Rider training
 

I'm curious to know what extra training (on road, off road, first aid, language, whatever) people here have done to prepare themselves for round-the-world trips, and was it useful?

Before my trips, I did none. I wish I had. Because although I didn't avoid offroad sections if they were on the way, I certainly avoided exploring into some of the best places because I was unsure of my skills if the road got REALLY bad.

I wish I had taken that bike and done some training beforehand and found out just how capable it was. And to show myself how capable I was too.

Off-road training with the bike you're going to use is EXTREMELY useful. I totally recommend it.

I second Ted’s advice.

I ride off road regularly on a dirt bike but did a day’s training on my dual sport that i use for travel at the start of a recent trip. It was invaluable - it gave me so much confidence with that bike (2x the weight of my dirt bike), and in those conditions (I did my training in South Africa) - two important distinctions to draw.

Most people will spend 80-90-95% of their time on tarmac. My first training when starting to ride bikes again after 20+ years was IAM Advanced Motorcyclist. I credit my observer with giving me the road positioning, observational skills and hazard awareness to avoid probably numerous life-threatening situations.

Different sets of hazards in various countries. I always remember the sad thread on AdvRider about an inexperienced American who was riding to South America and didn't slow when passing equines who kicked him off the bike. He was permanently paralysed and ended up committing suicide a year later.

Other than that, maybe half a dozen off road courses ranging from World of BMW in South Wales to Patsy Quick.

Plus a couple of 'first biker on scene' type of first aid courses. But RTW trips need different training as you are not just filling in until an air ambulance arrives. I've used a suturing needle for real (OK, on a mule), and used gaffer tape to close a serious wound.

Most people understand foreign languages (spoken slowly) better than they can speak them. You can get a long way without additional languages if you are good with mime. If you have data then translate apps are good and getting better.

pint of sweat
 

Better a pint of sweat than a gallon of blood. I have done numerous first aid courses but think an off road course would be extremely useful. Honda and BMW used to do them, don't know if they still do.

Training
 

Planning a trip from the US to Ushuaia for this summer with one of my sons. It has been several years since I've ridden on dirt and he never really has. So I'm requiring that both of us go through an adventure bike riding class before we head out. Then I plan on doing the Continental Divide Trail for some practice. Most of it is dirt roads and there are easy ways to go around sections too technical for our abilities. I'm hoping that gives us both the practice we need as well as some experience to know our limits before getting into places where help may be farther away.

My son is fluent in Spanish, but all I know is how to order a beer LOL I'm not downplaying that as a language requirement though. So I'm going to be taking some basic Spanish classes so I at least know how to count and can hopefully interpret directions.

I don't think anything else we are doing counts as training. Everything else falls into the category of research or practice. Lots and lots of that.

Hi Northrider!

You may want to check with the local off-road racing clubs in your area Sometimes they offer classes in spring at the beginning of the racing season.
May be it could fit your needs.

Patrick

lol, I hadn't thought of language training! Directions in Spanish, just like English, are easy if the person giving them can do so clearly :helpsmilie:

Still it's good to see that at least some people are going of prepared. I'm training up my other half gradually, but I posted this question wondering about people who jump right in; starting from scratch must be tough

Hello

Don't sell your house, quit your job and go on a multi year RTW if you haven't done smaller trips already.
A RTW is nothing different than several trips stringed together.
Big difference is, after some months, travelling becomes your life, it gets less exiting, you have to deal with that.

What I would give as advice to beginners based on my experiences, in order of importance to me:

whatever:
-vaccinations, I went as far as rabies.
-insurances, medical and transport home (you, not the bike)
-liability for the bike, as far as possible, huge pain in the ass to get, but worse if you need it and don't have it.
-someone who can go to the bank for you at home and all that stuff.
-a lot more like that...

language:
Important, but you can't learn all of them. To me that meant, first I had to learn english.
Depends also on how long you are in a region and how alien a language is to your native tongue.
At first, english natives have a huge advantage, but hard to deny to understand english if need, I can speak to someone in my native tongue and they will understand that I can't speak english (corrupt cops, etc.).

