The SECRET To Riding FAST on Dirt & Gravel Roads on an Adventure Motorcycle 

My fast isn't your fast. Race your own race. If you ride at your limit 24/7, you'll wreck. Good video. I need more Dusty in my life.

Fast enough for me is having enough speed to not get stuck or tip over 😅

If you crash, you’re going too fast if you don’t crash, you’re fine🤷🏻‍♂️

Riding fast is awesome. The keys are only riding what you can see, being excellent on the brakes, and being smooth with the control inputs. ✅😎🔥 Oh, and thumbnail 1. ;-)

My sentiments exactly. I love to ride fast. And fast is subjective to the terrain. 👍🏻

Please leave a comment and let us know WHICH THUMBNAIL IMAGE you clicked to watch this video. RU-vid is testing a new thumbnail feature. Was it: 1: How Fast is Too Fast (bike in motion) 2: How Fast is Too Fast (Dusty standing next to bike) 3: The Secret To Speed (Dusty smiling on bike)

Dusty seems to be enjoying the new bike! 🤘🤓

How fast for me is, how fast am I willing to have a crash and as I now turn 65, how long are the crash injures going to take to heal. What would have been a healthy thump and a few bruises at 30 years old now has much more become the potential to be a shattered hip or shoulder. I still like the speed but I am a whole lot more cautious especially on a road or trail that’s new to me. But that’s just me.

Dusty: I'm enjoying your videos. And congrat's on your company. I had to check with jjustj to be sure you were the same "Dusty" I met at the Four Mile Freakout rides and J's birthday party. Best wishes for you and your business and keep your feet on the handlebars for those subtle inputs. Thanks, Hannda

A couple weeks ago, I came around a blind corner on a dirt road and suddenly found myself staring at the side of a pickup truck, about 20' in front of me. I was on the right and the road was plenty wide for a truck and a motorcycle to pass. However, he had been parked off the left (i.e. 'wrong') side of the road and happened to be pulling out _just_ as I rounded the corner. I was able to slow down just enough to clear his tailgate, but had he been stationary or jammed the brakes on seeing me, I'm only about 70% confident I could have stopped in time and stayed upright. Definite pucker factor. Glad I wasn't going faster. I've ridden this road a dozen times and I rarely pass more than one or two vehicles (often none) so it's all too easy to become complacent. Careful out there!

Thanks! these are so helpful

Thanks for the tips.

You can only ride as fast as you can stop. The faster you go the farther ahead you have to look.

from my modest point of view here from South America, I feel that (almost) all drivers went nuts sonehow after the lockdown. Recently a lady from Germany shared a similar experience. This, imo gives an idea of how fast we bikers should be driving. Thanks for the video!

Norden has the KTM L8c engine, known for catastrophic premature cam wear. All the 790/890/901/990 engines. First valve check always turns out to be 2000,- costs, and 6 months waiting for parts, because all sold engines now fail simultaneously. KTM ignores the problem.

Love riding my Expedition in a similar way! Cheers!

Smooth and steady wins the race.

I keep my sag set light, so I have more weight on my front instead of rear. Front end sticks a lot better on dirt/gravel. Also, I only ride playful fast. My fun is out exploring, not racing.

You're my man ! Cheers from Greece , a T7 lover !

Ahh. Never ride faster than your angels can fly. I train them on a daily basis!

More info on suspension setup and tire selection please!

Suspension travel is the key! If you have enough. Go as fast as you can, when you bottom out, dont slow down....

Backpack is niiice. What brand is that? Thank you.

Deer and bears dictate how fast I ride around here

What armor are you wearing under the jersey?

Care to explain how a conventional fork is more comfortable on a rocky road then a UpSideDown cartridge one? I really mist mis something but i feel way more confident on the latter when speed goed up.

Good line: riding fast any of your input should be subtle. Thanks for your help, Günter/Nürnberg

Hi. Excellent video. What about suspensions setting? I have a Tiger 900 rally pro and the owners manual says the numbers of clicks tha you should use wen you are in sof or hard surface. But I feel that specifications are not correct. What can you tell us about that? Is so necessary to you a different setting of suspension depending of the ground or you use one suspension setting for everything. ?

the moment i have hesitations about reading the terrain in front of me means I am going too fast. adventure bikes need a lot more pre-planning than enduro bikes, speed adjusted accordingly.

That HQ/KTM looks very retro. I kind of 80`design, mixing Suzuki GS 1000 EF and Honda Transalp. I guess, same service costs/issues as the 890?

What is the brand of pants you're wearing?..they look awesome.

And the correct choice of tyres 😅

I’m always on the bars with my feet!!

Never ride faster than your guardian Angel can Fly. I don't do group rides because I can keep up with most guys on gravel but find when they get back onto Tarmac they ride like idiots above their skill level because they have grip and rely on luck, one day a car is going to come around that corner when they are making that risky pass, I don't want to be there to see it.

Cornering on a gravel road with loose gravel scares the shit out of me

Thumbnail 1, nice short video Dusty. I’d add another factor for speed, if the average riders are not at your skill level, and you are not familiar with the terrain slow down on your first pass, maybe increase your speed on your second run

Watches like a “look at me going fast because I know how to interpret the road and ride fast” type of video. I’ve rode fast on competition machinery on private roads with permission. I would never presume to tell anyone how to ride that way, but I would suggest that if you are riding on a public road no matter what the surface you should be riding within the limits of your machine and in full control. Making progress is great if you need to be somewhere quick, but it’s a fools game to think it is the way you should ride at any time other than if you “need” to make progress. If you want to ride faster than necessary then don’t let the world know about it. The half wits will admire it and the good riders will condemn it. I’m sure you don’t need either of the views as you won’t need this. On the up side, I would still stop and help when I found you at the side of the road having let your confidence exceeded your capability ( or your machines capability).

Dusty, I feel you are cheating on that Husky🤭. Get back on a GS please…

i built my skills fall by fall 🙂and i hate full rock roads

Thumbnail 1

Don't drive faster than you can see

Don’t forget if you’re riding fast on trails that walkers are on it is only a matter of time before we lose these great trails. I’ve been on the Pyrenees trails enjoying myself when two tenures tore past me at crazy speeds narrowly missing me coming the other way. Further up the trail on a ledge there were two hikers that I stopped for to allow them to pass. I asked if they were okay and they were really shaken up as they had to jump of the trail so as not to be hit. I apologised on behalf of motorbikes and sated that we are not all the same. They thanked me and continued on their hike. This sort of reckless immature behaviour ended up with this section being closed to bikers. A real shame because of two clowns.

The faster you stop the slower you're going...

Only ride as fast as you are willing to crash

Great shooting and nice presentation, but totally useless information, sorry. I mean no information at all. "Just ride as fast as you feel" - that`s not a SECRET, Captain Obvious.

So where was the secret?? What a clown.

Didn’t tell us much, and didn’t give ‘the secret’…..

Good one Dusty and team! You covered a lot of ground in 4 minutes no pun intended. Good tip on the tire pressure too. 🦶🛵

I found the secret to going fast was to turn the throttle wide open. Seems to work for me.

When going fast, keep feet on handlebars , got it !!

Yuupppppppp.ty