I'm curious to know what extra training (on road, off road, first aid, language, whatever) people here have done to prepare themselves for round-the-world trips, and was it useful?

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FreeBSD fan since before it was cool ...

Before my trips, I did none. I wish I had. Because although I didn't avoid offroad sections if they were on the way, I certainly avoided exploring into some of the best places because I was unsure of my skills if the road got REALLY bad.

I wish I had taken that bike and done some training beforehand and found out just how capable it was. And to show myself how capable I was too.

Off-road training with the bike you're going to use is EXTREMELY useful. I totally recommend it.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I second Ted’s advice.

I ride off road regularly on a dirt bike but did a day’s training on my dual sport that i use for travel at the start of a recent trip. It was invaluable - it gave me so much confidence with that bike (2x the weight of my dirt bike), and in those conditions (I did my training in South Africa) - two important distinctions to draw.

Most people will spend 80-90-95% of their time on tarmac. My first training when starting to ride bikes again after 20+ years was IAM Advanced Motorcyclist. I credit my observer with giving me the road positioning, observational skills and hazard awareness to avoid probably numerous life-threatening situations.

Different sets of hazards in various countries. I always remember the sad thread on AdvRider about an inexperienced American who was riding to South America and didn't slow when passing equines who kicked him off the bike. He was permanently paralysed and ended up committing suicide a year later.

Other than that, maybe half a dozen off road courses ranging from World of BMW in South Wales to Patsy Quick.

Plus a couple of 'first biker on scene' type of first aid courses. But RTW trips need different training as you are not just filling in until an air ambulance arrives. I've used a suturing needle for real (OK, on a mule), and used gaffer tape to close a serious wound.

Most people understand foreign languages (spoken slowly) better than they can speak them. You can get a long way without additional languages if you are good with mime. If you have data then translate apps are good and getting better.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Better a pint of sweat than a gallon of blood. I have done numerous first aid courses but think an off road course would be extremely useful. Honda and BMW used to do them, don't know if they still do.

Planning a trip from the US to Ushuaia for this summer with one of my sons. It has been several years since I've ridden on dirt and he never really has. So I'm requiring that both of us go through an adventure bike riding class before we head out. Then I plan on doing the Continental Divide Trail for some practice. Most of it is dirt roads and there are easy ways to go around sections too technical for our abilities. I'm hoping that gives us both the practice we need as well as some experience to know our limits before getting into places where help may be farther away.

My son is fluent in Spanish, but all I know is how to order a LOL I'm not downplaying that as a language requirement though. So I'm going to be taking some basic Spanish classes so I at least know how to count and can hopefully interpret directions.

I don't think anything else we are doing counts as training. Everything else falls into the category of research or practice. Lots and lots of that.

Hi Northrider!

You may want to check with the local off-road racing clubs in your area Sometimes they offer classes in spring at the beginning of the racing season.
May be it could fit your needs.

Patrick

lol, I hadn't thought of language training! Directions in Spanish, just like English, are easy if the person giving them can do so clearly

Still it's good to see that at least some people are going of prepared. I'm training up my other half gradually, but I posted this question wondering about people who jump right in; starting from scratch must be tough

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FreeBSD fan since before it was cool ...

Hello

Don't sell your house, quit your job and go on a multi year RTW if you haven't done smaller trips already.
A RTW is nothing different than several trips stringed together.
Big difference is, after some months, travelling becomes your life, it gets less exiting, you have to deal with that.

What I would give as advice to beginners based on my experiences, in order of importance to me:

whatever:
-vaccinations, I went as far as rabies.
-insurances, medical and transport home (you, not the bike)
-liability for the bike, as far as possible, huge pain in the ass to get, but worse if you need it and don't have it.
-someone who can go to the bank for you at home and all that stuff.
-a lot more like that...

language:
Important, but you can't learn all of them. To me that meant, first I had to learn english.
Depends also on how long you are in a region and how alien a language is to your native tongue.
At first, english natives have a huge advantage, but hard to deny to understand english if need, I can speak to someone in my native tongue and they will understand that I can't speak english (corrupt cops, etc.).

first aid:
Difficult, I have more or less every 10 years a first-aid course, the one that you need for the driving permit. They are basically meant to help until the rescuers arrive. How much does it help me as a solo rider?
It may open ones eyes on how fragile the body is and why you should do everything to prevent an injury.

on road:
-learn to read the road and the traffic and the surrounding area.
In places where live takes place on the street up to 10m away from the road on both sides.

off road:
(Warning, the following might be seen by some as blasphemy, especially in internet forums! So, if you are sensitive to that, stop reading and just skip it.)
If you go for a training, take one where they teach how YOU can ride your bike with YOUR full travel setup on the road surfaces that you will encounter on your RTW, by someone who has done it by themselves.
Don't know where you can find that.
A training on an empty (no luggagues) light bike is, to me, useless.
Learn your limits, turn around when it gets to tough for you.
Most important, learn to ride without falling, every fall is an accident, not part of the trip.
Keep in mind where the next hospital is and how or by whom you might get there.

sushi

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My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

I understand it has no meaning for you to take an off road class without a fully loaded RTW bike. But I would not recommend that for someone who never went off road riding.