first aid:
Difficult, I have more or less every 10 years a first-aid course, the one that you need for the driving permit. They are basically meant to help until the rescuers arrive. How much does it help me as a solo rider?
It may open ones eyes on how fragile the body is and why you should do everything to prevent an injury.

on road:
-learn to read the road and the traffic and the surrounding area.
In places where live takes place on the street up to 10m away from the road on both sides.

off road:
(Warning, the following might be seen by some as blasphemy, especially in internet forums! So, if you are sensitive to that, stop reading and just skip it.)
If you go for a training, take one where they teach how YOU can ride your bike with YOUR full travel setup on the road surfaces that you will encounter on your RTW, by someone who has done it by themselves.
Don't know where you can find that.
A training on an empty (no luggagues) light bike is, to me, useless.
Learn your limits, turn around when it gets to tough for you.
Most important, learn to ride without falling, every fall is an accident, not part of the trip.
Keep in mind where the next hospital is and how or by whom you might get there.

sushi

I understand it has no meaning for you to take an off road class without a fully loaded RTW bike. But I would not recommend that for someone who never went off road riding.

For a beginner, my recommandation is to take an off-road class with a light bike (enduro racing schools are great):
- You take a class to learn the techniques on how to attack offroad obstacles and terrain.
- It is much easier to focus on learning the techniques on a light bike.
- you can drop the bike as many times as needed.
- less chance of injuries while going through the beginners mistakes.
- you build your confidence a lot quicker.

After the class you will know what to do off-road. Take your big bike without luggage and go practice. When ready, put your luggage on and practice again.

Also, i don't see any problem dropping a bike, it is part of the game. Knowing when it is time to get off the bike is important too.


Patrick

train
 

I get it there are those that make a living training motorcyclists I started riding in 1973 and was obsessed with motocross in the day I bought a 74 Elsinore used in 75
now it was time to ride a real moto because I had step thru bikes previous Hondas Suzukis my parents wouldn't approve of a racing bike
Now I had to learn how to race and I did, lets fast forward 45 years I bought a f700gs my last bike was a Yamaha YZH 125 1981 I only knew cross country and motocross .
If you are not brain dead you can pick up from here you left off
If You want to be a Marine you need training if you want to be a sniper you dont
it comes naturally if you took pleasure shooting squirrels because they were nasty pests wrecking you habitat , With out the numbers you have to crunch to qualify
training comes in handy if you are lazy and are in believe of what is nessassary in life. Did your father or mother train you to go around the world I dont think so unless they have done it. How do you train to climb K2 you have to have practice and discipline
just get out and ride you will do fine as long as you know you limits

Training, no mather the discipline, has nothing to do with being lazy. It is all about speeding up the learning curve and to get a new skill faster then if you do it by yourself.

Some people asked for off road training option. I gave one. It is not for you great. I never said it was mandatory also. Some people want to learn riding off road while travelling and others don't.

I started riding off road at 8yrs old. I did not need a class. I learned by myself.
Also, I don't train people.

Patrick

I have to agree completely with Patrick, training isn't about being lazy, in fact I think it's about being smart. You CAN teach yourself to do all kinds of stuff - but are you learning the BEST and MOST EFFICIENT way - not likely!

For instance I taught myself to ride - and had to unlearn a whole LOT of bad habits and techniques, and it was HARD WORK to do that - and I still have bad habits I'm still working on unlearning - 50+ years later! MORE training is in my own future.

So what sort of training are you contemplating Grant? I only ask because I have a friend who's been riding bikes for decades - nothing adventurous, no overlanding or anything, but he does ride year round and does more miles on his bikes than in his car. He would freely admit that he's a cautious, slightly nervous rider and in recent years has sought out training to try and expand his 'riding envelope'. He started by joining his local IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists if anyone doesn't recognise the UK initials) bike group but very quickly found they were 'training' him to do stuff he found dangerous. He stuck with it for a while but his sense of self preservation eventually led to him leaving. I was talking to another rider - a very experienced long distance rider - a week or so ago who says he won't travel with any IAM members as he finds them dangerous as well.

