A first-timer goes ADV riding at the Get On! Adventure Festival

Heavy and tall ADV bikes like the BMW R 1250 GS are near impossible for me to climb on (I’m five feet, four inches tall). The price tags on these machines are often well beyond my budget, too. Not to mention all of the other accoutrements of the ADV lifestyle — fancy camping gear, exotic locations, unlimited vacation days, etc.

I opted in on the much cheaper and accessible form of dual-sport riding and hadn’t really thought much about the ADV riding since. That is until the invite came in for the Get On! Adventure Festival in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Not your typical Sturgis

Now I know what you are thinking — Sturgis, really? The home of the ultimate American V-Twin cruiser rally? It turns out these Black Hills are hiding some amazing trails that are practically untouched by the riders who go to that more famous rally. Let’s also give some credit where it’s due, the paved roads of Sturgis have properly been anointed by our cruiser brethren as some sacred and praise-worthy sweepers and bends. Before I get too far ahead of myself, let’s start from the top — arriving at Buffalo Chip campground to meet my weekend companion, the BMW G 310 GS.

Back in the days of my first exploration into ADV riding, bike choices were limited. The marketplace was dominated by big, heavy and tall 1,000 cc motorcycles. Nowadays, the ADV segment has grown much more diverse and the BMW G 310 GS is living proof of that. Shorter, lighter and more agile, the smaller machine instantly made me feel more comfortable. Some minor adjustments to the levers and shifters and I was ready to hit the trail.

The question was — which trail to hit? The fine folks at Rever had 12 different routes to choose from, with three different difficulty levels rated A (hardest) to C (easiest). My fellow RevZilla cohosts were graciously running guided group rides every morning for anyone wanting to join, so I hopped in for the Rapid City loop on Friday morning. The route was the quintessential ADV ride, hitting all aspects of the genre — highway, back-country roads and dirt roads that segue into some intermediate double track. We had about 12 riders in our group of all varying skill levels and motorcycles, from a Ducati Scrambler to the biggest and baddest BMW R 1250 GS. I felt comfy in the middle of the pack and it was nice to ride with an eclectic bunch for my first ADV outing.

Our first stint on the highway made me instantly grateful for the street-oriented BMW 310. With a tall windscreen, three-gallon tank and a street-tuned motor, the 310 was a smooth operator compared to my wobbly dual-sport at home. I could comfortably cruise above 70 mph and keep up with the bigger machines on our group ride. 

Now I might be a newcomer to ADV bikes, but I’m certainly not new to the dirt. As a rather spoiled owner of a premium-grade dual-sport bike, I arrived with a lot of skepticism about the capabilities of the baby BMW. Was this just going to be a heavy, under-powered, disappointment of a bike on the trail?

I am happy to report I was pleasantly surprised by the mettle of this little ADV machine. The combination of Continental TKC 80 tires with the tractorable 310 powerplant provided plenty of grunt for this B-level route and even surmounted a surprisingly tough hill climb at the end of the trail that claimed many victims. While the brakes and suspension left me wanting, I have to say there wasn’t anything on this ride that the little GS couldn’t handle.

Rocky hill climbs, mud holes, water crossings — all this and more we encountered on the ride and I didn’t have a single bike drop! That’s not a common occurrence for me in the dirt and perhaps an indication that next year I ought to try out some A routes. Another confidence booster was the fact I was signed up for some RawHyde Adventures training the next day. Any gaps in my ADV skill set would be exposed in this all-day course.

RawHyde Adventures Training

As part of my introduction to ADV riding, I was fortunate to be able to join the intermediate training course with RawHyde Adventures. I have participated in a handful of off-road-oriented training camps before and I was very curious how an ADV course might differ from those other schools.

The RawHyde training kicked off the morning with some cone training that is a staple of their curriculum. It was interesting because it was a unique melding of both street and dirt drills that are familiar to me and some other techniques altogether new to me.

