What defines a good adventure bike rider?

[Hardy de Kock]

What about curiosity ? I have always been curious to know what is out there so the only way to find out is to go there 

I guess it would fall under adventure spirit?

[Hardy de Kock]

Some of the best 'adventure' riders I have come across where in the early nineties (1992) in India , people from all walks of life were landing up in a place called Manali waiting for the road to Leh to open up . The passes are snowed over and in summer the road opens for the journey through the Himalaya . Most of the people were on clapped out enfields bought on the cheap from previous travelers who had done the same journey . The riding knowledge was average to sometimes non-existent and the mechanical knowledge down to oil changes and on the side of the road head scratching . Most of the travelers myself included had our first 'adventure' riding experience the day we bought our second hand bikes in the  Paharganj in Delhi , you met them on the road dealing with the intricacy's of broken cables and the like ...   the spirit of these travelers is what I remember the most , there was no matching protective gear - jeans at the most , GPS was non-existent or insanely expensive, helmets hmm well .... I formed great friendships on the sides of the passes up north and the many chai shops through southern India . One thing still stays the same for me , the further into the wild and unknown the greater the connection with fellow bikers , I guess we all understand the exposure adventure biking brings and that is what defines it for me

Sounds as if you had an interesting life so far Shanti

[Dux]

What about curiosity ? I have always been curious to know what is out there so the only way to find out is to go there 

I guess it would fall under adventure spirit?

 

[Sheepman]

Now that its clear that you want to use the experiences of Quest 1 so as to improve on the next adventure, I would think that you are in a very good position to define exactly what is required to be a good adventure rider Hardy. You have seen the movie before with all the actors playing their parts.On the basic premise that all participants have a certain level of riding skills in varying terrain and can master elementary bike repairs and love what nature has to offer, it probably boils down to the persona of the individuals - individualistic personalities and  team players operating in one big team in unity.The management of that aspect alone is probably the most challenging for an organizer like yourself, 

[detour]

There are those adventure riders that will quite comfortably take a solo trip in remote areas, while others will only do it in groups, supported.

There is a huge difference here, as the rider willing to gooi ensame krokkodil needs to be very comfortable with his skill set, and have a lot of trust in his bike.

The groupie, while also fully on an adventure as far as he is concerned, actually often lacks both the above traits, hence feeling safer in a group with support.

Good point. To do serious adventure trips ‘solo’ also requires that the rider be willing to take a fair bit of risk.

IMO the rider(s) need to be self-sustainable for periods of time. Meaning the group carries camping equipment, water food etc for a few days on the bikes. As far as I’m concerned support vehicles are frowned upon when it comes to “true adventure”

[Cracker]

the ability to genuinely and happily interact with local people no matter their social standing

No need to bother about the rest ............. this covers everything ......... and this is your lifeline when you need it ................. smile.

[Jaakmh]

Consistency(riding style, riding different terrain, in groups or alone), Patience (and Tolerance) and a good dose of Logical thinking (and reasoning) will get you through and back Home from any journey or adventure. IMHO

[Kaboef]

To be lekker.

[GRIM]

Some of the best 'adventure' riders I have come across where in the early nineties (1992) in India , people from all walks of life were landing up in a place called Manali waiting for the road to Leh to open up . The passes are snowed over and in summer the road opens for the journey through the Himalaya . Most of the people were on clapped out enfields bought on the cheap from previous travelers who had done the same journey . The riding knowledge was average to sometimes non-existent and the mechanical knowledge down to oil changes and on the side of the road head scratching . Most of the travelers myself included had our first 'adventure' riding experience the day we bought our second hand bikes in the  Paharganj in Delhi , you met them on the road dealing with the intricacy's of broken cables and the like ...   the spirit of these travelers is what I remember the most , there was no matching protective gear - jeans at the most , GPS was non-existent or insanely expensive, helmets hmm well .... I formed great friendships on the sides of the passes up north and the many chai shops through southern India . One thing still stays the same for me , the further into the wild and unknown the greater the connection with fellow bikers , I guess we all understand the exposure adventure biking brings and that is what defines it for me

Sounds as if you had an interesting life so far Shanti

Ride report ?
 

