TRF Forums

Hi all,
I expect some of you have seen or heard about this, perhaps even have been involved. Over the weekend on social media there was quite a lot of "opinions" on the good or bad of making such a trial for people to download and ride, there is a UK GPS download as well as the other countries it passes through.

What got my interest is at the moment it seems to be mainly picked up by the Adventure riders i.e. larger trial bikes where some of the routes are not very suitable yet the original ethos is for the smaller to medium bikes and light weight, low cost travel.

Discuss if you will.

Jmc

IMO if you want to go on an adventure you use such routes as a rough guide. You branch off and explore as you see fit.

It will create issues in the uk with uk riders seeing it as a easy way to go on a ride without having to bother doing any planning. ( the route will get overused by riders on unsuitable machines, causing publicity of xyz rider stuck here or injured there, and councils will jump on this to get a,b or c lane closed.). Some may stray from the trail in places like Salisbury plain and the peaks etc causing issues.

But then they're what I call "adventure bike riders" rather than "adventure riders on bikes"

Lots are moaning about the route not being suitable for a 1200gs etc but so what! When you go to Africa or South America you take what's thrown at you and deal with it. If that means back tracking due to a flood or landslide you reroute.

Everyone's always looking for an easy option, and for someone else to tell them what to do.

Real adventure is where you're as prepared as your knowledge allows and you wing it along the way making do and mending as necessary.

Fundamentally it's a trail and a trail bike not an elephant is what you need. You wouldn't take a knife to a gun fight!


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The entry point for the UK TET is via the Dieppe - Newhaven ferry crossing with Sussex providing the introduction to little england's trailriding.

I had a hand in plotting the route and I'm pleased to confirm that it is tailored to brief. The focus is on smaller trailbikes carrying lightweight luggage. The route was chosen to be imapssable to big bikes with big metal panniers. Some pinch points are just passable on a KTM 690 with loaded with Giant Loop Coyote (35 litre) saddlebag.

On a good day, with no obstructions, a very talented rider might manage the Sussex route in dry weather if they were riding a big adventure bike.

In wet weather the delights of wet chalk and Sussex Weald Clay offer a lesson in natural selection to anyone who is genetically compromised enough to try it on a big adventure bike loaded with heavy luggage.

The Sussex section is not passable by 4x4.

Great answer from Smokin and Sean Connnery in the Untouchables film as I recall.

Agree, problem is once genie is out of the bottle cannot get it back in.. I am waiting for the access Nazis to get their arse in their hands over the Long Mynd routes that were published in ABR over the last couple of months....

In my experience, the big problem is when a series of lanes are given a name, and people go and 'do' them.

People 'doing' the Ridgeway were at least in part responsible for the loss of most of it. Had they taken more time to explore the surrounding countryside and superb network of lanes things might have been better, but instead we had multiple large groups tearing up and down one track that was already being marketed to walkers as a Long Distance Footpath.

I notice from social media that some of our foreign friends are already planning 'races' and 'rallies' on the 'TET'.

Let's hope they stick to their own countries for that sort of activity.

Not all GS1200 riders are morons. many are highly skilled trail riders with greater consideration ( and appropriate skills) for the lanes than some smaller bike riders who's temperament is better suited for Pay as you play or enduro tracks.

what happened to being inclusive! surely we should be encouraging riders of all persuasions, give clear and accurate information with alternative "bigger bike/less demanding" alternatives.

the TET is in the process of being pulled together so now is the time to have input as to what is acceptable when planning a trip through England and what is not.

I thought the New Direction for the TRF was to be inclusive, to encourage and expand trail riding with the Adventure Bike community being a key target. This thread could be construed to suggest otherwise.

Any rider who can keep upright on two narrow wheels whilst driving off tarmac is a genius in my opinion and more power to their elbow. The education comes from realising that the press are in search or lurid accident headlines and everybody wants to live in a chocolate box cottage in the summer listening to bees and occasional moos, baas, snorts, clucks etc. 2 or 4 stroke engine noise is instantly disliked and not widely tolerated and the antis use this to stoke up opposition to our hobby normally coupled with some environmental scuttlebutt.
I have often thought that a long well managed trail in the UK would be a wonderful thing (like some of the stuff In the USA) but the fact is we live in the equivalent area of one of their smaller states and we all want a bit of our chocolate box. It only takes a couple of idiots and it is all undone.
Let us hope that the TET gets off to a good start.

Having done a long trip on a road bike and mostly tarmac, I'm looking forward to doing some parts of this on a bike with some off-road capabilities.

I'm not sure I'm up to riding all the way to Sweden on a TTR-250 though (my trail bike) although I know Lois Pryce rides the world on one!

It'll be interesting to see if the new KTM and Yamaha adventure bikes are more Husky 701 than F800GS; we need something long-distance capable but also light enough to be off-road capable too, IMHO

But it's always OK when it's a strimmer, ride on mower, hedge trimmer, chainsaw, etc.
And these go on for hours at a time - not a few minutes as we pass by.

It's the idea that we are ENJOYING ourselves that's so difficult!