[Mad Mac]

A BMW GS pilot on his way to Central America told me that when I asked him about off road tires for my F650. He may be right.



Today, I tried my new old 2001 on a county road for the first time. Occasional hard packed red clay and gravel separated by hundreds of yards drifting blow sand parted by truck tires, the TW veered luridly right and left as I kept the power on. Uncomfortable standing, my butt was light in the saddle while my weight was loaded on the pegs. Quite nerve wracking. Asphalt never looked so good.



You are all my heroes, but tell me, will I ever be able to relax in the dirt?

 

[lizrdbrth]

Yes.

 

[mekdad]

Dirt can be spooky at first,but it gets better. Just keep the front tire pointed in the direction you want to go.

 

[Omega Man]

Sure....You didn't mention your age, like a lot of things, easier to get used to when your younger (IMO). If you get a chance to pick up On Any Sunday You can watch Malcom Smith, Mert Lawwill and Steve McQueen do it about the best. I've never seen anyone ride like Malcom Smith-nice and loose and focused. OM

 

[mtkd]

I am right there with you, I just started on the dirt when I got my TW. I am still pretty uncomfortable on the dirt, but I can already see where I am improving and I feel like I am able to move faster as I spend more time in the dirt. Try putting a foot out when turning, helped me tons.

 

[elime]

Back in the good old days when helmets were optional, insurance not required and you only needed to be 15 1/2 years old with a learners permit. And gasoline was 25 cents a gallon for regular and it was 92 octane.

 

[Rainman]

Dirt is getting easier for me, while sand is very difficult. Practice makes perfect!

 

[old mad max]

A BMW GS pilot on his way to Central America told me that when I asked him about off road tires for my F650. He may be right.



Today, I tried my new old 2001 on a county road for the first time. Occasional hard packed red clay and gravel separated by hundreds of yards drifting blow sand parted by truck tires, the TW veered luridly right and left as I kept the power on. Uncomfortable standing, my butt was light in the saddle while my weight was loaded on the pegs. Quite nerve wracking. Asphalt never looked so good.



You are all my heroes, but tell me, will I ever be able to relax in the dirt?

X2................. 6 years ago my wife and were verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry frightened of back roads. Now we seek them out... P.S. Still don't like loose sand... Yuk. It will become more fun as the miles go up. Have fun.. And don't get to cocky. (o; OMM.

 

[Kankujoe]

Riding my TW on dirt & gravel has really helped me handle my Versys off road. The TW is alot more forgiving and easier to throw around which helps build confidence and dirt skills. Plus it is alot of fun & not such a big deal if you occasionally loose it.

 

[lower al]

I have not rode my versys off road much just in our pastersan afew dirt roads.Thats where the tw comes into play

 

[qwerty]

Learning to ride dirt on a 650 anything is kind of like learning to shoot with a .458 Weatherby. You'll develop a severe involuntary flinch and suffer a lot of pain.



Your BMW friend is wrong about the tires. Knobbies work much better on pavement than street tires do on mud, sand, and gravel.

 

[r80rt]

I grew up riding on Arkansas gravel roads, pavement freaks me out.

 

[qwerty]

I grew up riding on Arkansas gravel roads, pavement freaks me out.

For real. I grew up cruising the gravel roads of rural areas across the Southeast, from Florida's endless sand to Georgia's slick red clay to the Carolina's broken granite and Tennessee's bottomless silt. I find riding pavement stressful, what with always being on the lookout for patches of oil and grease, glass, mufflers, and road gators.

 

[r80rt]

For real. I grew up cruising the gravel roads of rural areas across the Southeast, from Florida's endless sand to Georgia's slick red clay to the Carolina's broken granite and Tennessee's bottomless silt. I find riding pavement stressful, what with always being on the lookout for patches of oil and grease, glass, mufflers, and road gators.

I've toured all over the USA on BMW's and had a ball, but back roads rule. If you want to see America, get off the pavement.

 

[elime]

Knobbies work much better on pavement than street tires do on mud, sand, and gravel.

What QWERTY said.

 

[small's]

You have to loosen up a bit when riding dirt/gravel. One of my good riding buddies runs 15-20mph on gravel while on his klr and it scares the pooh out of him because he white knuckles the grips which makes everything worse. I can run 40-60mph on a sv650 with street tires with no problems. The front may wander around a bit but thats gonna happen and trying to fight it magnifies the problem. Going to slow can sometimes be a bad thing. Good luck.

 

[bcscammell]

You are all my heroes, but tell me, will I ever be able to relax in the dirt?





[/quoteDirt yes, sand, maybe. Wet pavement with knobby tires, never.

 

[small's]

Thats all up to you! 38 special said it best.. "just hold on loosely but dont let go"

 

[TWappalachia]

You know what's great about the dirt too? Some bonehead in a pickup tuck won't pull out in front of you......

 

[qwerty]

I've toured all over the USA on BMW's and had a ball, but back roads rule. If you want to see America, get off the pavement.

Well put. I wouldn't want to take a BMW to the America I've seen. Too much like work.

You know what's great about the dirt too? Some bonehead in a pickup tuck won't pull out in front of you......

Under-estimating the lack of intelligence of a bonehead in a pickup tuck will get you killed. I've been run off of trails 3 times by boneheads in pickup tucks, about 10 times by bonernoggins in Jeeps, about 100 times by peniscraniums on 4-wheelers, and once by a riderless dog sled.