[Kamanya]

I like much of them. Some others?

Have a purpose, a mission, an aimed for outcome, specific box to tick. (even if your purpose is to get lost or dwaal)
Respect for the environment and those that make their living from it. Noise, trash, tearing up the place, trespassing, leaving gates open, etc.
A ride report! Even if you don't publish it, at least take pictures! Memories fade and should be saved.
Smell the roses as often as possible. It's a privileged to be able to do this.
Stop and help other adventure bikers when you can.

[Hardy de Kock]

I like much of them. Some others?

Have a purpose, a mission, an aimed for outcome, specific box to tick. (even if your purpose is to get lost or dwaal)
Respect for the environment and those that make their living from it. Noise, trash, tearing up the place, trespassing, leaving gates open, etc.
A ride report! Even if you don't publish it, at least take pictures! Memories fade and should be saved.
Smell the roses as often as possible. It's a privileged to be able to do this.
Stop and help other adventure bikers when you can.

Very deep thoughts on the "soul and spirit" of the true adventurer. How high in the order do you rate riding skills Andrew?

[eberhard]

Years ago I found these two Frenchies (senior executive officers at major companies back in Paris) stuck in the middle of N(owhere)ata. All kitted out, coming down for the African experience. But they had a flat on the one bike (the other one is not in the picture) and they could not proceed. The valve was broken and Nata didn’t stock nuthin. They were stuck. I had a spare valve (I always carry a few and not the first time I had encountered such a scenario). I quickly fixed their problem and got two well earned French kisses.

[WildWood]

A good rider is a guy that can ride the wheels off a bike.

We are not girl guides

[uaedesertfox]

a Great Adventure Rider ….

Goes fast when he can … and slow when he can’t….

Happily rides at the back of the pack …. but takes the lead when required…

Into the dust we go .....

[Kamanya]

I like much of them. Some others?

Have a purpose, a mission, an aimed for outcome, specific box to tick. (even if your purpose is to get lost or dwaal)
Respect for the environment and those that make their living from it. Noise, trash, tearing up the place, trespassing, leaving gates open, etc.
A ride report! Even if you don't publish it, at least take pictures! Memories fade and should be saved.
Smell the roses as often as possible. It's a privileged to be able to do this.
Stop and help other adventure bikers when you can.

Very deep thoughts on the "soul and spirit" of the true adventurer. How high in the order do you rate riding skills Andrew?

It's more important to recognise your level and be real about that. People who misrepresent or overestimate their ability to their group have caused much kak and tears. Being a little stretched is fine, but there's line beyond where is becomes dangerous or nasty. Women are far more honest about their skills and that then is easy to work with. Guys have an ego, it's an issue.

Sure having some skills is a bonus factor when going a little more off the beaten track. But, if skills were a prime pre-requisite for Adventure Riding, then it would have become a competitive sport.

So I rate awareness of limitations way higher than outright level of skills.

[McSack]

Being prepared to push yourself through situations outside of your comfort zone.
Almost actively looking for those experiences
...within reason of course
You must be able to manage discomfort

Openness acceptance to figuring things out. About your surroundings, other people, your machine and especially yourself

Being able to adapt when things don't go as planned... because often they won't

[JustBendIt]

My choices in what I believe is their order of priority

1. Adventure Spirit - without an appetite for adventure and "get up 'n go gees" you are better off staying at home and watching Long Way Round on TV

2. Vasbyt - things don't always go according to plan ...trying to sleep in a muddy ditch somewhere is not always as fun as you thought it might be ...the reality is far different from the fantasy ... the glamorous pictures and stories from ride reports are often like what I call somebody's "Facebook Life" ... showing only all the good stuff and smiles. It does not help to complain or give up - if the experience does not kill you it will make you stronger.

