Off-the-beaten-track, down a little lane on the edge of the Hafren Forest, the Jones family have been showing mud-loving bikers what enduro and adventure bikes are all about for over three decades.
Ten-time British Enduro Champion and eight-time International Six Days Trial Gold Medallist, Geraint Jones first started offering enduro training back in the mid-80s, making use of his specialist set of skills back at the expansive family farm. He'd found a winning formula, and in 1994 Yamaha wanted in on the action. The Yamaha Off-Road Experience was born and over the subsequent years they've hosted thousands of riders of all shapes, sizes and skill sets looking for their off-road fix.
Nowadays, it's more likely you'll be looked after by his sons Rowan and Dylan - both seriously handy riders, with the gold medals and trophies to prove it - and their small but mighty team of bike-mad blokes with decades of racing, teaching and spannering behind them.
The bikes have changed, too. Back in the day it was XT500s and DT125s, then it was Super Ténérés and WR200s, and now you've got your pick from a whopping fleet of WR450Fs and WR250Fs and Ténéré 700s, including the new, specced-up Extreme.
Having heard nothing but good things from our pals who've spent a day or two exploring with the Jones, we decided it was about time to head west ourselves and see what all the fuss was about.
THE OPTIONS
ONE DAY TOUR £320 with bike and kit hire / £120 with your own bike Tuition in the morning before hitting the trails
TWO DAY TOUR
£550 with bike and kit hire / £220 with your own bike Day one's the same, but on the second you'll head off for a proper 150-mile adventure across the best trails and Tarmac Mid-Wales has to offer.
THREE AND FOUR DAY TOUR
Denne historien er fra September 2024-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra September 2024-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
