The 7 Off-Road Techniques Every Adventure Rider Must Master

From weighting the pegs to reading sand, the fundamentals that keep you upright when the tarmac ends.

Stand up. It sounds simple, but the single biggest upgrade to your off-road riding is getting off the seat and onto the pegs. Standing lowers your centre of gravity through the bike and lets your legs absorb what would otherwise buck you off.

Look where you want to go, never at the obstacle. Target fixation is real — stare at the rock and you'll hit it. Lift your eyes to the exit of the corner and the bike follows.

Feather the clutch, not the brakes, for slow control. In technical sections the clutch is your throttle. Learn to slip it smoothly and you can crawl over anything.

Read the sand. Speed is your friend in soft sand — momentum keeps you floating on top. Ease off and you dig in. Weight back, throttle steady, and let the front wheel go light.