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I just bought a 2017 GS Adventure: what’s a good training place for dirt riding a big pig?

echo7tango

echo7tango

Road Warrior
Joined
Jul 19, 2005
Location
SFBA CA USA
Moto(s)
None right now. Sold, June 2021.
Name
Roy
I’m a street rider with very little (okay pretty much none) dirt riding experience. What dirt training is near San Francisco specializing in taking big pigs like this 600 lb GS Adventure off road?

I’m 64 and retired so please don’t point me to a trainer that will beat the sheet outta me. :) Thanks in advance.

PFA
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Highly recommend the advise given to me by @OaklandF4i at a stonybarf, go get a light dirtbike and ride the crap out of that. It will make all the things you do on that thing seem more natural. Its a lot cheaper and safer to drop a 200lb bike then a 450lb on going twice the speed....

But if you are stubborn like me go find a piece of desert wash with deep sand and try riding that! It will teach you to 'plane out' (technical boating term because thats what the bike turns into in deep sand) the bike and steer with the pegs! GL

P.S. Nice bike!
 
Take your bike to Carnegie Park. Stay in the flat ride all the flat. there’s a pretty long whoop section ride. just roll it get on the MX track and roll it.
 
Black Swan, Rawhide, Lance Thomas, etc etc. Join the BMW MOA NorCal and you’ll get lots of info on this, both from the NorCal chapter as well as the National MOA office. They offer access to training from BMW at discounted rates, education reimbursements, and regular rides that can include offroad stuff. Also the members have lots of experience with various offroad trainings. The 49er rally in May offers offroad clinics and opportunities to practice on group rides.

These big bikes are a blast in the dirt once you learn a bit about how to handle them. They *will* do almost anything - the only limiting factor is the pilot.

PS - before you spend a bunch of money on training, highly recommend spending money on good kit. Proper ADV riding boots and armored suit is where you want to start. Your bike already has good crash bars on it, so that’s ok to start with. Depending on how comfortable you are with your bike’s ergos when standing on the pegs, I’d also recommend lever bolts for the handlebar clamp. If you’re tallish (I’m 5’ll”), they make it easy for you to swing the bars up when you’re going to go off-roading and standing on the pegs a lot. No tools needed, just loosen the top clamp bolts, swing them up, tighten them back up - 30 second job.
 
that is a pretty motorcycle ... love the white/red/black. :thumbup

looks like you have the most important thing dialed ... coffee! did the thermos come with the bike? :ride

wrt big bike training, which I need more of myself, one of my goals for 2026 is to join BMW MOA NorCal at finally attend their venerable 49er Rally, and attend some of their riding clinics ... I guess that's where I get most of my riding training these days, at big adventure-type rallies. The other one I like is the ADV n00bs Rally in late March down by Death Valley.
 
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Go out to Carnegie and ride all of the green trails. Follow this link for a map of the area. They should give you one when you pay your entrance fee to get in.

If the bike has an off road mode, switch to that first thing. If you feel comfortable riding the green trails, there are a few blue ones that aren't too tough, but I can't tell you how to determine which is which. It's been quite a few years since I've been there. The attached photo shows all of the trails that I was able to handle in two sessions on an XR650L - basically all of the blue ones. Some of them will be rather difficult on a big GS.

OuUoa8R.jpg
 
Echo7tango, congrats on the new bike! That's a sweet ride. (y)

Learning to ride on dirt, be it a dirt bike or a VERY large ADV bike like the GS ( I too have one,) will involve dropping it. Not "if" but when. No one should delude themselves into thinking or let others convince you other wise. Lay your bike down in the garage, and if you can't pick it up, don't even bother attempting to ride it offroad. That's your first training... and if uncomfortable or unable, consider another approach.

I'm a 56 yr old, 5'11" with a short inseam, and out of shape has been rider. :laughing Been riding motos since my age was designated in single digits. I'm not a pro, not the fastest guy, or even most experienced. But I have ridden many different types of bikes and disciplines, on all the surfaces. I only mention this, not put myself out as an expert..... but because I'm probably closer to your age than many.... with the same bike.... a lot of experience... and may relate to you at "our" age.

Riding dirt, even something as simple as a graded gravel road, requires being comfortable loosing grip and or even sliding either of your wheels at various times. Learning to recover, most often means going to down. No way around it, in my humble opinion. :dunno Some one far younger and in better shape than I might be comfortable attempting to learn those skills on a 500+ pound bike. I wouldn't, today, try to learn it on such a bike. Even with my experience, I tender foot my GS on dirt roads. That's just my opinion.

Schedule a day or two preferably with Brian Bartlow at Feel Like a Pro Dirt in Lake County on his small dirt bikes. You can gain those skills on a bike that's easy to pick up with a pro staff, without dangerous consequences. Only a couple of hours from the Bay Area, and beautiful drive/ride to boot.

IMO, better place to start with a higher probability of success and learned faster, than starting training on your bike, even with a pro. It will directly translate to riding your ADV bike. Then consider training on your bike with a pro after... and get more out of it.