My friend (and no, this isn't me in 'asking for a friend' guise :rofl:) moved on to the ROSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) bike section but found them almost indistinguishable from the IAM. Their 'advanced' techniques made him feel it would only be a matter of time before he'd come a cropper, and as he hasn't had an accident in decades - certainly since I've known him -, 'training' would seem to be counterproductive.

He's still up for some sort of training but as he seems to have found his own (safe) level I wonder if there's much point. I could understand the need if he was chucking it up the road every five minutes but as he's been coming to this from his own safe space what exactly was he being trained to do? Be less personally safe was his conclusion if he rode in the ways they expected in order to pass their membership tests. I think we all have our limits, the point at which we leave our comfort zones and head out into uncharted waters - and it's different for all of us. By all means have bad habits pointed out by some authority figure (hopefully not the cops) and try to correct those but self preservation makes me wary of many of the training schemes available for road riding - round here anyway.

Some of this rings true for my experience of IAM training 30 years ago, I did get some helpful advice for safer riding in the UK and Europe but don't think I would have survived the tens of thousands of miles motorcycling in developing countries, particularly India had I followed their advice rather than observing the locals and learning from them.

Is is interesting seeing that perspective on IAM and ROSPA as it is not what not would have thought but then when you think that they like the rider to “make progress” perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised. I keep thinking about getting some training from one of the above organisations just to make sure that I am observing as well as I could and so be prepared and appropriate avoiding actions - it is not to be able to ride faster. To go along with that on road training I am also thinking of going on the Triumph off road training where I smash their bike up rather than mine - sorry, I meant to say “where I learn to operate a larger bike in off road conditions” but before that I think some small bike training may be in order.

I wonder if now given the high standard of training required to pass the motorcycle test in the UK whether a couple of hours with a regular motorcycle instructor would not be just as good, no more doing a figure of 8 around the local test centre a few times to get a full licence.

I had no training at all after the initial two-day class which allowed me to get a license endorsement--unlimited, because this is the USA. I immediately bought a bike and started riding at every opportunity, including on unpaved forest roads covered with snow and ice. Spring and summer arrived, so I took a longer ride with more forest roads, and I started routinely riding through and within the nearest big cities. After a bit of that, I headed across the continent and around Europe and North Africa in 4 month segments, spent some time in Mexico, then down to Ushuaia and back. Since that trip, all sorts of excursions, mainly in Asia and Africa.

I survived without major incident--unlike some of the more-trained and better-experienced riders I met--but there were quite a few moments when I would have been safer had I more skills. That's one aspect of training, and you Europeans may get that as a matter of course in order to qualify for a full license (here in the States, having a detectable pulse is the main requirement).

With better skills I could have been more adventurous, too. On my way home I took a two-day off-road class in southern California, which helped me see some of what I'd been missing. If I were doing it all over again, I'd try to make a point of getting more training in order to better enjoy my riding...but hey, time is not limitless at this point in my life, so I prioritized getting out there instead.

And that's my only real point; you can certainly stay "safe" (as it's known) riding almost anywhere with minimal formal training--in my case, a relatively sedate attitude certainly helped. But there are definite benefits to expanding your abilities before, rather than after, a major trip.

I'd say the same about languages, since I'm quite deficient in that area, too. I get by no matter where I end up, and that includes some pretty obscure places. Knowing bits of Spanish and French has certainly added to my enjoyment, and knowing more would have enriched in lots of ways. But I don't enjoy studying languages, and I DO enjoy wandering around trying to make my way. Priorities, again.

Other useful trainings, like first aid or motorcycle mechanics, fall even lower on the list for me. I've managed to learn some basics--the former mostly via trainings required at work, the latter by blundering my way through various repairs as they come up--but am more inclined to trust my dumb luck than to take more classes. I do carry tools and a manual for my bike, and every so often I'm reminded why I bother. I now carry medivac and travel insurance, too, but I haven't had occasion to use either. Yet.

