Info please for off roading

Markyboy

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Hi to my North East bikers,

I've just completed the bmw off road skills course down in Wales last weekend and would like to know where there are places to ride off road in order to practise.
Are there any offroaders locally that do offroading on their GS so that myself and another friend could join in or are there any off road clubs that cater for the larger bikes.

Thanks inadvance
 
Search for TRF
One in Northumberland
Limited for a big bike on some trails unless you are proficient
 
Search for TRF
One in Northumberland
Limited for a big bike on some trails unless you are proficient

Emailed the local trf today and as it happens they meet the 1st Wednesday of the month in a bar which is walking distance from my house. I've asked if they have members who use the larger adventure bikes so will see what they say but the only way I will become proficient is to get out and do off road riding on my GSA. I want to do some trips via this forum next year inc the Iceland trip and be able to handle the off road side so as to not hold anyone back.
 
Emailed the local trf today and as it happens they meet the 1st Wednesday of the month in a bar which is walking distance from my house. I've asked if they have members who use the larger adventure bikes so will see what they say but the only way I will become proficient is to get out and do off road riding on my GSA. I want to do some trips via this forum next year inc the Iceland trip and be able to handle the off road side so as to not hold anyone back.

Buy a trail bike. If you can't afford one, you can't afford to repair the damage on your GS either!
 
Not sure if it is still running but there was a large off road centre at Wolsingham in Co Durham where you could turn up and play on a large moorland site, been a few years since I was down there but that was with someone with a 4x4, there were ,however, a number of bikes down there at the time
 
Not sure if it is still running but there was a large off road centre at Wolsingham in Co Durham where you could turn up and play on a large moorland site, been a few years since I was down there but that was with someone with a 4x4, there were ,however, a number of bikes down there at the time

Thank you for the info, I'll have to look into that.
 
Buy a trail bike. If you can't afford one, you can't afford to repair the damage on your GS either!

Hi Greg, I bought the GSA and am interested to learn how to ride it off road as well as on road tours. I get your point about damage and costs but I want to start on gentle off road then over time build up to more serious off road.
 
Hi Greg, I bought the GSA and am interested to learn how to ride it off road as well as on road tours. I get your point about damage and costs but I want to start on gentle off road then over time build up to more serious off road.

Do let us know how you get on.
 
I did the ORS a few weeks ago and wouldn’t take my gs off road. Dropping their bike was ok, but dropping mine ain’t gonna happen.

Do what Greg says and buy an off road bike :thumb2
 
I did the ORS a few weeks ago and wouldn’t take my gs off road. Dropping their bike was ok, but dropping mine ain’t gonna happen.

Do what Greg says and buy an off road bike :thumb2

I get what your both saying about buying another bike but I want to be prepared and proficient on my GSA to tackle the Iceland trip next year and maybe other 2/3 month tours that I'd love to join. I've had 3 x 1150GSA, 3 x 1200GSA oil cooled and now on my second watercooled GSA and only my latest bike has been off road. What a waste because I was scared in case I dropped my pristine polished bike. I scratched an itch by going on the ORS in Wales and reignited my love of off road which I used to do when I was a schoolboy on a Bultaco and when I look back I've missed out on so much fun when in fact the GS is very capable off road, with practise. It's only a bike and ill probably wreck it but I'm sure it'll have given me more fun than all the others put together. So I hope. I'll let you know how I get on.
 
Did Slaley a couple of times on the GSA, wasn't too bad but it was dry both times.
Did the old coach road over the lakes the day after picking up my Africa twin adventure sport. That was wet and hard going. I found out the Honda crashes ok.
 
Did Slaley a couple of times on the GSA, wasn't too bad but it was dry both times.
Did the old coach road over the lakes the day after picking up my Africa twin adventure sport. That was wet and hard going. I found out the Honda crashes ok.

Hi, when you say did Slaley where exactly do you mean? I suppose what I'm trying to do is find the start and finish point? I know where Slaley Hall is? To find these off road routes do I need an OS Map?
 
Hi, when you say did Slaley where exactly do you mean? I suppose what I'm trying to do is find the start and finish point? I know where Slaley Hall is? To find these off road routes do I need an OS Map?

An OS map is vital

Ask the TRF when you join they have all the routes
 
Buy a trail bike. If you can't afford one, you can't afford to repair the damage on your GS either!

Rubbish!

Ignore Greg he's a 4 wheeler now.

Get some of the TT crashbar extensions to protect the side of the tank and some of the carbon head covers that completely cover the heads, rocks get through the OEM crash bars and damage the heads otherwise.

They crash well, very well.

Make sure you either carry a spare gear lever or have the means to bodge something.

The brake lever and gear lever are both vulnerable.

I've snapped the toe lug twice now and not from a fall!

Also if you look south there are plenty of lanes in the NY moors but I'd stay away from this section of Ruddland Rigg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/51176983@N02/38065706611/

Get viewranger on your phone and download the OS maps and study the OS legend. You are obviously not allowed on footpaths, bridleways and restricted byways period. "other routes" red dots (often unclassified roads) and BOATs (Byways open to all traffic) can be ridden providing they are not limited by a traffic regulation order or something.

Its rather tenuous "green laning".

Also look up the Trans European Trail thats a good start.
 
Don't let anyone put you off. I've trail ridden the early GSs all over Northumberland, North Yorkshire, the Peak District, the Alps and the Pyrenees. If you're sensible and never go anywhere you can't turn the bike around you'll be fine. And never, ever go down anything that you might not get back up if you do have to turn around.

You must do the Kielder Trail. It's gravel and cars can use it. It costs a pound I think. It goes from Kielder village, at the end of the reservoir, NW to the A68. You must also do Plenmeller Common, W of Hexham, and as stated above, the track heading north out of Blanchland to Slaley. There's two branches at the start and a bit of sand in the middle for which you'll just have to keep on the throttle and lean back (keep the front wheel light). There's also a lovely track that heads SW over the moors to The Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in England. It's never warm up there and the fire in the bar has been kept alight for at least the last 100 years.

My brother rides with the TRF up there on a KTM 450. You wouldn't want to go with them on your bike and to be fair they probably wouldn't let you. I don't know what the big trail bike scene is like up there at the moment. When I lived up there and started trail riding a GS (1984) I think I might have been the only big trail bike for miles. There's plenty to do as long as you're sensible. There's good trails up around Alston too.

Make sure you've got crash bars and Continental TKC80 tyres, which you can let down to around 25psi to get a bit more grip. They're great on the road, even though they're knobbly but limit you to 100mph I think.

For maps you can do everything above on your phone with Google Maps. I've also got an old iPhone SE with all of the UK1:50,000 Ordnance Survey maps downloaded to it (that took 4 days!). They cost about £70 from Memory Maps a few years ago. Look for white tracks with the red dots on them. It sits in an Ultimate Addons waterproof case plugged in to a USB socket next to the speedo.

Steve.
 
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/51176983@N02/5468CX" title="Photo 10-09-2017, 3 32 47 pm"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4477/38065706611_6f9bee45b9_b.jpg" width="1024" height="735" alt="Photo 10-09-2017, 3 32 47 pm"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Then link it in....
 


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