First time off road with the GS

RTV

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Lads,

Finally got the balls to go out and try the GS out.Bear in mind that I've never been off road before with any motorcycle, so expect more Ewan and less Charlie.

Extremely happy with the ride, some fast gravel roads and some slow technical spots. All with the mandatory drop, off course :)

It's amazing to see and feel how capable this machine is, even in rookie hands.


Anyways, enough chat... here's the vid:




Cheers,
Rami
 
Excellent - good for you...I'd have ditched the topbox but thats a personal thing because the bike is top heavy (well heavy full stop)...If you get a chance, do the 2 day off-road course with BMW (Simon Pavey's school) it's a brilliant introduction to off-roading and you get grouped with riders of a similar standing.
 
Well done mate. I haven't got the balls to take mine off road, too new, SWMBO would not be impressed if I broke bits. I have been thinking about the BMW course in Wales, pricey but can anyone confirm wether it's worth it? :thumby:
 
You did great to say it was your first go off road.

I did the BMW course about 15 yrs ago, I thought it was good value for money. Others slated it as expensive but then they tended to be off roaders anyway.
I turned up, was given my hire gear and a new 650GS and rode it for 2 days, dropping it, flat tyring the first one so within 20 minutes I am on another one....I really rated the course. There are other schools about now though, less so back then.
 
Like how your mate gets the camera out before coming to help....good man!
Click to expand...

Aren't you supposed to do that every time :D:D:beerjug:
 
Did mine in 2004, just after the 12gs came out, no pressure to do anything you don't fancy, great friendly instructor's who are there to help, support and encourage.

There's Moto Scotland too, and they're recognised as advanced training by insurance companies.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk
 
I've just recently been to the level one course at the off road school and I'd definitely say it was worth it.

Yes, at £499 for a two day holiday it is a lot, but to be riding a 17 plate Rallye with just 1200 miles on the clock, and to be able to throw it down the (private) track with impunity was well worth it for me. The bike even had GSAP and heated grips if that does it for you.

With us on the GS, and the instructors on GSAs we got to see firsthand just how capable (in the right hands) and resilient the bikes are.

But it's not for everyone. A couple of people on the course hated the off road thing and vowed never again.

Me, I loved it so much I got home, signed up to the TRF and bought a second set of wheels...so it turned out to be an even more very expensive holiday.

I'm heading back for the GS Trophy at the end of the month. Maybe see some of you there?
 
Nice vid and well done for your first time off road. Personally I'd remove the screen extender when off road, improves your visibility any maybe roll the bars' forward a little. My 05 is always going off road, its basically replaced my enduro bike which has been sat in storage since last April. These bikes are very capable, you just need to go with them rather than fight them! Can't beat the feeling of spinning up a big 1200 on some mud or gravel, or surprising a bunch of Greenlaners when you come blasting down a trail ;-)
 
In answer to your question is the off-road training worth while…yes, without question, I’d only recently passed my full licence (late into bikes) and I went in for the level 2 training as friends had already done the level 1…I struggled a little the first morning but just blindly did what the instructors said and by late morning I was keeping up with most of the people on the course…first couple of pictures are of the course






What they don’t tell you is the money you spend on new kit (sorry its Orange) …


The bike is still far more capable than the rider…


Now need a few pictures of the GSA out on the lanes
 
Fair play to you

Looked like fun


What was the warning light on the dash for ?

ABS?

Mart
 
See you suffered a attack of the magnetic bushes 😜 Once they get hold they are a bastard to get away from . Keep up the good work
 
Standing lowers your centre of gravity and rotating the bars as already mentioned will help.
 
I'm glad you mentioned rotating the bars. I want my levers in a slightly different position and I was trying to decide whether to move both leavers or the entire bar.

"Who needs a car when you're on an Adventure..."
 
Good day lads,

Thanks for all the comments, recommendations and positive vibes. Much appreciated!!!

I definitely was considering doing a course, but there's none available here in the good ol' Ireland at the moment and if you think that the two days training is expensive, try adding flights and accommodation... it's holiday money, but I'm sure it's well worth it. We'll see, maybe some day!!!

Definitely need to relax a bit more and while no one noticed, I should start playing with the clutch a bit more in the slow stuff. The bars feel OK for me, if anything, I should turn them back a little bit for my normal riding. I'm a small guy, so the position is not the easiest thing for me but I manage.

Stopping to get the pic first? It's pretty much mandatory!!! He was kind enough to not shame me everywhere with it because it was my first time :D (although I kind of did it to myself with the vid, but it's better to embrace it).


One thing that I definitely need to do is get myself some kind of back brake raiser. When I'm standing I cant find it as it's too far down, looked at touratec book the other day but they don't seem to have that, just extenders to make them bigger (more foot print). I'll keep investigating, any recommendations are welcome!

Cheers,
Rami
 
That looks like Killavullen. :)

Are you on AdvIrl.com? There's a lot of lads down that end of the country on it and they're all generous with advice for novices. It would be worth joining. (it's free. :D)

RTV said:
One thing that I definitely need to do is get myself some kind of back brake raiser. When I'm standing I cant find it as it's too far down, looked at touratec book the other day but they don't seem to have that, just extenders to make them bigger (more foot print). I'll keep investigating, any recommendations are welcome!

Cheers,
Rami
Click to expand...

I'd suggest getting used to standing while riding first. The first time I stood up on a GS, I thought the same, but I got used to it after a day of riding.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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