ADV riders will climb mountains, cross rivers, and ride for days through remote backcountry but throw in a stretch of deep sand and suddenly everyone forgets how to ride.

In the adventure world, it’s easy to get dazzled by shiny catalog pages and “pro-level” endorsements.

But here’s the reality: expensive doesn’t always equal better.

Rider school teaches the fundamentals—clutch control, shifting, braking, turning, maybe oil changes and chain adjustments. Great start. But once you’re deep in the backcountry, the classroom stuff doesn’t cut it.

Adventure riding punishes bikes in ways the manuals don’t cover, and knowing a few smart hacks can mean the difference between finishing the ride or hiking out.

Here are the tricks every ADV rider should have up their sleeve.

Let’s get this out of the way: we all love a good riding video. A drone shot of a bike carving through switchbacks? Awesome. A well-edited tour vlog with killer music? Inspiring.

But somewhere between the gear flexes and the over-polished trip recaps, something’s gotten lost.

You’ve got the right bike, the right gear, and the right attitude—but if you can’t read the terrain, you’re riding blind. And while no one’s born with trail vision, the best ADV riders seem to spot trouble a mile away.

That’s because they’ve trained their eyes (and brains) to interpret every slope, rut, and shadow for what it really is: either a smooth pass or a trap waiting to body slam your bike into the dirt.

Some riders break the rules. Others break the limits of what’s possible. These record-breaking and trailblazing motorcyclists have pushed boundaries in speed, endurance, and sheer courage — often without becoming household names.

Their stories range from land speed legends to fearless firsts that changed the face of motorcycling forever.

At RIDE Adventures, our instructors aren't just teachers; they are dedicated students of the craft.

They are constantly in the field, testing gear, refining systems, and pushing their limits to bring the most current and hard-won knowledge back to our clients.

Let’s get one thing straight: ADV and dual sport are not the same thing. They’re different bikes, different styles of riding, and frankly, different mentalities.

But somewhere along the way, the lines started to blur, and now a lot of riders are making choices (and comments) that don’t match the machines they’re on.

There’s a certain type of rider who believes you’re not a real ADV rider unless you’re wrangling 600+ pounds of German or Austrian engineering through knee-deep ruts.

If you’re on a smaller bike? Clearly you’re still in beginner mode, right?

ADV riding isn’t just a scenic cruise through the backcountry. It’s physical. It’s mental. And after a few days on the trail, it can leave even the most experienced riders feeling beat to hell.

If you've ever thought, “Why am I so wiped out when I only rode 150 miles?”—you're not alone.