
Thank you Joe!
Sounds good to me Pavlin, ace video.
Thanks John!
Amazing Video, Keep up the good work!
I will, thanks!
Good one Pavlin
Thanks Keith!
Very practical tips...liked it.
Thanks Ravi!
Great video thanks.
Thanks Karl!
Your videos are great. Your the best.
Thanks for the information
Thanks for watching!
Dober den. I cut 2 cm in the middle of the levers and get the ball ends welded again so still same feeling but little harder
Yes, better solution, but require some labour.
Next video on muddy and dry sandy off-road or street roads both dry n wet for adventure bikes please.. !! Thank you sir
I will think about it.
Nice advice, gonna do some practice about it
Just do it. It will help you more than any expensive gear.
i think the most important about riding gear is the practicality, not the brand :D
Hello! I'm in Veliko Tarnovo right now! ;)
I think you have missed a couple of things 1st one is lower speed because you are not on the race track specially on hilly tracks stone can be dangerous for speedy drivers. 2nd one is use your clutch very limited, clutching is very dangerous in off-road. I am a short rider 5.8feet i could not handle 200kgs or more so for hilly trips i sell out my Xr 600 and find xr 185 that was more fine in off-road(also good in flue) that is my thinking after 2 years of experience you could disagree. Flat & big (in width)tires are good in sand not off-road but we can not change the tires in every time. Thanks for this good video and stay safe.
Yes, there are many more things, but as I said these are the basic.
Someone's bike always falls while on kick stand when off road. Its gonna sink in to the ground. Don't think anything has broke on dirt bikes but an adventure bike could be bad. Wow no off road vehicle trials. Is that from left over munitions and a safety think?
As always a great video
Thanks Robert!
Nice job 👍🏽
Thanks David!
Great video 👍👍
Thanks Keith!
I'm not sure recommending throttling your way out of everything is the best. It's treating a symptom rather than the root cause - not maintaining momentum. Apart from that some really good advice.
As I said it is your friend and you have to use it properly, it doesn't mean that you have to ride on the full throttle all the time, but maybe you are right I should have say it more clearly.
Yeah. I did think the recommendation could be interpreted more than 1 way
True
When in doubt throttle out!
Hello did you do a video on your WR450 front fork, front disc brake conversion
Yes, I have at least three videos on this topic.
what handlebars did you use? I want to buy Pro taper 7/8 size. Im worried about the cables length, do you think is enough room? I ca only by online.
Thank you Sir
Really cool
Thanks VK Studios!
Really good advice...👍
Thanks!
Hi Pavlin! I just bought a Triumph Tiger XRT and am going to do the Dempster Highway in Canada to Tuktoyaktuk this summer. I noticed you don't have any engine side guard bars on your bike nor do you recommend them. Why?
Hi Joe, watch this video: th-cam.com/video/ZS1RzQXXBuA/w-d-xo.html
Thanks.. Broo
You are welcome anytime!
What about my rebel 250 🤔
It will work
Where did you learn to speak English. Enjoying the vids mate
Ай донт андэстэнд вэа ай хиа зис акцент. Бат зэн ай си э стикер "Знак качества СССР" он зэ вайдскрин)
Cool!
So would these principles also apply to city/street bikes like Suzuki GS 150 (a local version of GN 125)?
Anybike
great thanks!
I find the seat on my tenere very uncomfortable . What make is your seat ?
It is hand made by me.
Thanks for tips. I see that my KTM 690 enduro R is ready for offroad in stock :-) (except cutted levers). I am sad about offroad is forbidden in germany. :-(... What the penalty for this?
I don't know exactly, but it is a lot. Yes, the 690 is almost ready to race.
Hi i have question. When u go to other continet for example america do u shipped ur bike. Or just get a rental l. If u do shipped it what system do you used.
I have been to America couple of times, but without the bike. I will go again in 2020 and have to ship the bike.
Motorcycle Adventures thank you
Liquid cool vs air cooled bikes..
Is air cooled bikes ok for touring long distances? Like 155cc bikes? Suzuki Gixxer 155?
Yes! Why not?
Plenty of little gn125's around the world going on fully loaded adventures. Some going 10000km around south America.
When adjusting tire pressure, how much air do you suggest we let our?
It could be different for any bike, depends from the standard pressure of the tire. I will suggest to drop it on half of your normal street riding pressure. I hope this helps!
Would you reduce your tires half way on tube tires?
Unless you have wire spoked wheels, you should be careful about airing down because of potential damage to the wheels. I would start with less, and see how the bike performs on dirt roads or sand.
True
I have wire spoke wheels with tube tires, so what is your recommend drop in pressure for off road?
Question, why you can't ride off-road in Germany? What's the wisdom behind it?
You have to ask the German government, not me. It is the same almost everywhere around Europe.
Good that we can still go off in Poland, you are always welcome here!
Trying to protect the nature. I think there are specially designed areas for practicing off road.
Vesso. I believe you are right. Plus this will make other countries more attractive to Europeans to visit like North Africa and central Asia.
Where can i find the footstand?
Riccardo Pillon eBay
Yes, Ebay.
Thanks, I finally managed to find Enduro pegs for my bike
Hope nc750x able to withstand off-road 😓
Why not?
If you managed to post this video, they didn't manage to catch you...;-)
Yes, I was lucky this time...
Keep breaking the laws Pavlin. Go enjoy Germany off road. :)
I am not in Germany anymore.
Off-road forbidden? What a ridiculous law.
I is what it is!
Great advice thanks
You are welcome Sean!