Executive summary: yes, any form of training is likely to benefit you and enhance your trip....but little is strictly necessary, and too much focus on trying to cover all bases can definitely get in the way of doing the fun stuff. I'm not sure how this might apply to anyone else, or whether it answers anyone's questions, but that's what I've got.

Mark

Hello

Ok, so you didn't skip my comment, so here comes more blasphemy, I'm even gonna insult the holy grail of offroad riding.:rofl:

What do you learn in those trainings on light bikes?
Proper techniques on how to ride an empty light bike.
All that riding in standing position and lots of "ballet".
I did a training, 15 years after my first sandtracks and my RTW, at the most famous BMW akademie in southern Germany "BMW Hechlingen", even Brad Pitt was there.
Don't know what other places teach, but almost nothing of what I learned there is of any use to me for riding my loaded bike on "offroad tracks".

I never had any training before my first encounter with loose road surfaces, actually my first "adventure like that" was 1996 on the Alcan-Highway on my Kawasaki ZG1200 Voyager, 350kg bike + myself + luggage.
Mile after mile of road construction, from fine loose sand to stones of the size of oranges.
I had read in a book about offroad riding that you have to stand up and speed is your friend, fortunately to my health, standing up was not possible on that bike.
So I had to deal with the situation while seated.
Some years later in OZ on a XT600E I tried the standing up thing again, as read in a book (or later learnd in the BMW course).
Once I was in the soft gravel my bike did what it is supposed to do, moving freely between my legs, until I fell hard after a few seconds.
Took me a while to realize that the luggage moved the center of gravity towards the back and up, making it nearly impossible for the bike to what it is supposed to do according to the philosophy of standing-up-riding an empty bike.

In short, since then I don't stand up on my loaded bike, never (only a few times when there is a bump to big for the suspension of the bike to handle).
Finished the trip in OZ, Tanami-Road, Gibb river road, Birdsville track and some more less famous tracks, great fun, no more falls on that trip.
Years later followed my 2 year RTW with no big falls, just a suicidal roo that took me out on tarmac.


I'm not the fastest on the sandtracks, I can't pull off cool drifts in corners, but hey I never needed that, so honestly there is nothing I can learn from those offroad trainings, in regard of riding my loaded bike, that I haven't learned by myself.
My advice to beginners is, forget that ideology of riding a loaded bike like a empty light bike when in reality you have to learn how to deal with your setup, learn to ride your bike seated, you can't be standing the whole day anyway.

That is and was no option for me.
I live in Switzerland, there is absolutly no legal gravel road on a level where one could learn something.
How many miles do you need to learn riding from the first training to when you are ready to start a trip with your fully loaded bike setup?

And finally, I advice everybody not to fall, just a sprained or broken wrist can happen by even the smallest fall, and has a huge impact on your trip.

sushi

I got my first bike at 11, a KE100. My Dad's training consisted of showing me where the controls were and telling me to get on with it ... he's not a man of many words, lol

If I were to start from scratch, I'd go straight to learning how to ride trials - I'd been trail riding for 27 years before I started trials, and since I started (with training, alongside practice and competitions) my off road riding has come along a huge amount, regardless of bike size and weight :)

What happened to Clayton with the donkey could happen to any of us on a long trip like that to be fair.

Another point was Clayton was relatively young at 35. Of course you are going to be more safe, if you are 50+ and you are riding 50 mph the whole trip.

Most of the riders who ride down to Patagonia have about 10 close calls like what happened to Clayton. All the training in the world isn't going to protect you against a llama standing in the middle of your lane as you round a blind corner on a mountain highway in Peru.

One of the riding instructors, back when I was getting ready for my test, said you shouldn't ride faster than you can see.

Random animals, downed trees, and landslides are regular features of my commute, so I'd have to say that bit of training has been very helpful.

Yeah, they all say stuff like that.

You can learn as you go, and you will be fine.

I still wish I had taken some formal training for my first long trip, or my second, or my third... After my first trip I bought an enduro bike and hit the MX tracks and Enduro trails, trying to teach myself. I didn't learn much else but what my limits were, which was useful in it's own way. I think I spendt as much time flying over the handlebars as I did holding on to it, trying to keep up with children...Having grown up with bikes, having ridden just about every type of bike there is, and a crap lot of kilometers, I thought I was way way way better than I was.