For instance, the tight circle drill brought to light new body positioning I have yet to encounter in any of my street or dirt training. Counter-balancing the outside of the bike with my body mass, toe turned in, knee locked into the tank and eyes tracking on the cone helped to produce some pretty impressive tight turns for most students. It was another “Aha” moment for me in unlocking the secrets of bike handling and it’s a drill I’ll be adding to my practice regime at home.

For the afternoon we went to the off-road race track on the Buffalo Chip grounds, which offered a predictable training course where we could hone our new skills. We encountered steep off-camber turns in the hillsides, deep ruts and hill climbs. I noticed quite a few of my fellow riders were pretty exhausted from maneuvering their big and heavy ADV bikes all day, which made me even more thankful for the mini G 310 GS. Several friends warned me I would “outgrow” the 310 over the weekend, but I honestly felt well served by the lightweight bike.

Still, a sense of duty to myself and this article made me feel I should find out if they were right, so I signed up for a demo ride on a 2021 BMW R 1250 GS to see if I was truly missing out on that big-bike ADV experience.

Bigger isn’t always better — or is it?

One of the great benefits of the Get on! ADV Fest was the opportunity to demo bikes from Harley-Davidson and BMW on routes that integrate all of the road conditions you might expect on an ADV ride.

RawHyde’s BMW demo fleet included a lowered 2021 R 1250 GS that I was able to balance on the balls of my feet, though hefting it up off the side stand still took considerable grunt work. I fired up the opposed twin and felt its famed visceral lateral pull. The feel and sound are unique and I better understand the fanatical following this motor has inspired over the generations. On the gravel road leaving the Chip, the 1250 tracked along without a wobble or a fuss, and on the freeway it was akin to a luxury ocean liner — the wind parted like the seas and the BMW was unwavering in its forward motion. With a comfy seat and blast shield for a windscreen, it was easy to see why this flagship model has reigned supreme as the iconic ADV bike on the market.

Accolades aside, I still didn’t feel comfortable on the 1250 giant, especially in the tight quarters of the parking lot and at slow speed. I had a good demo ride on the 1250, but I nearly sighed with relief hopping back on the G 310 GS.

Maybe I was uncomfortable on the behemoth, but just at the other end of the Buffalo Chip an impressive display of mastery was unfolding at the Taste of GS Trophy competition hosted by the BMW Performance Center. On a cone course that must have been designed by the meanest DMV test official known to man, fellow Get on! ADV Fest riders signed up to put their skills to the test for bragging rights and cool swag. My jaw hit the floor as I watched the winner, Kandi Spangler, tackle the course on her 1200 for a near-perfect run. The precision, balance, and throttle control on display was awe-inspiring and it certainly did not come as a surprise to learn Kandi is a former International GS Trophy competitor on the U.S. women’s team. Witnessing this competition firsthand after my demo ride really drove home what the heavyweight ADV bikes are capable of in the right hands. Moral of the story? This ADV newbie has so much more to learn.

Come for the ride, stay for the perks

For any rider, like me, who was never sure how to enter the ADV scene, the Get On! ADV Fest had a lot to offer. The Buffalo Chip base camp had vendors to make sure you had the right gear, tires, and equipment to hit the trail and was a central hub for planning rides and meeting new friends. Training provided by RawHyde Adventures and ADV Woman helped riders hone their skills and tackle the trails with more confidence, and the BMW Performance Center’s Taste of GS Trophy competition was an aspirational display of some really talented riders. The demo rides provided by BMW and Harley-Davidson were the perfect opportunity to get a real-world sense of what their bikes were capable of and I think a lot of riders added some new bikes to their wish lists.

Do I still think ADV riding is out of reach for me? I’d say definitely not after this experience.

If you missed the Get On! ADV Fest this year, the great news is that the dates for the 2022 event have been confirmed for July 14 through 17. Whether you are a first-timer like me or an ADV expert, there is something for everyone at the Get On! ADV Fest. I hope to see you there next year!