Team-BHP - Offroad Riding

Comp No. 128 reporting.

Offroad Riding - Tips & Advice-nyoommmm.jpg

UN and Jayman are understandably disappointed, and so am I. But the thrill that I got from my first rally far exceeds that. ROC 21 has been a complete blast for me. :Cheering:

First of all, I didn't even dream of racing my first cross country rally so soon, sharing the chequered flag with some of the country's best riders. It feels like yesterday when I got the XPulse and UN called me to give me the 101 of off road riding in India. Back then, he was preparing for SJOBA '20.

Out of the 53 bikes that started (and probably the 44 that finished), I was 32nd overall and 9th in the Stock class, after a penalty of 4 minutes.

Just like the other BHPians, the 20% of off road that we got was what I enjoyed the most. On Day 2, during what was probably the lengthiest off road stage (but still had a lot of tarmac), I had a top 20 timing and was overjoyed.

Here's Jayman and I on UN's truck (a slow <2 mins ride to the hotel)

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The XPulse almost didn't skip a beat. On some of the steep inclines, I did feel a slight drop in power. I really focused on my technique this time, and the amount of grip I got with a fresh set of Ralco knobbies on the gravel sections was pretty damn overwhelming. Love this moto so much. On the flip side, it took me all of day 1 to get used to the knobbies on tarmac. Only on day 2, did I trust them enough to go decent fast. Wish I had stuck to Ceat Gripps, only if I knew about the whole tarmac ordeal.

I had borrowed a friend's GoPro and will try to chop up a film soon, now that I'm in complete isolation.

I had a fun 3 days in the hills. Saw some rad bikes, met some of the coolest people and most of all, strengthened my online friendships. :)

Cheers,
Neel

I'm going to turn 26 in 2 days and for my birthday, I decided to get myself better protection. After a lot of research on protection, armor, hard shell, soft shell, breathability - I decided to get myself the Leatt 3DF Airfit Hybrid from LazyAssBikers.com

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My priority was to get something that offers a lot of protection, is low profile, light and breathable. Hard shell armors like the Leatt 5.5 do offer more surface area protection with the addition of a few inches towards the side of the ribs and a kidney belt but they're also quite heavy and lack breathability, also - this is a personal opinion - hard shell armors deal with crash absorption differently than a level 2 armor, the dissipation of impact is something I've personally felt on my body when compared to level 2/soft shell armor wherein the armor absorbs and dissipates the impact without making you feel all that much. Different riders prefer different armors, I found this to be the best one for me.

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The back protector is nice and solid, offers quite a lot of protection w.r.t. length and width.

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The jacket is brace ready, my wallet isn't - yet. Also the shoulder and arm armor inserts are quite nice and with more ride time, the jacket kinda fits to your frame, so I am super excited for the "breaking in".

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The front is very well ventilated and offers decent protection, the rib area is mostly covered for me cause I am a smaller dude, but I can see how this is less protection for someone who's bigger than me.

So, yeah - INR. 25,000. Arrived in 3-4 days, the best part was the unit was from the 2021 stock so I am super glad I got this.

More opinions on ventilation, riding comfort when we get back to riding again. Till then, stay safe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitinkbhaskar (Post 5134317)

Guys need a bit of guidance.

I have observed that my 8/10 falls has always been due to the round boulders on steep incline. Usually the tyre just slips and looses traction. How do you handle such situations ?

Please note I have stock tyres and no knobbies. So looking for tips / technique instead of upgrade suggestions (no more monies :D)

Pic for reference -
Attachment 2198166

Specific suggestion
The slower/more time you spend on the boulder, the more the likelihood you will fall. Just move through it quickly

NEVER LOOK DOWN at the boulder. You WILL fall. Look ahead and pick the right line in advance.

Walk the trail and boulder before advancing.

Knobbies are more helpful, no getting around the fact that your tyres are 80% touring focused and you are trying to do trail riding with them.

General suggestion
You have to pick the right line, and ensure you have ironed out how you balance the bike standing up.

Easier said than done, every boulder is different. Unless we are also at the same spot along with you, nobody will either be able to guide or instruct.

That's what makes off-road so dynamic.

One option is to shoot a picture of a trail from the way up or down. And then present it online and ask for advice on which "line" would be most suitable to take.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitinkbhaskar (Post 5134317)

Don't grip the handlebars too tightly while navigating boulders. It helps if you allow the handlebar to move around a bit and the bike will self adjust if you maintain throttle input and simply look at where you want to go (obviously not at the boulders but you must focus on some other point up ahead).

Cheers,

Jay

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner (Post 5134401)

Specific suggestion
The slower/more time you spend on the boulder, the more the likelihood you will fall. Just move through it quickly.

Yep noted. I need to practice more on such terrains.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner (Post 5134401)

Walk the trail and boulder before advancing.

One option is to shoot a picture of a trail from the way up or down. And then present it online and ask for advice on which "line" would be most suitable to take.

That's a great idea. Will start shooting more pics and share here for advice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth (Post 5134457)

I think vision is sorted. I try to always look further ahead.
Point noted on the handlebar grip.

I feel if I would have crossed this section while standing up it would have been a breeze.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitinkbhaskar (Post 5134317)

Not enough information. The picture you posted doesn't show any round boulders. Why does the tyre slip? Is there sand or gravel on the rocks? Are the rocks themselves too smooth? Are your tyres bald? Is the bike making too much torque? Are you on the brake too hard? Is you ABS working normally?

...

Here's some general comments:

The motorcycle you ride enables you to quite and extent and carries you through certain things, but there's also times where it becomes the obstacle due to the weight or seat height or excess power or whatever else.

As a general statement, know what you're getting yourself into before attempting something. Take it slow and easy. Try easy courses where things that can go wrong are lesser, and build your confidence and technique. Go find a spot where you can practice things relatively safely. And then, put yourself into more difficult situations once you've learnt enough.

For example, when you're out on a ride on a rocky trail or something, find a sufficiently easy patch and go back and forth on the same spot a few times to get a clear picture of how the bike behaves and what you can do to better control it. Once you know what to do, you can use it to deal with harder stuff.

Coming to specifics, riding downhill on bumpy stuff, you're usually better served by going slower. The faster you go, the less control over the suspension you have, and less time to react to things.

Use the brakes to control speed. You don't have to be on the brakes all the time. Roll where it's smooth, brake where things get rough, but limit the speed to a comfortable pace.

I've no idea how the ABS on your bike behaves. But be careful how you apply the front brake. If you lose contact with the ground while bouncing over a rock or something, without ABS, the wheel locks up. If you squeeze the brake too tight over loose stuff, the wheel locks up. The front wheel locking up is not good. I personally prefer more rear brake than front.

Use your judgement to stand up where needed. Stand up to prevent the suspension from bucking you off the seat, from bottoming out, and to position your body weight better for making direction changes while picking lines.

Blip the throttle and slip the clutch to keep traction if you need to.