Garrahan Off-road Training at Carnegie SVRA - Wisetrips Travel Blog

Since selling my Honda CRF250R in December 2016, I have not ridden any dirt bikes for a few months (the constant rainy weather did not help).

I decided to refresh my off-road motorcycling skills with Brian Garrahan. I enrolled in his Intro to Dirt class with Garrahan Off-Road Training for a one-day seminar at Carnegie SVRA.

I have only visited Carnegie SVRA once before, so I was unsure about the quality of trails and hoped Brian would take me on a few rides.

I got up early in the morning, around 6:30 am, to get ready to drive the minivan to Carnegie. On the way there, I stopped by to pick up a turkey bagel and muffin for breakfast and lunch.

I arrived at around 8:40 am at the Carnegie SVRA (it was a one-hour drive with almost no traffic). Brian was setting up all of the dirt bikes and unloading all of the protective gear. I already had my own gear, so I put it on. Brian suggested I try a bigger bike (I mostly rode a Honda CRF150F in his previous classes). I initially planned to ride a 2-stroke KTM 200, but since it could not be started, Brian gave me a 250cc two-stroke Yamaha (the beast!)

After putting on all the gear, Brian and Jason explained the various techniques needed on dirt bikes. Unlike street bikes, dirt bikes require a lot more body movement, and he showed us how to move our bodies forward during acceleration and backward during braking.

To warm up, we rode the 110cc bike around the track.

We proceeded with more dirt bike drills, learning to brake smoothly, accelerate, slide the rear wheel, and turn the bike.

The two-stroke Yamaha was an exciting bike. It only had a manual start, so it was difficult to start sometimes (and required to be neutral to start, too). It had great power - like a rocket ship - and minimal engine braking (when going downhill).

Here is a High-definition GoPro video I shot of the trail riding at Carnegie SVRA. I had a fantastic time riding and training.

At around 12:00pm, we returned for an hour of lunch, water, and rest. I ate my delicious turkey bagel sandwiches. Two of the other riders - Nick and Artemis- were Russian-speaking. Artemis actually rode his Kawasaki 650 sportbike to Carnegie. Neither had ever ridden dirt bikes before, but they did very well.

After lunch, we continued the series of drills on braking and body shifting. At around 2:30pm, we went for a short trail bike ride. It was a lot of fun!

I ended up crashing on one of the trails, but it was a minor scrape-up (the 1st gear on the Yamaha 2 stroke is quite finicky, and I downshifted with insufficient clutch control).

Here is a GoPro Hero4 video of some of my training rides.



Here are my accumulated dirt-riding notes from this class and earlier training.

