The Loose Stuff

Riding off tarmac is easier than you think

- Abhay Verma

I’ve spent a lot of time riding adventure tourers this year, with the best experience being the trip to the Mustang Valley astride the Royal Enfield Himalayan. It helped me acquaint myself better with riding off-road, since there was no tarmac for the better part of the 10-day ride. So this time, let’s talk about the basics of riding off-road.

Understand the surface

When riding on the road, the surface you are riding on does not vary a lot. You might hit a stretch of broken tarmac or have gravel or oil spillage but the surface does not really change beyond that. However when riding off the road, the surface on which your motorcycle’s wheels are rolling on is changing constantly on most occasions. So you need to be alert all the time and focus more on changes in the trajectory of the wheels as you move forward, and also make steering changes accordingly if required, to ensure you are going in the intended direction.