Off-Road Training with BMW's Finest

As soon as BMW announced the availability of off-road (and on-road) motorcycle training at their Spartanburg, South Carolina, facility, I was working the phones. First, a series of calls to the registration office to garner details on the operation, and then calls and e-mails to our customers to start recruiting.Those of us who rode GS models had wanted a course like this for a long time, and now was the time to do it! It turns out we were the first shop to book the course and the second to actually go through the course.

I set up a course date of November 10, and we quickly filled the eight spots. (It turned out when we arrived that there were three other people signed up; if I had known that, I could have filled those three spots with additional Morton's customers.) A group of us gathered at Morton's Friday morning, November 9, for the ride south. The others would meet us there.

After picking up Roger Sinclair outside of Richmond, we continued south, arriving at our hotel around 5:30 pm. After getting cleaned up, we headed for dinner. Mike Kramer would join us at the restaurant; David Taylor had already eaten, so we'd meet up with him in the morning. Our group had all arrived safely.

Saturday morning was clear and cool, with a stiff breeze added to the mix. When we arrived at the BMW Performance Driving Center, we gathered in a dining area to fill out the requisite paperwork. Waivers signed, drivers licenses checked, coffee swallowed, we shuffled off to the classroom.

In the classroom, we met the four instructors: Ray Helms, Jim Millard, Bill Conger, and Matt Fain. We introduced ourselves, spoke about our off-road experience, and were assigned to either the "green," or less experienced group, or the more advanced group. Ray went through the course protocols and the schedule for the day's activities -- we would certainly be kept busy!

Soon we moved outside to go through some static exercises with the bikes. We had each signed up for one of three BMW models: F650GS, G650X Challenge, or R1200GS. I chose the R1200GS, as it was the closest to my own R1150GS. I figured I would be better able to transfer the lessons learned to my own bike that way.

The instructors had us go through a variety of exercises to practice balancing the bike, maneuvering it, and picking it up after the expected drops.

After about 45 minutes of hands on work, it was time to climb aboard and get some "peg time" on the bikes. I didn't carry my camera for the morning exercises, so I'll have to rely on my prose to get you through the telling of the story.

Once on the off-road course, we spent time riding in a gravel area the size of a small parking lot. Here we rode the perimeter, playing "Simon Says" with the instructors. When they raised a hand, we raised a hand; when they raised a leg, we raised a leg; when they crossed a leg over and rode with both feet on the same side, we did likewise. It was an introduction to balancing the bike while riding, and would help us with some of the tasks later.

At this point, the two groups separated. The green group went off to do one set of exercises, the pros went to do another. We would see each other occasionally until lunch time.

My group proceeded to work on balance and control matters. We rode through artificial ruts created by logs laid out longitudinally, weaved through cones laid out on the dirt, over a number of small hills to practice bike control, and partially-buried 6x6 ties to simulate washboard surfaces. While the drills didn't exactly look scary standing nearby, when you're standing on a bike, the story is a little different. The instructors also showed us how to safely bail from a falling bike (below).

The point is to get away from the bike as it goes down so it doesn't hit your legs or trap you underneath. It was amazing how much abuse the bikes could take, and then pop back up and run perfectly again.

The instructors had us practice "trials stops," wherein you bring the bike to a complete stop and hold it there without touching a foot to the ground. Now, this isn't all that hard to do on the street, but perched atop the pegs facing down a dirt hill, it's a little more interesting.

We would observe a demonstration of an exercise, then do it ourselves. After several repetitions, we would repeat the process with another drill in the same area. Once we had all done the exercises for that section, we would ride an "enduro lap," a circuit of the course area integrating the moves we had learned so far. By the end of the day, the enduro laps were much longer and included everything we had learned.

When we broke for lunch, we did an enduro lap, then rode onto the road course for a high speed lap on asphalt. As a primarily road rider, the track felt more comfortable to me, even on the knobby tires our bikes wore.

Typical for BMW, the luncheon provided as part of the course was first rate, with a buffet of sandwiches, salads, desserts, and drinks. We spent time comparing notes with the advanced group and discussing our progress so far.

Of note was the interaction with a group of BMW car drivers who were using the track and also grabbing lunch. Picture a group of dusty, dirty, sweaty bikers mingling with apparently upper crust folks wearing designer clothes and you'll have some idea. There wasn't really much interaction at all; the car folks seemed to regard us as if we had just walked in from tattoo parlor. I was waiting for the "I didn't know BMW made bikes comment," but I never heard it.

After lunch, it was time for a debriefing session and then back out to the course for round two. The exercises in the afternoon ramped up the difficulty level a bit.

Afternoon drills for my group included making emergency stops in gravel. The plan was to enter the gravel section at around 30 mph, lock the rear wheel (ABS was turned off most of the day), and stay upright as the bike slid in the gravel and worked itself between ruts in the surface.

First, the instructor showed how ineffective ABS is on continuous gravel. With ABS on, he entered the section, nailed the rear brake, and rode right past us -- through all the gravel and onto the grass and dirt beyond. Honestly, I think we were all surprised by that. Then, he demonstrated an ABS-off rear brake-only stop, which was done in a fraction of the distance. Another run modulating the front brake in addition cut even more length off the stop. It was a pretty impressive display, as effective in its own way as the standard ABS demonstration is on pavement.

After that work, the next step was to modulate the front brake to shorten the stopping distance. A couple of the students took this opportunity to check out the efficacy of their riding gear. Translation? They dove for the ground when the front wheel slid out from under them. The key word is "modulate." You have to be very light and measured with the front brake but, done correctly, it is a major help.

Using both brakes carefully led to short, controlled stops and a lot of happy students. Another skill learned, another fear dispersed.

Instructors showed what to do when you find yourself stopped going up a hill. If you can get your legs down to stabilize the bike, use the brake to stall the bike in gear. While the transmission holds the bike in place, gently slip the clutch in an out to let the bike roll backwards in a controlled manner.

But what if you fall? With the bike in gear, swing the bike around by pulling on the front wheel (below).

Or the tail...(below)

Once the bike is perpendicular to the up/down path, use the handlebars to work the front wheel so it is pointing downhill (below).

After you get the bike pointed down the hill, lift the bike up and carefully climb aboard (below).

Then, it's just a matter of either pulling in the clutch and letting the bike roll down the hill to flat ground, or starting the engine and riding it down (below).

Simple as pie! Now all we had to do was practice...

And practice...

Well, you get the idea.

By the end of the day, we were a tired but very satisfied group of riders. All of us, from beginner to advanced, had learned valuable skills and felt much more comfortable riding our bikes on loose terrain. The more advanced group did a few exercises the beginners did not -- such as water crossings -- but for the most part, the course and the exercises were identical.

The cost to the participants ranged from $550 to $650, including the bike rental from BMW. Since we booked a full course of riders, Morton's BMW got a small break from BMW discounted each tuition by $100.

Speaking as one who has done a fair amount of dirt road riding over the years and who really enjoys rides to the middle of nowhere (Alaska, Labrador, etc.), I found the course to be superb. One of our group is a Marine colonel who does training for a living, and he talked at length about the quality of the course, the instructors, and the structure of the instruction.

The instructors were all trained at BMW's Hechlingen, Germany, off-road facility, and the instruction in South Carolina mirrors that taught overseas. The course was built by the same four guys, and they are justifiably proud of their accomplishment.

Like most of the people in my class, I look forward to more off-roading in the future, and will almost certainly take another class at Spartanburg.