Dirt & Trail SEPTEMBER 2022

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m call fo 22 b amazing to see how easy it is to pick up a heavy bike when you use the correct technique, be it German or not. After this, the group of students got to do some riding. They started with a “launch and stop” exercise where they had to start the bike moving and get in the standing position as quickly as possible. Then Gerhard tested the group’s ability to actually go where they are looking by making them cross fences using low and narrow bridges. Like with all things adventure biking it looks daunting until you have done it. The students passed with flying colours. The rest of the morning was spent riding through cones, practicing the figure of eight, jumping a log and riding through parallel poles. The latter always presents a great opportunity for an action shot. If you don’t do it right, there is a good chance you will also learn the basic rules of gravity. I got a great picture of Enrico Porelli in full flight after misjudging the exit. It was all good fun and Enrico was fine; not even a bruised ego. The real fun starts Friday afternoon in the sandpit. Learning to ride in sand is one of the fundamentals of adventure biking. Somewhere in your riding life, you will encounter sand. With the correct tyre pressures, weight way back and a steady hand on the throttle, you can get through. If you are going a little faster than what feels comfortable, you’re doing it right. This is where I realized the value of a well designed training course. After spending the morning learning how to balance, move your weight on the bike and where to look, the sand becomes just another rideable obstacle you can enjoy on your adventure bike. Sand is the place where all you have learned comes together. Another scary thing on a bike is to go up and down steep inclines. Again it turned out not to be an issue for the students. Weight at the back, with brakes applied to regulate your momentum going down, and the reverse when you are going uphill will do the trick. Going uphill you have to move your weight forward and give a bit of steady throttle to make sure you keep the momentum. Before the Country Trax course, Maarten had never stood up on his bike. Now, after one day of training, he was making emergency stops, riding through thick sand and “riding on the range” all while standing up. I could see he was having fun. Saturday was spent repeating what was learned the previous day and moving on to some more advanced riding. It’s a tough and busy day, but like the previous day, it was incredible to see the improvement in all the riders. By the end of the day some had no qualms jumping their bikes at the top of a steep incline. Sunday is the fun day of the course. It’s designed to put what you learned the previous two days into action. It starts with laps around an oval track. After going around twice, Maarten was drifting his Yamaha through the corners. He would not believe me when I told him he was drifting. I had to show him a picture to prove I was right. The smile on his face told the whole story. The last exercise of the day is a water crossing. Again, I don’t think I have ever been on an adventure trip where there is not some sort of water crossing. I think route masters plan routes to make sure you go through water. I know I do. The scary thing about water is that you cannot see what is underneath. So it’s a leap of faith. You have to trust the bike and your skills. You also have to look where you want to exit, otherwise you will be picking up the bike in water. That’s also fun, but it’s more fun to get through. Around 11 the course wraps up. The group of students gathered around the table at the training centre where they each received a certificate stating that they successfully completed the “Intermediate Weekend Course”.
Who should do this course? Well, you should. Even if you have been riding for many years, it’s good to learn and understand the science behind it and improve your riding skills. If you are a beginner, you will start your riding career by doing things right, right from the start, which means there will be no bad habits you have to unlearn later. It’s even helpful for more experienced riders to sharpen up and be reminded about the basics of riding. Trust me, we can all do with a bit of training and Country Trax is one of the better places to get it. You can find them online at www.countrytrax. co.za you a better and safer rider. I’m not mad about the complex variety of rider modes, but they work and you should take one for a test ride. KTM 890 Adventure This is a serious off-road machine. It’s nimble, light and fast as lightning. It carries its weight low, because of the fuel tank wrapping the engine and is therefore very stable in all riding conditions. Definitely the most off-road capable bike on the course. It had no problem keeping up with the larger bikes on tar back to Johannesburg. It might be the best of both worlds bike we are all looking for. The Bikes There were two Yamaha XT1200Z’s, a BMW GS Adventure, Honda Africa Twin with the automatic gearbox and a KTM 890 Adventure on the training. They are all very capable bikes, but also very different bikes. Yamaha XT1200Z It’s coming to the end of its production run of 12 years. They are bulletproof and can handle anything you throw at them. It’s heavy and not really built for highly technical stuff. But if there’s a road, no matter how bad, the Yamaha will get you there. You will run out of talent long before it runs out of ability. BMW GS Adventure This is the bike that started the craze of large adventure bikes way back in the previous millennium. The current model is loaded with electronics and rider assistance. They outsell all other adventure bikes in South Africa and the rest of the world. It’s big, heavy and expensive, but still the bike riders dream to own. It’s that good. Honda Africa Twin A serious contender in the adventure market. The one on training was the automatic version. You think you don’t like it until you start getting used to it. It works and coupled with the bike’s traction control makes bmw tyre pressure sensors call for pricing and availability quality motorcycle parts, accessories and riding gear heidenau ranger & motoz tyres available call for pricing and availability www.offroadcycles.co.za air flow jackets spartan desert air jacket available call for pricing and availability octane adv jackets available your SPRING adventure starts here Oxford adv jacket call for pricing and availability call for pricing and availability 22 blesbok ave, koedoespoort industrial, pretoria - 012 333 6443
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Dirt & Trail SEPTEMBER 2022

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