Adventure Begins Where the Pavement Ends

Tips for transitioning from street to adventure riding

- By Bill Dragoo

MY Harley-Davidson Dyna Glide sat clinking as the engine cooled, tucked MY behind a giant round hay bale, hidden from sight. It was a scramble getting to the campsite through tractor ruts and soft Kentucky soil. Maybe this wasn't the right bike. It was time for a change.

ADV riders are the chameleons of the two-wheeled culture. The ADV community represents virtually every discipline of motorcycling, and an accomplished adventure rider can move from one to another as easily as switching electronic ride modes by touching a button on the handlebar. But entering the arena as a street only rider can seem as cumbersome as climbing stairs on a tall and heavy BMW R1250 GS Adventure, which actually is possible with a little practice and a whole lot of commitment. And it's worth the effort.

The hay field incident wasn't my first foray off pavement nor was it my first rodeo as a dirt rider. Years previously, I had learned that the most predictable change when leaving the pavement was the unpredictable nature of traction. We typically move from a high to a low traction environment. Doing so dictates the need to rearrange our riding habits. Here are a few tips to help ease the transition.

Tip #1 Master the Triad