I now put in some practice every year, self learning and forma trainingl, on the track and offroad.

The thing is, you can largely avoid the rough stuff. But, training will give you confidence and pease of mind. It will allow you to brave routes you are uncertain about, and be cool about it.

On the job training isn't all that good. The first time you meet a particular hurdle, a million miles away from your support system at home, is not when you will push yourself or the bike beyond bare minimum - you will have learned close nothing. For the next time you face a similar situation And, going even on the longest trip, you might only face that scenario once.

This summer I got to tail Ullevålseter, a Dakar legend. Besides the coaching on the MX track, etc - on the rides themselves I had a "guide". up front. He pushed me and my bike so much further than I would ever have even contemplated to try on my own. He guided the speed, the braking, the acceleration, the track to choose...

When you meet a hurdle in a real life scenario, it is best to have at least some familiarity with the situation. It is not only about learning to master something, but also to learn your own limits - to know what not to attemt, to know when to take extra precautions or choose a different strategy, etc.

Now, you can learn a lot of offroad skills before even leaving the tarmac (offroading isn't locally accessible to all). A simple thing such as doing figure eights on a steep slope - mounting and unmounting, starting and stopping, with the bike facing in all different directions - will teach you more than you would think. Similarily, do the same figure eights, but walking the bike under it's own power. Both these exercises will prepare you s lot for dealing with struggles that uneven terrain can present. There are way too many tarmac "offroad" exercises to list here, but if you use your imagination, you will come up with tons.

To me training is important, I once heard a world renowned professor say that ‘the person that calls themselves an expert is the person that needs to go back to college’.

But, like everything in life, it’s not black and white or the same for everyone which is apparent if you read all these posts.
I always did road trips with the occasional unsealed road to reach that beach or mountain view point. On one holiday a chap took us over the Parpallion pass in the alps (an easy off road high pass) it was fun and coincided with the take off of the whole adventure bike thing.
I bought a light trail bike, took some training and did trail/duel sport riding for a few years. Did it help me with my big adventure bike loaded up with camping gear? Yes, a lot of the skills needed are transferable: weightless riding, body position up and down hills, looking ahead etc….
However, there’s a lot of differences as well. I’ve done a bit of off road on my fully loaded GS since, in Spain, Morocco, Balkans etc but I know my limitations and they’re not the same as my little trail bike.

We’re hoping to set off on a big trip this year and we will do a couple of days with a chap, on our own bikes, with luggage. He’s done lots of overlanding so I’m sure he’ll impart some other useful knowledge as well as rider training.

The one thing, I think, that a RTW trip has as an advantage over a short trip - especially an organised one - is time.
We will wait out the bad weather, take the time to go round a difficult section. I’m sure that by seeing so many wonderful places, certain things on our, Pre-trip bucket list, will become less important if we’re worried about the road to get there. As time goes on we will become more relaxed - we know that as we’ve travelled before.

I’m reading a teach yourself Spanish book at the moment and we will sign up for 2/3 week Spanish course in Mexico when we get there - Itchy Boots has highlighted the advantage of speaking Spanish to us.

I believe training is necessary but it won’t prepare you for everything - as an ex rugby player I can remember how hard Pre-season training was but that first game of the season felt like I’d been run over by a freight train.
bier

Training isn't a chore, it is play time for bikers. Stop treating it as a matter of "necessity", but as a matter of "desire". Then you won't ask the question of wether you should or shouldn't get some practice or formal training before your RTW. Instead you will find every excuse you can to get to spend more of your precious time and money, and to get away from responsibilities, only to play ieven more n the muck - with your favorite playmate and companion - the bike that will take you on the journey of a life time!

I honestly don't think training is necessary prior to an RTW I'm under the impression that most don't undertake hardly any, if any at all. But I also truely believe it will make things; easier, less sketchy, more fun, more enjoyable, safer - simply better all around. And the training bit is a treat in itself.

