Common Myths: Faster is Better, Boots, Self Awareness 

Also "As we get older" healing takes a heck of alot longer, another reason why slower could be better than faster...great series!

I wish this series would never end. Also re "what boots do you wear" - I think most people who ask this question know you guys are professionals and just want to wear what you guys wear because they know it will be good.

Been an off-road racer for 50 years. New to Adv riding and Loving it. It's still amazing how many guys get hooked into riding over their heads with their buddies. I tell them it's between You and Your bike, Not the other guy's bike. Great Videos, I'm learning a lot. Thanks!

Love this video. I avoid riding in groups not because I feel the need to show off, but because I feel anxiety about annoying the other faster riders. I should probably just get over that and not care what they think.

These vids are great. I mean, I literally wouldn't change a single thing. The production is great. Sound, image, content, everything. Thank you, safe travels and good luck!

My nickname is "Kevin in the back" for a reason... I go ast my own pace. Famous for the phrase... "go ahead, I'll catch up." Riding within your limits is very important and can be hard sometimes... I think we all have had a moment where we decided to hot dig.... and it went wrong. Lol

Best and most important comment in the whole series: "Being honest with yourself about your abilities and being self aware. Not getting caught up in the bravado of it." So true! Being able to say, "No, I'm not going down that muddy trail," for example, when you are in a group is a huge thing. Bravo!

These videos have been really great - they're making me re-evaluate what I'm looking for and what I'm doing. Thanks guys, keep up the excellent content.

Yay part 3! I'm a relative newb to dirt and ADV. I regularly ride ADV and dual-sports with two very experienced and patient riders. One is a hot-shot and typically runs out front, the other is slow and deliberate. They keep me in the middle with the "slow" one riding a few yards behind me. I learn from both, but slow dude gives me the most feedback, corrections, and encouragement. To his credit, when I ride with just hot-shot, he'll drop in behind me so as to discourage me trying to keep up. Boots: after a scary experience with touring boots on the GS, I splurged on a pair of A-star Toucans. Supportive, reasonably comfortable in hot weather...use them every time I ride the GS. Even so, I managed to break an ankle in them while riding my XRL. I now own a pair of Tech-7 Enduros for dedicated dirt rides.

I've really enjoyed this series so far, thanks a lot for all the great content!

Excellent guys, been riding over 30 yrs, I agree with everything you say. Some good advice.

You guys rock! This is definitely been some of the best advice I have ever heard. In a world where common sense is extremely uncommon, we need more people like you guys. I have been riding for years and a lot of this is stuff I already knew. I have learned more in 3 days of binging your videos than I have in 15 years on the road. Thank you!

Awesome set of videos guys. I laughed when I heard the question from your customer that said he wanted you to build a trail 80% off road. We get that all the time, so could relate! Thanks to you both !!

Thanks for touching this topics! Very important the things you said about speed!

Completely agree! -- Last season I said goodby to the group I rode with! The pressure from behind, dangerous technique and the smart ass comments about being too 'slow' finished it for me. As you indicated they were riding at about 90%+ of there skill level and traction. The thing is, my own brother is part of the group........ no sh*ts given here !!! My safety and enjoyment are paramount. -- 'ride your own ride' regardless of who your with!!!

this is one of my favourite channels..Thanks I appreciate the tips.

You hit it out the park again! Great vids...

This has been a wonderful series! Thank you for putting this together and giving this incredibly practical advice!

So true! Thanks for posting 🤗🤗🤗

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Just remember to ride your own ride and if it is a riding vacation.... relax and enjoy the scenery.

More of this, please. These three videos were excellent.

I've been riding for around since I was 15, 48 years. I grew up on a dirt bike riding a variety of trails and trials style riding. I discovered that these skills crossed over to street riding. But I have met people that their street abilities don't cross over to trail riding. I rode fire trails in Colorado searching for hikers in trouble one year summer. But occasionally rode with groups on vaca on the fire roads. It was fun and required good skills, but I didn't have riding gear, just leather high top boots, jeans, t-shirt and my brain, first aid, and some rescue gear. I did have to jump off a trail down a slope and chase a man tumbling down the mountain. It was quite an Adrenalin rush. I bought the Super Tenere to allow me to take those occasional dirt and gravel roads. But I've discovered that my dirt skills aren't so good anymore. I still don't have the high tech armor. Muscling this 600 pound + beast around on mountain roads and trails seems a bit intimidating now. I also have those friends that run off and leave me. I don't ride fast unless I'm on some desert highway making time. I like to enjoy the scenery and see stuff. I enjoy your articles.

