Quinn Cody’s Off-Road Safety Tips for Adventure Riders

R

RSS Feed

Guest
There are many factors out of our control when riding off-road, so it's important to focus on the things we can control to improve our safety. If you ride off-road long enough, eventually you are going to encounter mechanical failures, injuries and various other problems. How you prepare and deal with the issues you encounter […]
The post Quinn Cody's Off-Road Safety Tips for Adventure Riders appeared first on ADV Pulse.


More...
 
Rider Decisions



Ride in Your Comfort Zone: It's up to you to ride within your comfort zone, even if others in your group are riding at a faster pace. Don't override your abilities, stay relaxed and use good judgment.
It's Not a Race: Never ride faster than 75% of your max speed. You need something in reserve so you can react to unexpected trail hazards.
Warning Signs: Look for the warning signs you are getting fatigued or pushing too hard. Hitting a rock you didn't see, going wide on a turn or bottoming out your suspension are signs that it's time to take it down a notch.
Oncoming Traffic: Always use caution when approaching a blind corner or steep rise you can't see over. Give yourself plenty of time to slow down for oncoming traffic and get over as far as you can in your driving lane. If you can't see around a corner, assume there is a car coming.
Read the Terrain: Look far ahead and read the terrain as you are riding. The landscape can tell you a lot about what's coming up. Look for sloped land and canyons to anticipate water erosion on the trail. If you start to see more rocky hills appearing in the distance, chances are the road is rocky ahead.
 
Rider Decisions.....

I'm not certain if this was ever mentioned or approached as a subject but I've herd so many stories and keep hearing about riders going down and even tumbling over as a result of encounters with dogs, ducks and chickens etc... that I feel it's time to post how to deal with these unforeseen encounters and come out on top (that sometimes literally...)

It involves not doing what comes as a natural first reaction...hitting the brakes and keep braking until you stop or land.

I know it sounds harsh but if your safety and that of your bike is more important to you than that of the chicken, cat or dog that just decided to test your riding abilities (meaning a collision is unavoidable) it is important to hit with your throttle open. Chances also are actually that if you just roll over the animal it will suffer less injuries.

Brake as much and as hard as you can when you see it coming of course (if you have enough time)...BUT...make certain that a few meters before impact you let go of the brakes and hit the throttle, get that front end unloaded as much as possible. It does take a little rethinking but it is the same as you would if a tree truck, rock or truck wheel is in your way. Anything lower then the center of your front wheel can easily be overcome with this technique, sometimes even a little bigger.

Hope this helps you avoid your next tumble...ride safe.:dirtbike:
 
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
Rss RSS Feeds General 0
Back
Top Bottom