Hey Everyone! i have always done the off road adv riding whether it be on a fourwheeler, a dirt bike or a dual sport bike. When i found out about the event it was a "MUST DO"! So I just bought a brand spanking new F800GS from MAX BMW in Troy, NY,(3 wks ago) and have been putting the hours on I will be posting my progress on a semi-daily basis and post some pics....I ride in the schenectady, schoharie and surrounding counties if anyone wants to go for a ride. if anyone has prior experience in rallies or most preferably in the previous qualifiers and has some tips/training stuff feel free to share. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-...25755460875297
These past 3 weeks i have been consistently training with slow speed drills to increase my confidence with my F800GS in technical trail situations. Today i was working on cone drills: weaving in between them on flat ground, up hill, down hill, full lock turns, and going horizontally across a hill. it was a lot of fun! and really increases agility and balance on trail. as the days progress i am seeing much improvement and can't wait to put it to the test at the GS Trophy Qualifier in September :)
This is a few days old from another thread i posted: Just completed a 2 hour ride on the dark wet and muddy trails! boy was that fun :) With it being dark my sight was limited and it kept me even more on my toes in expectation of mud pits, drop offs, and big ruts left by four wheelers. Prepared me for the trials as the GS Qualifier will be conducted rain or shine....better to be ready for both!! practiced working through the muddy ruts learned a lot in regards to the balancing and going up over and into the next rut ( gained more confidence in handling the bike in whatever situations I may encounter) Also worked on sliding the bike around corners and just doing donuts out in the fields
My Dad with his GSA 1200 and I with my F800GS, went to Burnt Rossman Hills State Park in Blenheim, NY and did a 3 hour ride where ever the trails led us During our ride a thunder storm hit and a torrential down pour ensued! on some of the trails, what was previously a small trickle became a river lol i had water coming up to my seat (3+ft!!). my bike got a free bath haha The trails that we went on ranged from fire roads to four wheeler type roads over really awesome terrain. between the mud/wash out areas, rocky sections, gravel roads, and great scenery, we both had a great time :)
check out my facebook page for all the pics!! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Senecal/425755460875297
A few of my friends are headed that down that way as well. Don't forget your mechanical skills as well...heard there may be those kind of events as well. Good luck, seems like your on the right track Guessing you may have seen this thread already, but just in case
Yeah thanks for the input....i'll be practicing front and rear tire dismount. i have to buy tire spoons to practice taking the tire off the wheel also. any other stuff i should know?
yeah, like 2up said, it sounds like you are on the right track! Slow speed drills, till you are very confident and have good throttle control and balance, and get to know your bike really well. Do change the tires, and learn how to adjust the chain, suspension, change the fluids, etc. This is my rifle, this is my gun! There are many like it but this one is mine! :lol A positive attitude and an open mind will make up for a lot of deficiencies in other areas, as well They will probably do a bunch of things you might consider only marginally related to motorbikes. Teamwork is more important than individual success. One of the special tests last year was to haft a spear and skewer a target. Another test was to have all three teammates pull a tractor (without bikes.. sort of a strength test) SO you see, some of the specials will only be marginally related, if at all, to motorbikes and riding, and they might focus more on your team's ability to work together. Its a funny kind of event. Sometimes with these qualifiers, if you make it through the bike skill section, they ask a lot of your social media skills, just FYI. They, being BMW will want you to help with their marketing, after all I also, am looking forward to hearing about your progress. Good luck!
Hey Stagehand, thanks for the tips....these past few days i've been hammering out ALOT of slow speed balance and cone drills!! and i have been tinkering around with my bike and getting to know it better. Tomorrow i am headed on a trail ride up by Sacandaga Lake and will be posting how that goes. i am told there will be sand, rock, and dirt terrain to ride around in....def gonna take advantage of practicing in the sand.
I went up by Sacandaga Lake yesterday and went on a 4 hour adv bike ride through countless trails and mud pits :) Thanks to 2upadv, who knew all the trails, i was able to get out on these trails and learn more about how my bike handles. i encountered alot of different riding conditions during the day. One of which was SAND. in my opinion i did pretty good, thanks to watching several instructional videos prior to this, my cone drills and some tips from 2upadv. It's only two more weeks till the qualifier and i am feeling excited and ready to rock'n roll
yeah thats for sure!! Well yesterday and today i spent my time practicing front wheel dismount this weekend i'll be taking the rear tire off also. i have been continuing with my cone drills, and have been really practicing stationary balance drills on my bike. my new thing, suggested to me by 2upadv, is riding along a 20ft 2x4 without coming off the sides. i have had mixed success with that so far haha but i know with a few more days of practice it'll be no problem. Can't wait for next week!!
I have just about got the balance while going across the 2x4 down...been practicing a lot! along with that, i am currently able to balance on my bike for at least 2 to 4 full count seconds (working to be able to balance as long as possible). today i went over mechanical skills...front and rear wheel dismount (pretty straight forward stuff). a new thing i started today was grinding along a log!! i had mixed success with that, in no time i'll have that down. lastly, i am fully confident in my super slow speed driving in a straight line, idk how slow i'm going because my speedometer doesn't seem to move haha still keeping up with my cone drills and mixing it up with different widths, up/down/ sideways on a hill etc etc. as i get closer and closer to the event, i am getting more excited!!
Hey man, i did pretty good...placed 14th. had a great time and met some awesome people. Give me a call and i'll fill you in.
yeah it's pretty good...i definitely learned what to prepare for next time. one of which would be a different tire, instead of knobbys, (more like a trials tire) because it was raining and made all the flat rock on the x5 course slippery as hell where as if i had a trials tire i would've had more surface contact= less slip. all the other skills/ routes i blasted through with either a perfect score or just a point off.
