Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

If I was a bit of a quitter, and I had a size 26 waist, and I had a trailer, I'd buy a lighter bike. But you know, I wanna learn to handle the man sized one that I've got! ;)

Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

Lighter bike would be easier for you to drag back out of rivers though col... ;)

Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

That's what I take Phil along for ;)

Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

This place in Wales is brilliant and not too expensive

http://www.yamaha-offroad-experience.co.uk/

Excellent instructors and they have 10,000 acres of woodland (used in RAC stages) at their disposale. Beats going round a little track.

The instructors are top riders but very friendly and funny. They will make you ache for days though. My daughter (14) was given a free afternoon (only paid for intro) as they thought she was a natural. Nice gesture and she loved every second of it.

The bikes are well prepped and less than a year old and you have flat fields as well as 45 degree rocks and everything in between for whatever level you are.

Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

Yup I have indeed - first time was the full 2 day course paid for by my MD - thanks! :D

I enjoyed it so much I went back and did the "Day in the Dirt" and paid for myself.

I used a 650 XChallenge the first time I went which at the time was their equivalent to a DRZ400 really - I had zero off-road experience and had a whale of a time! The Walters Enduro Park is quite a daunting place to learn really as if you end up in a group of fairly capable people as I seemed to be then the stuff they throw at you got tougher and tougher! Simon Pavey admitted to us that some of the rutted and sloped areas we went down we more Level 2 or 3 rather than Level 1 - scary stuff some of it! You find yourself getting dragged along with all the others in your group - "if they can do on the same bike then so can I" was the kind of attitude I adopted.

I went back a few months later for the Day in the Dirt and decided to try a 650GS - it was ok but I caught the sump guard so many times I lost count and the long first gear made long steep descents interesting to say the least! A major disappointment though was our group was not as strong so the riding was much tamer :( It was still ok but the terrain was nowhere near as challenging - hey ho I guess that the way it goes with group events like that.

All in all I would thoroughly recommend it - certainly a great introduction to off-road riding :thumbsup:

Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

I need to wait until my heel is fully recovered, only been 7 weeks since the operation and really I should have spent the 5 weeks since I came out of plaster in of of those big plastic boots but instead I promised to take it easy - then realised that I am incapable of doing that.

I promised my physio - who is also one of my best mates - that I absolutely definitely would not do anything this year that would result in surgery. After 2 lots of back cortisone injections in 2008 and 2009, breaking my elbow in 2010 then having a bone spur removed along with a big part of my achilles in 2011 he is understandably sick of the sight of me.

So anyone know how many broken ankles and collar bones you get on average at these sort of events?

Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

I have only 3 days experience of it but I saw one air ambulance for a big spill and one dislocated shoulder - so yes - you need to be prepared that you might get hurt!

Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

I wanna do something like this too. I could definitely rope a couple of mates in. I had a 125DTR as my first bike and we used to do some cheeky greenlaning around where we lived. Came off once and was about 2 inches away from impaling myself on a sharp wooden stake someone left in the ground. But overall it was a wicked time I want to repeat. I would say it's gotta be worth the money, and if anyone from my neck of the woods is up for one, I'd definitely tag along.

I wouldn't want a 1litre though. You just don't need a lot of power unless you're skilled enough to use it. Rookies would find even a 250 plenty and a lot easier to pick up.

Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

A few guys on the days I did were using 1200GS' - way too big really but they still went all the places we did - although they did fall off a lot more!

Re: BMW Off road centre - anyone been?
 

I think everyone came off their bikes at some point when I did it. No injuries except for a lump on my father in laws collar bone which is still there. It was the most fun I've had on two wheels