10 Things you need to know before off-roading on bike

Though it seems to bear an extremely cool and fun quotient, but riding a motorcycles has never been an easy task. Yes, keep that basic day to day motorcycling, which we in normal sagacity term as ‘commuting’, aside and you will come to know what I mean to convey. The real essence of riding comes in effect when you head past those straightforward terrains, and deal with the rough edges of this particular hobby. Riding in night, riding on hilly terrains, riding or crossing a shallow river, riding through wet sections of ghats - then you notice what all challenges the machine can face and what all skills you have to play with it. And in India, there are plenty of such challenging terrains to ride on - including the pothole filled roads coming in your way of daily commutes fall under this category. So, to deal with all such conditions, here is a comprehensive write-up to how to adapt your riding style equally for both normal and extreme riding conditions:-

1. Be cautious and aware of the place you are heading -

Riding in off road conditions means encountering with the most obvious deterrents - potholes, gravels, speed bumps, etc. Sometimes, we have the urgency to pass over them regardless of the speed and mechanical condition of your motorcycle. All you do is - pass over them, nothing will happen and let face the conclusion, if something happens. (The popular hindi idiom - “jo hoga dekha jaega!”. That’s not the right way to deal with the things, as the bike may not be as intelligent and prone to adjustments and environmental conditions as you. There are few important considerations which you need to make when you hit the road, and for those, your eyes play the pivotal role. Always be cautious and use your eyes to inspect what kind of terrain your wheels are going to face ahead. Constantly check the terrain by monitoring your motorcycle’s speed. But that doesn’t mean to lock up your vision on ground or gaze at some random pothole continuously, as that may lead to disastrous distraction. Keep manipulating your vision with the speed of the motorcycle and if a deterrent such as a speed breaker or a pothole, make use of the throttle action and brakes simultaneously to move over the rough patches with ease. If not done so, speeding over the pothole and bumps may hamper your suspension and wheels and damage them badly. Judge the smooth patches surrounding the potholes or speed breakers and direction your motorcycle towards those patches, so that you can pass over them easily. In short words, keep a ‘wide angle view’ of everything in front of you, rather than fixating your vision on a particular patch and gazing on it. This will also help you in keeping check of the stray animals and the rest of the traffic ahead and sideways of you. Your motorcycle’s rear view mirrors also prove to be handy in such conditions, so it’s better to keep them mounted rather than removing them.

2. Need for speed -

Conventionally, it is believed that the slower you go, the safer you reach. But there are times when you see an empty smooth lane ahead. In such a case, you may twist the throttle upwards, but be sure to be confined within the speed limits. Also, it is a natural tendency to shut the throttle off, when we see surface adorned with sand and loose stones. In such a case, instead of completely braking and shutting the throttle off, gently control the throttle and try to pass over such a surface with a constant pace. If you sense that your bike is twitching or moving around, keep increasing the throttle a bit more in a gentle way, and not in an aggressive and speedy manner. Once you pass over such a surface, you can set your throttle action back in the normal manner in which you were riding erstwhile. Just remember - the stability of the motorcycle you are riding hugely depends on your forward motion and your handlebar actions. Monitor the speed and direction in a balanced manner, if you hit a rough section of the road. A constant motion keeps your bike stable and balanced. You can increase the speed, but not a by a huge margin which can lead a damage to the underpinnings of your motorcycle. Maintain the speed of your motorcycle so that you remain stable and maneuverable just as when you ride over a smooth patch. Reducing your speed completely may result in loos of balance and increase in panic, especially if you are new to riding. Be sure of the verges of the road, and make sure that they are devoid of bushes, small trees and stray animals, so that they do not hamper your constant motion over such bad surfaces. Also, make sure that you are in the right gear when you glide over the bad patches. Select the right gear, which has the ability to keep you in the right powerband at such speeds. Since moving over rough patches do not require high speeds and you pass over them in lower speeds, select a gear which can make your bike stable in the bottom end of the power band, preferably first or second gear. In this way, you can gently play with the throttle as you wish, without changing the gears in a hasty manner.

3. Lean forward -

Sometimes, it becomes a panicky situation when you observe a gravel filled surface or loose sand, especially if you are a new rider or are heading towards such a surface with a very high speed. Out of the panic, you may lose your balance, with your arms going stiff or recoiling of your body, which is not a desirable behavior if you are riding. To meet and face a challenge, you need to encounter it with an eye to eye attitude. Instead of panicking, feel confident and comfortable enough to face it just like another normal condition. The best way to inspire riding confidence is to have a riding posture of leaning forward. In such a posture, all you need to do is grip the tank contours tightly with your knees and thighs, bend your arms a bit, move your butt forward, bend yourself a bit forward while pushing your shoulders in-front and be sure-footed in making spontaneous steering changes. But remember not to transfer your full weight on the handlebar by aiming your weight towards it. This will lead to uncomfortable maneuvering. While bending your arms forward, keep your elbows wide as well. Instead of transferring the weight on handlebar, put all the force on the foot pegs through the ankles of your feet. This proper weight transfer will result in a motorcycle with you as a rider a unified entity, according to which your body weight becomes a considerable part of the front wheel of your motorcycle. While riding in such a posture, be sure to keep your upper body relaxed so that you can move it easily. Also, don’t pull the handlebar while riding - it’s task is just to steer your bike.