Far away from your support system at home, and with so much dependent on you choosing the best strategy for a particular situation - do you really want to be left with guesswork for strategizing, or would you prefer to be able to tap into some first hand experience?

If left with guesswork only, you will in many situations over compensate on your risk assessment. You will also end up getting into trouble because you are oblivious to what is likely to happen if you attempt a particular thing. You will also have experiences overshadowed by fear and worry. Where is the treat in that?

Being overly cautious will make you avoid experiences which you would enjoy, or go about things in the most tedious ways - taking the pleasure out if it. It may even lead you to choose the strategy that is most likely to fail.

Like I said, training is about so much more than improving one's skills. Just being familiar with different scenarios will make a tremendous difference when it comes to strategizing. The experience doesn't even have to be offroad specific to be of use offroad. Something simple as trying to load and offload a bike onto a pickup truck - using a narrow ramp - is experience that transfer well into a heap of situations even if you only attempted it once (including offroad). Committing yet another year of 20.000 KMS in the other hand may teach you nothing new that will come in handy.

Training will do a lot more than improve your technique. I think one of the most useful takeaways is learning about your personal limits and capabilities, so that you are in the best position to make the best situational strategies FOR YOU! The best approach to tackle a particular situation is highly dependent on personal skil levell.

If you for instance have never crossed moving water before... Is being far away from your local support system the time to figure out what strategy is most likely to work for you in that particular situation? Is this really when you want to guess wether your best option is to ride across standing, ride across seated and paddling, or walking next to the bike, or figure out which speed is most suitable, or where to cross, or if you ought to turn back or wait for help?

A rider that is experienced in "weightless riding", and who has done a few types if river crossings before, might find it safest to ride across that particular river standing. A noob's safest bet might be paddling the bike across (which might be the riskier option for the pro, but still a less riskier than for the noob). What is the safest approach for someone experienced might be outright stupid for a noob to even contemplated doing the same way. When faced with serious consequences, it is better to know than to guess what the best approach is for you personally

Besides learning how to ride, training is also useful in learning how to man-handle a bike out if difficult situations. How to get a toppled bike out of a ditch, how to walk the bike in reverse down a slippery slope or turn it around, etc, etc. There is no YouTube video that can substitute personal experience.

Learning by doing
 

To learn to maintain the bike:
Buy a "project bike".
Make a complete renovation.
You have hold every piece in your hand. Evaluated it and mounted it.
You learn the tools and the the process of repairing.
How the bike works, and the status.


Riding:
Just go out riding under similar conditions that you expect during the travel. If you plan to travel on dirt roads, Ride dirt roads before. Not so much to train capability. But to get used and confident. Confidence instead of fear => much better rider.

But....
No training in the world can replace common sense.
I got almost killed recently, by a group on a training session.
They called the road "Playground" And they behaved like that.
Riding in pairs. Cutting blind corners. driving faster than safe...

That is not a course that makes you a safer rider.
A Dakar racer riding at his max speed on a public road is not safe.

Getting s project bike would be ideal of course, but is a bit excessive. Many barely have the time or the money to buy and equip the bike they plan to travel on. Making big your money back by restoration is extremely difficult. But, if you plan to restore a bike to take on your trip, it might be worth it - especially if it is already farkled out with luggage, crash bars, etc.

Now, if you plan to take a medium to a large displacement bike on your trip, getting a beat up two stroke 250 dual sport or enduro for training purposes, may serve you well. Maybe even one that needs a top end rebuild and a new clutch. You will learn all types of maintenance and won't loose too much money. You may even make a bit of pocket change. A cheap and simple thumper bike is easy and inexpensive to work on. I went down that route myself, and I don't regret it.

Or, just get the bike you plan to take and start doing all the maintenance from day one. It really isn't all rocket science. With YouTube, a manual, som basic tools and the care to use a torque wrench, and you are set to go. If you are worried about retaining your warranty by not using authorized dealers for your service - you probably won't be able to keep it anyways. By the time you get back home you will surely have forsaken dealers for n favor of whatever is available to you, including yourself.