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?

__________________
FreeBSD fan since before it was cool ...

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.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

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.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

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.

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 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

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

__________________
FreeBSD fan since before it was cool ...

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.

__________________
http://www.journeyrider.net Latin America blog (07-8)

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.

__________________
FreeBSD fan since before it was cool ...

Yeah, they all say stuff like that.

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

__________________
My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

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

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.

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

__________________
My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

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