1. General Riding Notes
1. Apply front brake, rear brake, and clutch smoothly - no jerky movements (jerky movements unsettle the bike)
2. You should never be coasting; you should be on the gas or brakes.
3. Look far ahead to spot upcoming potholes, rocks, and tree stumps.
4. Pick a line that avoids rocks, potholes, etc. It can be a few feet from the center of the trail
5. Always cover the clutch and front brake with one or two fingers (for better control)
2. Body Position
1. Stand up as much as possible; keep knees slightly bent when standing on the footpegs
2. Squeeze your thighs when riding the bike, whether going uphill or downhill (this helps to control the bike, especially when going downhill)
3. In the attack position, bend the body at the hips, putting extra weight on the front wheel (handlebars) for more traction on the front wheel and better tracking.
4. When holding the handlebars, elbows should be bent (this gives you much more leverage to control the front wheel)
5. Bend back at hips, moving forward to accelerate or backward to brake
3. Turning
1. On a corner, after braking with the front and rear brakes, move the body forward on the gas tank and extend the inside leg (to help move more weight on the front wheel for added traction)
2. When approaching a turn, you should be doing the following: 
• Move your body backward to prepare for braking
• Smoothly apply both front and rear brakes (and clutch) before the turn (to scrub some excess speed), but not so much that you're coasting
• If necessary, shift down to a lower gear
• Squeeze a little bit of clutch to help with the braking (so that the engine is not fighting the brakes)
• Start leaning the bike in as you are completing braking and transfer all of your body weight from the rear to the gas tank.
• Extend the inside leg to put more weight on the front wheel 
• The bike should be leaned over. Turning combines handlebar input, motorcycle lean, and body position appropriate to the speed and terrain. 
• As soon as you are off the brakes, you should be applying throttle and releasing the clutch
• The transition from braking to acceleration should be instantaneous and smooth
• Shift up as soon as possible
3. Control your motorcycle's lean angle with your outside arm (bent elbow) and your outside footpeg.
4. Hill Climb
1. Be sure to have both your toes on the footpegs and your body as far forward as possible (you do not need to cover the rear brake)
2. Keep your hand on the clutch; in case the rear tire starts to slip, ease the clutch lever in slightly and adjust the throttle smoothly to give the rear tire time to dig in
5. Descents
1. Move your body back and cover the rear brake with your right foot
2. Modulate both front and rear brakes to avoid locking up either front or rear wheels
3. Be sure to squeeze the bike as much as possible with your thighs!
4. Try to stay relaxed
6. Obstacles
1. When trying to jump over a log, do a wheelie using the following steps:
• with the body-centered, squat down when about to jump
• stand up while applying gas and releasing the clutch simultaneously
2. When going through a rut, be sure to be on the gas tank with the inside leg out, and gas should be applied smoothly. 
3. When riding up a berm, squeeze your thighs to hold on to the bike and move the body forward and backward as needed. Be sure to cover the rear brake during descents, as the front tire may be hitting sand/gravel, which could slide out.
4. When hitting a jump, accelerate during the launch phase of the jump. You can decrease the throttle while in flight, but be sure to be back on the throttle during landing. You should keep your body centered.

Here is a list of off-road drills I should practice to improve my riding skills:

1. Body Position Movement Drill
1. Goal
1.  Develop muscle memory for body positioning during acceleration and braking
2. Body Position
1. The body is either on the gas tank (upper body bent at the hips) or over the back seat when braking.
3. Drill Steps
1. Accelerate from cone 1 to cone 2, with the body leaning forward (both toes on the footpegs), upshifting.
2. When approaching cone 2, shift the body backward and apply both front and rear brakes while downshifting into a lower gear.
3. Lean the bike slightly over and move the body into the gas tank.
4. Move the inside leg out, apply a smooth throttle, and turn around cone 2.
2. Smooth Up/Down Shifting Drill
1. Goal
1. Develop muscle memory for up/down-shifting while standing up
2. Drill Steps
1. Accelerate from cone 1 to cone 2, with the body leaning forward (both toes on the footpegs), upshifting.
2. When approaching cone 2, shift the body backward and apply both front and rear brakes while downshifting into a lower gear.
3. Lean the bike slightly over and start moving the body forward into the gas tank
4. Move the inside leg out, apply a smooth throttle, and turn around cone 2.
3. Bike Leaning Drill
1. Goal:
1. Develop an intuitive sense of how much a motorcycle can lean
2. Body Position
1. Your buttocks should be on the gas tank, with the outside arm bent at the elbow.
2. The outside leg should be pressing on the footpeg, and your inside leg should be either next to the front wheel or lightly dragging on the ground.
3. Drill Steps
1. Ride around a circle, first clockwise, then counter-clockwise
2. Lean the motorcycle as far as possible
3. Keep the throttle smooth to continue a nice circular loop
4. Slow Riding Drill
1. Goal
1. Develop an intuitive sense of how slowly the bike can move forward
2. Body Position
1. Stand on the footpegs in first gear, body in a neutral position and knees slightly bent.
3. Drill Steps
1. Use front and rear brakes, clutch, and throttle to move the bike slowly forward (as slow as possible)
5. Lock Rear Wheel Slide/ Figure 8
1. Goal
1. Learn how to use a locked rear tire to make quick, sharp turns
2. Body Position
1. The body moves forward and backward
3. Drill Steps
1. Accelerate from cone 1 to cone 2, with the body leaning forward (both toes on the footpegs), upshifting.
2. When approaching cone 2, shift the body backward, apply the front brake, and use the rear brake to lock the rear wheel.
3. Lean the bike slightly over and move the body into the gas tank.
4. Move the inside leg out, apply a smooth throttle, and turn around cone 2.