For a beginner, my recommandation is to take an off-road class with a light bike (enduro racing schools are great):
- You take a class to learn the techniques on how to attack offroad obstacles and terrain.
- It is much easier to focus on learning the techniques on a light bike.
- you can drop the bike as many times as needed.
- less chance of injuries while going through the beginners mistakes.
- you build your confidence a lot quicker.

After the class you will know what to do off-road. Take your big bike without luggage and go practice. When ready, put your luggage on and practice again.

Also, i don't see any problem dropping a bike, it is part of the game. Knowing when it is time to get off the bike is important too.


Patrick

I get it there are those that make a living training motorcyclists I started riding in 1973 and was obsessed with motocross in the day I bought a 74 Elsinore used in 75
now it was time to ride a real moto because I had step thru bikes previous Hondas Suzukis my parents wouldn't approve of a racing bike
Now I had to learn how to race and I did, lets fast forward 45 years I bought a f700gs my last bike was a Yamaha YZH 125 1981 I only knew cross country and motocross .
If you are not brain dead you can pick up from here you left off
If You want to be a Marine you need training if you want to be a sniper you dont
it comes naturally if you took pleasure shooting squirrels because they were nasty pests wrecking you habitat , With out the numbers you have to crunch to qualify
training comes in handy if you are lazy and are in believe of what is nessassary in life. Did your father or mother train you to go around the world I dont think so unless they have done it. How do you train to climb K2 you have to have practice and discipline
just get out and ride you will do fine as long as you know you limits

Training, no mather the discipline, has nothing to do with being lazy. It is all about speeding up the learning curve and to get a new skill faster then if you do it by yourself.

Some people asked for off road training option. I gave one. It is not for you great. I never said it was mandatory also. Some people want to learn riding off road while travelling and others don't.

I started riding off road at 8yrs old. I did not need a class. I learned by myself.
Also, I don't train people.

Patrick

I have to agree completely with Patrick, training isn't about being lazy, in fact I think it's about being smart. You CAN teach yourself to do all kinds of stuff - but are you learning the BEST and MOST EFFICIENT way - not likely!

For instance I taught myself to ride - and had to unlearn a whole LOT of bad habits and techniques, and it was HARD WORK to do that - and I still have bad habits I'm still working on unlearning - 50+ years later! MORE training is in my own future.

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

So what sort of training are you contemplating Grant? I only ask because I have a friend who's been riding bikes for decades - nothing adventurous, no overlanding or anything, but he does ride year round and does more miles on his bikes than in his car. He would freely admit that he's a cautious, slightly nervous rider and in recent years has sought out training to try and expand his 'riding envelope'. He started by joining his local IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists if anyone doesn't recognise the UK initials) bike group but very quickly found they were 'training' him to do stuff he found dangerous. He stuck with it for a while but his sense of self preservation eventually led to him leaving. I was talking to another rider - a very experienced long distance rider - a week or so ago who says he won't travel with any IAM members as he finds them dangerous as well.

My friend (and no, this isn't me in 'asking for a friend' guise ) moved on to the ROSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) bike section but found them almost indistinguishable from the IAM. Their 'advanced' techniques made him feel it would only be a matter of time before he'd come a cropper, and as he hasn't had an accident in decades - certainly since I've known him -, 'training' would seem to be counterproductive.

He's still up for some sort of training but as he seems to have found his own (safe) level I wonder if there's much point. I could understand the need if he was chucking it up the road every five minutes but as he's been coming to this from his own safe space what exactly was he being trained to do? Be less personally safe was his conclusion if he rode in the ways they expected in order to pass their membership tests. I think we all have our limits, the point at which we leave our comfort zones and head out into uncharted waters - and it's different for all of us. By all means have bad habits pointed out by some authority figure (hopefully not the cops) and try to correct those but self preservation makes me wary of many of the training schemes available for road riding - round here anyway.

Some of this rings true for my experience of IAM training 30 years ago, I did get some helpful advice for safer riding in the UK and Europe but don't think I would have survived the tens of thousands of miles motorcycling in developing countries, particularly India had I followed their advice rather than observing the locals and learning from them.