That's why I ride alone at my own paste. It is my time from getting away daily stress. I watch the radar for Sunday weather starting from Monday :) Love the Videos!

Totally true about fast does not equal better. That’s why I recommend most people get a “starter” 250cc to 500cc and ride it for a few years and really try to squeeze out every last bit of performance, then move to a bigger and faster bike. Most riders are way over biked.

'Ride your own ride' sounds a bit cliche these days, but for getting maximum enjoyment while minimising unwelcome and potentially dangerous distractions no single peice of advice has served me better. Great episode, guys. 👍

Probably some of the best advice I've seen on RU-vid. Makes me want to travel to North America / Canada from the UK to learn from you guys.

Great series of videos. Thanks and well done.

I’m really enjoying this info. Keep it coming.

Ride at your own pace and within your skillset and old bones don't heal so well.

Good job on all three, thanks.

Great series!

Life lessons. Thanks for this 😍

Awesome advice guys

I really enjoyed these three vids. Thanks

Another good one!

Riding my own ride is going fast and concentrating on the trail only. Dust cloud? "I'm out for me not them" I think you said. That said, I think it's important to understand others are riding their rides and respect that, too.

"There is no right or wrong; it's just how much risk you're willing to accept." That's classic, and oh-so-true. Refreshing to not be preached at about gear...

SO true! Always ride within your own limits! I am old enough now (50) i don´t have to proof anything to anyone anymore. You have friends that leave you behind? You probably have the wrong friends. It´s as simple as that :o) Concerning boots - i wear alpinestars "Toucan" riding on the street. I simply like the extra safety they offer even without going off-road with my Versys 1000.

Spot on lads.

I really like the way these guys think. I like the music too.

Greetings from British Columbia, Canada. You guys talkin' about gettin' older. Hell! I got underwear that's older than you. Here I am at 77 and just bought my first adventure bike. Goodbye V-star, hello V-Strom. I've heard most of the stuff you are talkin' about before, but I've also picked up more than a few helpful tips from your videos. Can't wait for this Covid Canadian winter to end so I can get out and travel some of Canada's gravel back roads. Thank-you gentlemen.

100% true! Huge thumbs up!

About as good as it gets Gents. Well done.

Superb video & that Brown jacket & gloves looks classic

Great points.

Good job guys!😀

Exactly out to enjoy the adventure it's a shame some don't get it @3.50 :)

Good advice. I had watched RyanF9 talk about groups riding together with different sized bikes.

6:03 I could not agree more. A good % of adventure-geared boots are nothing but comfortable waterproof boots with some support as an afterthought. If you want to go off road, such boots ain't going to do a lot, but neither are they doing much on road. Not saying all of them are like this, but I've seen some of these aforementioned boots and they're a bit-more protective than work boots so popular with the cruiser crowd. Caveat emptor.

Spot on... 👍🏽

Great series of videos and great advice. It does worry me a little that new adventure riders can feel they need to spend a small fortune on gear and bike. Having done Nepal to Scotland on an old BMW in 2000 with bargain basement motorcycle pants, jacket and a pair of solid leather boots (I do spend $$$ on helmets :) ) you had have a great time without spending much.

Great point - I have ridden with people who think skill is riding like a moron in traffic but when it gets to the twisties my cruising ride on my GS leaves them and their street bikes behind. I am not a fast rider, I ride efficiently and safely and use forward observations to make progress safely - i now ride alone most of the time!

Top advice as usual thanks guys also the difference between the fast and the so called slow skilled riders is usually counted in minutes Is all that extra risk worth a minute

Awesome tips.. keep it up

Boy do I agree about speed, I am 63 and I ride a 1200 gs and I find my only complaint it is a little tall for me. I find myself having to slow down as the bike is much more comfortable than my first bike. My first bike sometime in my early 20's was an R69s at 65 it was like doing 95 on 1200. One of my favorite memories was riding through Appalachian mountains early in the morning watching sun burn off the fog, see the folks that lived in little more than shacks. Had I been going 75 on r69 I would have missed the beauty of it all, spend all my time keeping the bike on the road. Please do not suggest a lowered frame as the geometry stinks. Yes, learn to ride scrambles it to a while not to put my leg out. Yes I still stand now and again both for the reasons you suggested an old habit of not wanting to crush my junk or tailbone I may not be as good as I once was, but I am as good once as I ever was NOT

Riding with gear in the mountains as a 250 lb man I definitely found out I need a 2 cylinder over a single on highways. Everything is great until slowly loosing speed, top gear, full throttle going up long steep grades. Hate feeling like I don’t have any control.

