Benefits of Road and Off-Road Skills?

[Grib_]

I've done a few years off road in the winter. I think it helps a lot with confidence for slow speed bike handling, but the sliding thing hasn't translated! On mud, slide it till the front loses grip, fall off, laugh, get on again. Not had so much as a mm worth of slide on tarmac on purpose.

[851 Tri Colore]

done a fair bit of off road stuff including a little of sand in the desert here in Oz and yeh it helps a lot when it comes to learning control.
every rider should try dirt before road and it would save lives , mind you if you seen some of the contry side here is Oz you would say im mad riding anything down or up it !!!!
I still have a dirt bike ( XR400R ) and both me and the wife ( TTR230 ) ride the dirt bikes we have regularly.

wish I had my dirt bike when I hit that gravel on the the ST4S a few weeks ago otherwise I might be typing this with a broken arm.....lol

wazza

[Pedro1098]

Couldn't agree more.....

When I was a wee lad, I spent a good few years doing MX in the AMCA. It has given me way more confidence on the road cos' - as Moose says, you don't panic when the wheels lock & slide about.

I had a similar 'moment' on my R1 last year ended up using a grass verge to miss a van that emergency stopped. Not claiming to be a riding God cos'.......

1) It was my fault - way too fast round a blind bend & knew there was a T junction!
2) I suffered major 'ring' pucker also!

But - I think without the off road experience I'd have made a nice decoration on his back door.

So if you need an excuse to get in a field with your girlfriend & get covered in mud - that's as good as any!!

[Nathan Lee]

Agree with most of above, for me its all about time in the saddle, Riding at 75% to give your brain room to think about ways to improve etc. Its easy to go a little stale after a winter lay off. Track days, off road or extended road riding...Its all good!