Motorcycle Explorer October 2014 Issue 2 | Page 88

paul pitchfork
goes back to school
yamaha off-road style
DIALLING INTO THE DIRT WITH THE YAMAHA OFF ROAD EXPERIENCE
N
estled in a quiet valley amongst the hills of mid-Wales,
at the end of an un-signposted lane, is a farm. From the
outside, it looks unremarkable. But this is no ordinary farm.
Visit on a weekend, or sometimes Wednesday or Friday, and
the sound of revving 450s and 250s will replace the gentle
bleating of sheep. And the farmer you may spot wandering
around the yard in an army-surplus waterproof jacket and a
Dunlop baseball cap, marshaling this unlikely herd, is none
other than the ten times GB Enduro Champion, Geriant
Jones. This is the ‘Yamaha Off-Road Experience’ - Yamaha’s
off road school in Llanidloes.
I
first encountered the Yamaha Off Road Experience in July
2012. I had just bought a second-hand Tenere in advance of
my South America trip, and my experience of riding in the
dirt was zero. I therefore loaded up the bike with camping
gear and rode to Wales to undertake the Tenere Experience -
a course based on the XT660Z and the Super Tenere. Over
the next two days, I would learn what riding an 200kg
‘adventure bike’ off the tarmac was all about, and more
importantly come to understand what this superb machine is
really capable off.