Great channel Bret & Paul, I’ve been riding bikes for 45 years & your videos are great for polishing my skills thank you . What are those things around your necks ? Is it like an airbag or something ?

Hello. You are doing well. Good stuff good stuff! I'm inspired, I think you've inspired us all. 😁

100% agree with you guys!! When are you going to come to Madrid, Spain for a training day courses???😉😉💪💪 wish could be posible!! Warm Regards, Luis Manuel.

I've ridden with groups of other bikers and I can't say that I'm very keen - I find that I can't relax because I'm having to keep a close eye on everyone else to make sure I'm either not riding up someone's backside or vice versa. I suppose that it doesn't help that I don't drink alcohol (as in zero) whereas most of the bikers here do - some just a beer or two, some others a lot more - and then they ride! Good video, I like riding at my pace and usually alone.

Brilliant video and tips. If you’re ever in Mongolia, look me up. I’m a 1993 Honda Transalp 600 (oldie but goldie) rider here.

Great topics guys. Theory one is a good rider is a smart rider, a, you have to reach your destination and b, you have to get home again. Good boots are crucial on or off road, full MX boots are great but a bitch to walk around in, adventure boots are easier to walk around in but lack the extra protection, so like all things two wheels it is a compromise. Theory number 3, boots were 2, riding lots of dirt is possible, here in Australia but it does take longer than on the bitumen in some cases, lots of dirt short cuts, but it has to be factored into the trip time, 400 Klms on dirt can take 8 hours, on bitumen maybe 4 and that's in the dry, rain is a whole new ball game. Really enjoying these vids, and enjoy your work on Adventure rider radio Brett. 👍👍

Funny is as the older I get the better I know my skill set and protection level I require for certain scenarios. No matter where and when I ride I rock Sidi Adventure boots, Kevlar jeans, Shoei helmet, season appropriate jacket and the best fitting leather gloves I can afford and the road and weather conditions determine if I can go full throttle balls out back road grin happy lunatic or I need to dial it back and be cautious. Either or, I have, over the years dumped a machine to in many situations and had to get back on and get home. Now I realise there are limits and let my gut and instincts combined with my own experience set the limit.

Excellent series of vids, guys. Congrats and greets from Germany

All good advice, of course. Love the roads - didn't see another vehicle in the whole video! Where are you guys riding here?

That young, need-for-speed, adrenaline rush thing is real - maybe not really good, but real. Now I don’t feel it nearly as strongly as before and thankfully have the perspective to appreciate that. Of course, I had to have a number life-threatening ski and Moto crashes to realize that I’m really not untreatable 😬🤣😬🤣.

I just recently discovered this channel and I love the videos. I'm a total newb here and to the biking world. What are the small black spherical knobs behind the mirrors? Thanks for the response and for making the great, informative videos!

I'm new to adventure riding. I come from a sport bike bike background. Two of the cornering techniques I've used are pushing down on the handlebar I want to turn into or pushing my knee into the turn (pushing into the tank). I'm riding a BMW S1000XR now and doing to light offload (gravel or packed dirt roads) what technique should I be doing to assist the bike through turns offload?

Agreed.... i ride because i like to ride, if someone is going fast then he is not riding, he is just going somewhere.

Can't wait to see you in India!

thanks for all those tips. You talked about the use of ABS while off pavement but what about the use of traction control? I've been riding with guys that as soon as we leave pavement they turn off ABS and traction control because aparently it is better that way. For most of my riding years i drove bikes without such features (like KLR 650) but for the past 16'000 km's I've been riding a 2012 Super Tenere and I never turned traction control off yet (only shortly to see how it feels) because to me it seems that the traction control really helps me, after all i want to keep traction when I go up a gravel hill and not lose it. What do you professionals say about this?

Just subscribed to you all...I ‘m new to the adventure riding scene and really appreciate your videos. Do you offer adventure riding training or can you recommend a training curriculum?

guys i see below you mentioned what sound equip you used for this ride, but do you have any comment on a preferred BT com set up/brand/model for riding in general? (from solo, to pillion, to small group) Thanks.