4. While cornering, keep the bike upright -

A rough surface or patch is not at all a right territory to conquer over your riding and handling skills. Such a surface is not an arena to master your counter steer and leaning abilities on a motorcycle. So, while on such a surface, be gentle and wise enough to ride safe and calm. Keep you motorcycle as much upright as possible. The tyres of your motorcycle must be at angle of 90° while passing over a rough patch. You need to keep the speed of your motorcycle constant, and in such a case, you need to keep your motorcycle upright to maintain the optimum balance. While you learn to master the art of balancing your motorcycle, you may tinker with the handling once you rise the speed. Bu that should be done with a proper application of downward force on the foot pegs. This will help you to maintain the balance by keeping the motorcycle firmly on the road and prohibit the centrifugal force to throw the wheel outwards. There is a trick to it - you can stand with your weight on the outside foot. This ensures your agility and stability while leaning. Though this trick needs practice and demands experience.

5. Braking -

While you are riding on an off-road terrain, you need to have a ‘patient braking’. What it means is, harsh braking may lead to nervousness and imbalance on the motorcycle, which is not a good sign. Firstly, you should keep the theorom of ‘slow in and fast out’ while approaching a corner with a difficult patch. Be clear of your vision ahead of you, investigating the problematic areas. Instead of having an aggressive approach, have a defensive mind setup. Synchronize your handlebar movements with the gearshifts and brake movements you make, because these are the components which give you the stopping power you demand on witnessing such a condition. Also, while riding on a sand, the condition of rear wheel locking is not a problem as it is while you are riding on a smooth road. You can progressively apply the front brake in case you need extra braking power. As soon as you sense the signs of locking of rear wheel, you can ease the brakes off. Though in initial stages when you are preparing yourself to ride like a pro, on a smooth surface, try to make use of the front brake only, while on a slippery one, imply the rear brake.

6. Pressure on the foot pegs -

While riding a motorcycle on rough surfaces, the physical theory which becomes crucial to keep yourself stable on two wheels is your ability to transfer and distribute your weight on the machine. In such a case, the pressure which you apply on the foot pegs comes into account. When you stomp on the foot pegs, such an action can provide considerable amount of leverage which aids you in juggling around the potholes and bumps when you are riding on a narrow but straight path. The action of stomping on the foot pegs makes the single unit of your bike plus you on your bike a lighter entity, which helps a lot in your maneuverability. As an additional information, this trick of stomping can also be applied to improve your cornering skills. All what you need to do is stand on the outer footpeg while entering into the corner, which will prevent the rear wheel from sliding out.

7. Riding in mud -

Like every grueling task, trailing over a mud-laden path is not at all a convenient task or optioned with a short-cut. This task takes a full favor of your feet, as you may need to move gradually by complementing your feet movements on the ground while moving forward. Also, while traversing through a shallow mud path, you can balance yourselves by standing up on the bike, by keeping the weight of your body backwards in the direction opposite to that of the front wheel. If your bike is blessed with enormous amounts of power (usually in case of bigger displacement bikes), you can blast through such shallow mud paths on higher speeds, though it needs precision and experience. But if not, you can maintain a constant pace and move ahead by maintaining right body balance. Be ensured to check the cooling system of your motorcycle before riding on such terrains, as there are chance of overheating of your bike due to the constant amount of slow riding and lower gears. While being on a ride, constantly check if the cooling fins/radiator of your motorcycle is not caked with mud.

8. Handling bad patches of roads -

When you look ahead, you are able to sense and judge a worn-out patch of the road surface before you actually ride through it. This is what gives you a signal to slow down your pace. This action gives you enough time and space to gently ride through such a bad section, provided you have no other option in case of lack of smooth patches around it. In case you find that your motorcycle is moving around a bit, you have the option of increasing your throttle, which will help you gain the traction and steady up the balance. Also, if the road surface ahead of you begins to become more radical, you may push yourself downwards on the foot pegs harder, thus allowing the bike’s suspension to work freely by relieving your weight on it.

9. Be friendly with your bike’s rims -

Apart from the suspension unit of your motorcycle, the wheel rims are the components which get hurt the most when your bike is thrashed upon a rough surface or any kind of obstacle. The wheel rims are not so sensitive with a delicate demeanor - they are prone to a damage the most. If you glide over a bigger sized pothole with a higher speed, chances are that your bike suffers a puncture or breaking or bending of rims. On one hand, the conventional spoke wheels with a tubed tyre has the capability to bear shocks with a mild buckle, while on the other, the alloy wheels with tubeless tyres have not that prowess to cope with the obstacles, as the seal which is present in between the rim and tyre gets broken out. Thus, the rider must pay a bit of attention and care towards the wheels while riding. Before setting out on a ride, check the tyre pressure to be ensured that the motorcycle will be able to move over the rocks easily and reduce the impact on wheels by a considerable margin. You can take care of wheels while riding by adjusting and moving your body backwards when you are about to hit a rock or rough surface. If you are aware of the fact that you are going to ride on a surface full of potholes or stones or any other kind of obstacles, inflate your tyre pressure by about 25% more than the normal.

10. Crossing a river -

This is a task which requires double or more than double the amount of precision and efficiency while you cross over a pothole or stone filled roads. While crossing a river, make use of the momentum of your motorcycle to move ahead with ease. If you sense that your motorcycle is bucking on either side, gently increase the throttle so that your motorcycle remains upright. Also, before crossing a river, investigate the flow and depth of the river. After being ensured of being safe, select a point on the opposite side of the river, aim it and ride towards it. If you find it smooth and comfortable, choose the same pattern or direction if you are returning back to your destination through the same river. If you sense that the river bed has an uneven surface or depth, remove the heavier luggage (boxes or bags) from your motorcycle. Be aware of where the intake manifold of your motorcycle is positioned, so that you may be cautious towards entry of water inside it. If the level of water reaches closer to the intake manifold, it is advisable to switch off the motorcycle. But in any case, if water reaches inside of it and your motorcycle turns off, instead of restarting it back, allow it to dry for a few minutes, as restarting the bike may lead to damage of the starter motor. Also, deflate your tyres a little to avoid punctures due to the pointed stones present beneath the flowing water.