Heck, if you bring your GS, I'd even accompany you on my GS around the many gravel forest roads on a midweek ride in Lake County afterwords.:ride

Just my opinion and experience, others will vary. Enjoy the new bike!
 
OaklandF4i said:
Echo7tango, congrats on the new bike! That's a sweet ride. (y)

Learning to ride on dirt, be it a dirt bike or a VERY large ADV bike like the GS ( I too have one,) will involve dropping it. Not "if" but when. No one should delude themselves into thinking or let others convince you other wise. Lay your bike down in the garage, and if you can't pick it up, don't even bother attempting to ride it offroad. That's your first training... and if uncomfortable or unable, consider another approach.

I'm a 56 yr old, 5'11" with a short inseam, and out of shape has been rider. :laughing Been riding motos since my age was designated in single digits. I'm not a pro, not the fastest guy, or even most experienced. But I have ridden many different types of bikes and disciplines, on all the surfaces. I only mention this, not put myself out as an expert..... but because I'm probably closer to your age than many.... with the same bike.... a lot of experience... and may relate to you at "our" age.

Riding dirt, even something as simple as a graded gravel road, requires being comfortable loosing grip and or even sliding either of your wheels at various times. Learning to recover, most often means going to down. No way around it, in my humble opinion. :dunno Some one far younger and in better shape than I might be comfortable attempting to learn those skills on a 500+ pound bike. I wouldn't, today, try to learn it on such a bike. Even with my experience, I tender foot my GS on dirt roads. That's just my opinion.

Schedule a day or two preferably with Brian Bartlow at Feel Like a Pro Dirt in Lake County on his small dirt bikes. You can gain those skills on a bike that's easy to pick up with a pro staff, without dangerous consequences. Only a couple of hours from the Bay Area, and beautiful drive/ride to boot.

IMO, better place to start with a higher probability of success and learned faster, than starting training on your bike, even with a pro. It will directly translate to riding your ADV bike. Then consider training on your bike with a pro after... and get more out of it.

Heck, if you bring your GS, I'd even accompany you on my GS around the many gravel forest roads on a midweek ride in Lake County afterwords.:ride

Just my opinion and experience, others will vary. Enjoy the new bike!
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Should . I . offer . to . take . him . to . BAJA . now ? (or wait a few weeks? :ROFLMAO:)

@echo7tango take the Brian Bartlow course thats a great option!
 
Also check out the Mototrek channel on YouTube as well as Bret Tkacs' channel. Tons of good info.

youtube.com

MOTOTREK

MOTOTREK: Creating honest, authoritative, entertaining adventure motorcycling videos on YouTube! Riding skills, tips and tech for traveling the world on two wheels on-road and off-road.
youtube.com youtube.com

youtube.com

Bret Tkacs ADV

This channel addresses riding skills, reviews and perspectives critical to becoming a masterful motorcyclist with a slant to ADV (adventure) riders. Knowing I can only train a fraction of the number of riders in the world I share free lessons and advise gained over my 26 yrs as a professional...
youtube.com youtube.com
 
echo7tango said:
I’m a street rider with very little (okay pretty much none) dirt riding experience. What dirt training is near San Francisco specializing in taking big pigs like this 600 lb GS Adventure off road?

I’m 64 and retired so please don’t point me to a trainer that will beat the sheet outta me. :) Thanks in advance.

PFA
Click to expand...
Do you remember Jonathan J. MSF Instructor in Mountain View? He is(was?) an MSF dirtbike instructor. He can help you.
 
Roy you dog, look at that new toy. Your RT is jealous. Does it have a center stand that you can use to shower tailgaters with sparks with? ;)

I can recommend Rawhyde and you would be amongst friends, they love GS's there, but I'd go with at least a bit of comfort level. They lead you gently, but some of the exercises are balance- and control- worthy.
 
echo7tango said:
I’m 64 and retired so please don’t point me to a trainer that will beat the sheet outta me.
Click to expand...
Don't need a trainer to do that. Just routine manhanding the bike can take it out of you.

I did a class on a 200, and, frankly, it was exhausting. Doing stuff on hills, riding it through sand, all of the standing in the saddle, up and down. Totally beat me up. Falling twice didn't help either.

And, of course, the first thing you should try is lowering it in your garage and trying to pick it up. Easier on a GS because of the motor layout and engine guards. But, still, it's a reality you have to face.
 
berth said:
And, of course, the first thing you should try is lowering it in your garage and trying to pick it up. Easier on a GS because of the motor layout and engine guards. But, still, it's a reality you have to face.
Click to expand...
A guy I ride with has an F850GS (still over 500 pounds) that he can't pick up. After the last time he dropped it in the hills and I didn't see it, coming back like ten minutes later to help get it up, he bought some device that can sort of jack it back upright. I can pick up both of my bikes, but it's usually a struggle. It seems that I manage to "practice" that once or twice a year. :laughing
 
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