Hi guys! Great videos, very informative keep up the good work. Im a new rider, and i will be most of the time for now 90% on road - 10 off road, and i put protection as my number 1 priority. So i wanted to buy motocross boots(like sidi crossfire) for most on road/street use, but everyone said to me that im crazy. Do u guys ride in MX boots on street and how does it feel?

Thanks for the video series, I knew some of these but anyway it's really informative. Now I know what piece of gear should I start with, I already have tall boots with adventure styling but according to the producer, they're for road riding. One thing you didn't mention - adventure boots, while not as stiff as motocross, are usually waterproof - or is it simply overestimated? (I've been wondering about that myself, I never avoided road riding in the rain but recently it's really rare, the climate is getting hotter and drier...)

See thats the trouble with getting older LOL. We will tend to weight the risks, think about all the stupid azz things we have done [ survived!]and the consequences ,then question the logic of even rushing and ,thus missing all the scenery on the easy route.. Im liking the conversationsl videos your posting recently, they contain a lot of fire side big thumbs common sense that your best learning from someone else than making the mistake yourself. Make room at the back Kevin :D

It doesn't matter who gets there first so long as you get there safe, sound and without a traffic summons. 👌🏽✌🏽

Somebody should proof-read the captions. Seriously. Every time the speaker said "rider," the word "writer" appeared in the captions.

How does the neck brace affect your riding? Do you always wear it?

I was going reasonably fast at an off-road trail, my friend wanted to go faster....so I let him pass....it last 200 meters...and we had to come back with his new bike, broken :P

I was wondering which boots do you wear?

Nice to see riders who are not total asses. Keep it up. Just because you can go fast doesn't mean you should. I go to the track to go fast(er) and it's much safer and relaxing as you know that you won't have a car pulling out on you and so on.

What model of neck brace do you wear?

I agree 100% on wearing full shelled boots when traveling long off-road distances...after bike broke my leg from crushing it...was wearing full leather but no shell. Stupid

Bret , Paul it's your audio is from the Senna ? or you use another audio recorder

Do you use knee braces for off road trips?

What about the guy who outruns or keeps up with everyone but almost never lays the bike down? That's the skilled dude IMO. Speed matters but only if you're not on the edge.

I used to have a friend like that. Speed was everything for him. He's dead now, and you can probably guess how that happened.

Why don’t ADV bikes have heal toe shifters like cruser bikes?

its always a bit annoying to get told how to do your adventure and how you should behave. and whats appropriate and whats uncool. for example putting the leg out on a gs. i do that. but it has nothing to do with showing off it just feels better. i drive 2007 gs which has no traction control. its really fun to drift out of curves with open gas on tarmac. and the foot out just feels better then. second point. standing up on streets: i do it alot for resting purposes and to get streched as i sit up to 900 km on one day. and of course if the roads are bad or the traffic is heavy its a good thing to get overview. my opinion is: do not tell anybody how he should experience an adventure this is rediculous. and dont laugh over people who are doing crazy things. if they love it let them go. live and let live. you can have the best adventure with a vespa if you like.

do you think DCT bike good for off road??

What jacket are each of you wearing? I’m in the market for a replacement

I pushed my KLR as hard as I could on a weekday by myself. Trying to keep your leg splinted when your foot peg broke off on a tree SUCKS!!!

What jackets do you guys have?

Slightly preachy right. We get it. I wear good boots but I’m not getting giant boots ha.

I like to go fast because it's fun, but I do not consider my self a better rider than someone who goes slower...

Faster on the road usually means 'reckless'.

Yep totally agree on the speed issue. Regarding the boots selection also agree when you're just starting out too. I tend to wear sturdy boots but not necessarily alway motocross style, but you've also got to know your limits and where the pinch points can be when going off road. If you're unsure or inexperienced then totally agree, go with the most protection, but don't over rely on it either. I'm riding a Triumph Tiger Explorer 1215cc 2017 and still on road tyres but virtually go everywhere and any surface. I'll be changing the tyres shortly but suffice to say all adventure bikes are very capable but are just too heavy when it comes to seriously rutted tracks. Although they can still do it but it's a lot of work. All of my riding videos are on RU-vid/RevelatorAlf Cheers. Great Video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-k_aDueReDc4.html

You shouldnt have riden with one hand

Every time your hand leaves the controls you quadruple your reaction time lead buy example stop talking with your hands