3. Communication ability - on my recent trip to Kaokoland with Xpat and Straatkat we encountered many Himbas and Hereros who could not speak a word of English or Afrikaans ...we needed fuel, water, food and some rest - spending a few extra minutes opening up and exercising patience we were all soon old friends understanding each other perfectly by hand gestures and body language ...Xpat even left that village with 3 marriage proposals

And my thoughts on the others

Riding skill is important but knowing and accepting your limits is most important - adventure riding is not racing - there is no point exceeding your skill set and end up hurting yourself in some far off place or breaking your bike - things can and do happen in the blink of an eye - ride comfortably on an adventure ride and think

Mechanical ability - at the very least be able to fix your own punctures by yourself with your own tools and spares - does not really matter how long it takes you to do it. If the bike is maintained and prepped before an adventure ride then everything else should be sweet and accept that most major breakdowns cannot be fixed on the roadside with what you have with you (skills, tools and spares) - accept that you may need to be recovered and have the bike fixed elsewhere - and realise this quickly so that you can make arrangements to get out of breakdown spot to repair spot quickly and efficiently instead of wasting time standing around puzzling or attempting to fix something that is beyond you.

Mechanical sympathy - petrol engines need 3 things to perform properly ...fuel, lubrication and cooling - know where and how to check these levels are correct ...super critical on small engined bikes (like my KTM 500 that only holds 1,5l oil and less than 1l coolant) - when one of these 3 things is missing from the equation then shit happens. This comes down to basic prep too and knowing your machine. Listen for strange noises, clunks, knocks and try and identify where they are coming from - don't just twist the throttle more and hope they go away

Packing - you don't need the kitchen sink. Less is always more.

Navigation and general knowledge - have a good general idea of where you are going and how to get there without a GPS ... because if your GPS fails that should not mean the end of your ride. Know how to use your GPS - you would be surprised how many people do not know how to use them ...they only buy them and have them because they see others with them ... classic case of monkey see monkey do

[dirt rat]

To my mind one of the most important aspects of riding is confidence.
The first aspect is self confidence - believing you can cope will make it so.
The second is confidence in your motorcycle - this is achieved by knowing the weak points of your particular bike ( they all have some) and either rectifying it or be prepared to deal with it on the trip.
Experience is what cements above and continuously improves confidence.
Meticulous bike maintenance is key - not only by the dealer but by yourself.

[blauth]

Well Hardy, this just difficult because the obvious answer is 'all of the above' but this is my personal experience...

Ego: I've ridden with lots of lads who have shit loads of bucks but no clue how to ride a bike. They then run off to BMW or KTM and buy a 990 or 800/1200 or something like that. It ALWAYS end in grumpyness on their part. If EGO could be left out of the equation, there would be a lot more happy adv riders out there....this is partly why you okes had such a joll on the CRF250 launch.

Maintenance: I've also ridden with okes who just don't maintain their bikes, have no clue how to repair a puncture (not that they could because they don't have the stuff with them). Even if you do know and have puncture repair kit, sometimes it can still be a bitch.

Time: If you're in a big group, it is like planning a work day, consider it only four hours long. If you're on your own, consider it 6 hours long. Never underestimate the negative power of procrastination.......time planning is difficult because you never know what's waiting for you on-route.

Planning: too detailed planning detracts from the adventure. My best trips are those where I have a destination and a timeframe and nothing else other than myself, my kit and a well prepared bike.

Safety: Safety planning is important ... But unfortunately I suck at that. I never know where the nearest hospital is but I've also very rarely experienced where there isn't someone to be found who is willing to help, especially farmers!!!

What Kamanya said above, respect.


Slow is slow. Fast is dangerous and consistency is progress.

[Hardy de Kock]

Now that its clear that you want to use the experiences of Quest 1 so as to improve on the next adventure, I would think that you are in a very good position to define exactly what is required to be a good adventure rider Hardy. You have seen the movie before with all the actors playing their parts.On the basic premise that all participants have a certain level of riding skills in varying terrain and can master elementary bike repairs and love what nature has to offer, it probably boils down to the persona of the individuals - individualistic personalities and  team players operating in one big team in unity.The management of that aspect alone is probably the most challenging for an organizer like yourself,
[/quote

It becomes very difficult if you are presented with 20 fantastic natural born leaders, all riding in perfect harmony.