Putting the adventure into adventure bikes

Just like 4x4 owners who deck out their cars with fat tyres, sand ladders and winches but never go anywhere more exotic than the local Waitrose
there’s an affectionate stereotype about well-heeled riders of a certain age who spend tons on fancy adventure bikes but would never dream of getting mud on their tyres or expensive, designer-label Gore-Tex. Which is reasonable, given the reality of off-road riding inevitably involves bikes being battered over rocks, dragged through mud or even dropped and completely submerged in waist-deep puddles. More on the latter in due course but, having spent £20,000 or more on a fancy modern adventure bike, you can’t blame owners for thinking twice before risking any of the above.

The bikes still sell on the dream of roughing it, though, which is why the likes of Ducati, BMW, Honda and Triumph all run off-road training days and experiences where you can really test the limits of the latest snazzy adventure bikes and broaden your riding horizons into the bargain. Without actually risking your own pride and joy, and the money you might have wrapped up in the finance agreement. So, to the depths of South Wales and the Triumph Adventure Experience, which is basically a dealership with a difference and one where test riding a bike involves loops of the local valleys on all sorts of terrain. Rather than the usual lap of the local trading estate. Based in a dedicated centre, the Adventure Experience has a conventional showroom up front but also a fleet of Tigers and Scramblers, racks of off-road riding kit and a talented team of guides and instructors ready to show you how to use it all properly.

You can pick from a range of different experiences, going from basic tuition in off-road riding skills in a controlled environment to multi-day expedition style outings into the hills and valleys of South Wales. If you’re completely new to it you’re best starting with the basics and then returning when you’re ready for something more involved, the centre offering a variety of modular training packages they can configure to experience and ambition. To test our skills this sampler day starts at a nearby training ground with examples of the obstacles we’ll encounter on the route condensed into a small space, including axle-deep trenches full of muddy water, slithery rocks, low-speed control around logs and plenty of deep puddles. Suffice to say, when they ask you if you want to borrow waterproofs at sign-on make sure you take them up on it…

For off-road novices there’s a lot to get your head around but it becomes even more intimidating when the weapon of choice is the mighty Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro. With its 150 horsepower triple, sophisticated electronics and long-travel suspension it is every inch the modern day premium adventure bike and a worthy rival to the likes of the similarly impressive BMW GS and Ducati Multistrada. Meanwhile, if you fancy going retro you can also do the Triumph courses on the Scrambler 1200 XE, Scrambler 900 or even Scrambler 400 X, the latter offering a more accessible option given its more manageable size and weight. For kids or non-licence holders there’s also the option of trying your hand at the Oset electric trials bikes in sizes to suit anyone from the age of four and up.

The Tiger 1200 is, meanwhile, definitely not for the faint of heart, though the preamble along Welsh lanes in convoy with the instructors and other attendees at least offers opportunity to get to grips with it. Hard to say what’s more intimidating between the price – likely more like £20,000 given the extra bits added over the £18,295 starting cost – or the 895mm seat height. The 250kg weight is another concern but on the road the Tiger is more pussycat than man eater, the torquey engine and comfy suspension helping calm the nerves.

Having wobbled, slithered and – in some cases – toppled around the training area our instructors are satisfied we’ve all got a base level of ability and it’s off along the lanes again to the first bit of proper off-road, this being a sunken track across the tops with plenty of rocks, ruts and puddles. Very deep puddles, it turns out. From the outset the terrain seems to confirm every suspicion about why you wouldn’t normally take your expensive adventure bike off-road, given the loud clanks of rocks bouncing off the frame and sump guard, the thud of the suspension bottoming out through unseen holes and water deep enough to completely submerge your feet on the pegs. At the advice of our instructors we’re riding in Off-Road Pro mode for the fact that the road setting on the traction control would cut the power and leave us hanging on slippery surfaces, while switching off ABS actually helps control even if you need to be mindful you can’t always sense the rear wheel locking up until things go a bit sideways.

We pause and regroup ahead of a particularly long and deep looking puddle, our position at the back of the pack meaning we can watch others attempt it first. Reasoning that most of the problems seemingly stem from a lack of commitment that sees feet down in knee-deep water and a couple of dropped bikes we give it full beans. Which works until it doesn’t, the rear wheel hanging up on a hidden rock, the Tiger flicking sideways and then unceremoniously tipping us for a full immersion in a Welsh bog. Much to the delight of the onlookers and their camera phones. Damp kit and wounded pride aside there’s no harm done and, with the help of the instructors, the bike is righted and fires first time like nothing happened. We’re not the only ones taking a dip along this stretch but, thankfully with the lesson learned, the rest of the track passes without incident, heated grips helping offset the discomfort of sodden gloves. And making sense of why we were advised to pack a spare pair.

From here it’s back onto the lanes, which if anything feel as slippery and treacherous as the off-road tracks. But with the muscle memory of what it feels like to have the bike wriggling around underneath you this is no longer as scary as it might otherwise be, making sense of the transferrable skills you can take with you into your regular riding. Lunch is a basic but welcome picnic from the back of the support van that’s been tailing us along the route before we hit the trails again, this time in the forest and up a track combining slippery bedrock with steps, ruts and – inevitably – more big puddles. By now the confidence in the bike’s ability to soak up real punishment is riding high, the power of the triple and bump-swallowing capability of the suspension seeing the confidence rise and speeds with it. Standing on the pegs and letting the bike move around while keeping your gaze up on what’s coming rather than what’s beneath you helps the Tiger keep trucking, the clever electronics controlling the forks, shock and throttle all working to your favour without dumbing the experience down one bit.

By the time we get back to the Triumph Adventure Experience centre everyone is as exhausted mentally as they are physically, the team expertly corralling the bikes for a once-over with the jetwash while we enjoy a warm shower and gladly hand back the muddy kit in the knowledge it’ll be clogging up somebody else’s washing machine. It's been quite the day, and a hell of a learning curve discovering what both bikes and riders are capable of. You might not be ready to drop your own premium adventure bike in a bog. But if you are going to do it better when you’re surrounded by people who, once they’ve stopped laughing, will help you pull it out. And take care of the bike afterwards. Even if you never venture off-road again it’s worth every penny for discovering just how capable these bikes are when the going gets tough.

Triumph Adventure Experience

Triumph Adventure Experience

Triumph Adventure Experience

Triumph Adventure Experience