BMW’s GS adventure bike traces its roots back to the early 1980s; a special model was originally built to compete in the ultimate adventure: The Paris-Dakar rally. That original rally race bike has since spawned a complete line of street-legal GS models, and while riders are scooping them up in record numbers and dressing them up in a plethora of off-road-oriented goodies, very few of those adventure bikes are actually taken into the woods; their riders either lack the skill or the confidence to venture very far off pavement.
For the last two years, BMW Canada has been offering these tentative adventure seekers a chance to truly appreciate the potential of their GS motorcycles, with ADV-X, a five-day adventure ride. This year, like last, the event was based out of Sun Peaks, B.C.
If you’re intimidated by the prospect of taking your BMW GS on an off-road excursion, I can tell you that after riding ADV-X myself this year on the new R1300GS, as well as on its smaller sibling, the F900GS, that unless you’ve never placed a wheel on dirt, you should sign up.
Each day’s ride route varies in length between about 170 and 400 kilometres, most of which is off road. The rides are led by trained instructors who normally give off-road courses at Enduro Park Canada, in Victoria, B.C. These folks have a keen eye for a rider’s skill level, and adjust both the difficulty of the terrain and the pace accordingly. They are also there to give riding advice, which proved invaluable for some of the less experienced riders who’d attended this year’s event. When challenging obstacles are encountered along the route, they’ll give instructions and demonstrations on their own bikes before other riders cross. Some riders had even signed up for a couple of training days before the official start of the event to limber up.
The routes are designed to get progressively more challenging. The first day’s ride, for instance, was routed mostly on dirt and gravel roads, and included a few semi-challenging rocky climbs. On the third day we were explored a decommissioned road littered with “tank traps,” (deep V-shaped trenches dug into the road to discourage its use). By day five we were negotiating tight, twisty single-track trails that included an incredibly convoluted mountain-bike trail that was scattered with fallen trees, where I exploited the R1300GS’s uncanny trials capability. And to quell the assumption that the R1300GS is too big and ponderous to take off road; even more impressive was watching Emily, a petite redhead and fellow moto journo, maneuver her big GS through the same course with poise.
The cost to join ADV-X is $5,595, which includes six nights of lodging in a four-star resort, all of the meals, certified technicians that will fix up your bike if you drop it, tire service if needed (you provide the tires), medical support, and the gas for the entire ride. Cross-country transport for your motorcycle to and from the event is also included; just bring your bike to the nearest participating BMW Motorrad dealer, where it will be loaded into a trailer. All you have to do is get yourself to the event with the appropriate riding gear, the latter which you can probably pack onto your bike for transport so that you can travel light. Riders came to this event from as far away as Newfoundland.
If you think that’s a bit steep, I added up the total of what it could cost to do a similar ride with the same amenities, on your own, and ADV-X is a pretty good bargain. Factor in the lodging, food, gas, and bike transport (east coast to west), and you’re looking at about $4,500. And you still have to plan each day’s route; you don’t have access to techs or medics; and you don’t have access to certified trainers for riding tips. They even include workshops on navigation, how to load a bike, and how to perform basic maintenance. As one of the participants put it: “It’s like an off-road boot camp.”
What I found could have been the scariest part of the ride was when we crossed some logging trucks after turning onto some of B.C.’s logging roads — those behemoths are wide and they kick up massive clouds of dust. However, the riding guides were equipped with radios and were in communication with the truckers, allowing us to pull over safely to let the trucks go by.
If you find riding off road intimidating, ADV-X provides the ideal environment in which to hone your skills, enjoy breathtaking scenery, and partake in camaraderie that comes naturally when a group of bikers gather. I witnessed some of the less experienced riders get more confident throughout the week, and by the end of the week were riding over obstacles that far exceeded their expectations. Note, however, that it’s not a place to learn to ride off road — there are specialized courses across the country for that.
If you do plan on participating in ADV-X next year (go to bmw-motorrad.ca for future dates and location), make sure your bike is mechanically sound; install fresh, aggressively treaded adventure touring tires; and make sure your air filter is new — it will need to be replaced when you get home due to dust.
If you own a BMW GS and haven’t yet taken it off road; exploit its potential — as well as your own — by taking part in ADV-X. It’s nowhere near as extreme as the Dakar Rally, though you will get a chance to be treated like a factory rider for a week.
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