I attended an off-road motorcycle training organized by Nordmoto. And let me tell you, it was nothing like what I expected!
First, the administrative details:
Price: €170 per person (absolutely worth every cent!)—lunch and water not included
Duration: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with a lunch break
Location: Kose-Risti quarry
Group size: 8 people
Tyre pressure: 1.5 bar front and rear
When I see “off-road training for beginners” somewhere, I assume it’s meant for total newbies. People who’ve never seen gravel in their lives, let alone dared to take a motorcycle onto a gravel road. I expected we’d start by talking about what gravel even is. Adjust the pedals and levers. Analyze body positions and try to get them right while stationary. Practice picking up the bike, stopping, braking, and standing while riding. Then maybe we’d ride a bit on a well-packed gravel road—straight, obviously. Perhaps later we’d try some chunkier gravel, just to get a feel for it, so that when the bike wobbles underneath, it’s not so scary. By the end of the day, we’d be all smiles, waving goodbye and saying, “See you at the next one!”
Assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups.
Nordmoto training was a whole different beast. Sure, we started with the instructor explaining the proper riding position. We adjusted the levers downward so our wrists wouldn’t be twisted while standing. We were told to keep our bodies loose on rough terrain. “Everything is strictly voluntary, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” the instructor reassured us. “But otherwise, just follow my lead.” And then we were off to do warm-up exercises.
The moment I started riding, I felt stiff and insecure. The bike was wobbling beneath me, and if you’re not used to that, it’s downright terrifying. I was just trying to find some semblance of a normal position as we circled on the gravel for warm-up when suddenly I saw the instructor let go of the left handlebar and stretch his arm out wide. Meanwhile, I was desperately trying to remember how to simply stand – even though I’ve been doing it daily for nearly 30 years. On the next lap, the instructor kneeled on the seat. “What the fuck!” I muttered inside my helmet, tensing up even more. On the following lap, he stepped over the bike while riding, stood on the opposite footpeg, and stretched out his other leg. Then the same thing on the other side. All the while, he just kept calmly circling. Most of the participants copied him, or at least tried to. I was ready to chuck my bike into a pile of logs and walk home. If I couldn’t even manage the warm-up, what was I supposed to do for the next six hours?
And it didn’t get any easier from there. After the acrobatics, we smoothly transitioned into a single-file ride off-road. I stayed at the back of the line at first, but then the instructor banished my boyfriend behind me – clearly, he knew what was about to happen.
And bam! There we were, on a narrow, bumpy, winding sandy path between trees! Roots tickling my toes and spruce branches poking my nose. I dropped the bike in the very first meter. Luckily, it stayed almost upright because the sand channel was so narrow. I even managed to lift it myself. But then I dropped it again, and again, broke a mirror, and left it in the forest – tears welling up in my eyes, wondering how on earth I was supposed to manage.
The very beginning locked me up so badly… Imagine a corpse with rigor mortis, a stick shoved up its arse, propped onto a motorcycle – that was me at off-road training. “So, the usual,” my boyfriend would say, and he’d be right. That’s why I sign up for these things.
The day continued in the same vein. A bit of theory, then practice, then one obstacle after another through the quarry. If we got lucky, we’d make it back to our stuff for a quick sip of water and a splash of sunscreen. But most of the time, my “break” was spent lying sideways or stuck with the bike. Thankfully, the boys were so sweet and patient – they waited for me, helped me up, and never complained. Maybe they grumbled at home or laughed about it in the evening, but that’s none of my business.
A couple of times, I was dead certain I’d end up in a pond or up a tree with the bike. Once, I rode almost vertically up a random hill because neither my brain nor my body could figure out how to make a sharp right turn. So I didn’t turn – just got stuck at the top. “You have to turn the handlebars, Eva…” Well, yeah, but like… how? We’d just been told to steer with our feet and counterbalance with our hips, not to grip the bars tightly, and to keep our hands loose. So what am I supposed to steer with? My teeth? My cooch? Sheer willpower? I honestly don’t get it… And there was no time to figure it out – just keep going, tense or not, understanding or not. The boys supported me again as I rolled the bike back down the hill. At least I managed that. Thanks, buys. Again.
Just to clarify, when I say “boys,” I mean men. Some seemed to have off-roading skills already. Some had raced motocross before. One was a riding instructor at a motorcycle school, curious to see what Nordmoto teaches when the asphalt runs out. There were all levels of skill – everyone fell, everyone got back up.
I was the only female in the group. Not that what’s between your legs helps with off-roading, but still. I felt a bit proud. That I even went. That I stuck it out all day. That I was trying to tame such a beast as the BMW R1200 GS. And all of that on street tyres.
Not that tyres made much difference in this training. Or maybe I just don’t know what I’m missing, since I’ve never ridden off-road with knobbies. Anyway, two bikes had slicker tyres and we both managed. Even on the steep hill, where the instructor said we’d need to pick up speed to make it up with our tyres. I thought I did just that. My boyfriend later said I crawled up like molasses and his heart sank, afraid I’d slide back down head over heels. I wasn’t scared at all. At that point, I was probably the least anxious I’d been the whole day.
The exercises we did during training (in no particular order, because I can’t remember exactly):
- Slow slalom to practice turning
- U-turns
- Riding uphill
- Riding downhill
- Emergency braking on a slope and rolling back down using the clutch
- Various braking techniques going downhill (as slow as possible)
- Riding in a narrow “channel” between two logs
- (Emergency) braking with the rear brake, with the front brake
And in between, riding up and down winding trails through the quarry
Look, I didn’t ride motocross as a kid. I first rode a motorized two-wheeler at 24. Even on a bicycle, I’m cautious – I don’t pop wheelies. I generally take few risks and am more of a ditherer. And I’ve had a thing with gravel roads ever since I mowed down a couple of pine trees with a friend’s car right after getting my license. So the whole motorcycle world – especially off-road – is a huge personal challenge for me, and I’m honestly amazed I made it through the entire training. Even during the last exercise, I was sure there’d be one final lap through the quarry and I decided I wouldn’t participate – I was done. Quit while you’re ahead. But there wasn’t. So I completed the whole training. Survived and in one piece, except for some bruises on my shins and a broken mirror, which has already been replaced.
Oh, and I’m probably the only person for whom the golden rule “The bike goes where you look” doesn’t apply. For those who don’t know, turning your head and eyes makes your body and the motorcycle follow. That’s why, for example, in a U-turn, you should look over your shoulder like an owl. I didn’t see myself, but quoting my boyfriend: “It was clear as day – your head was turned as far as it would go, but the bike just kept going straight, no effect on steering.”
Even though the training was intense and tough and nothing like what I’d mentally prepared for, it was definitely worth the time and money. I picked up so many tips and got a much better feel for the bike. All this carries over to riding on asphalt, making it more enjoyable and safer. Assuming I can get out of my head and stop overthinking… One day.
What motorcycle trainings have you attended? Which ones are worth going to? Who do you recommend, and who should be avoided? I know Nordmoto also offers advanced off-road training, though despite repeated questions, we never quite figured out what more they do there or how to know you’re ready. I know I’m not ready. But my boyfriend got the green light for the advanced course. At least now I know what to get him for his next birthday.