Thrills and spills of off-road riding

POSTED: 01/08/2024

Off-road trail riding needs some special riding skills but Dave Willis and Rob Walters found that the right motorbikes can flatter your abilities… until you take a tumble!

The daring duo took part in the Norfolk leg of Suffolk Trail Riders’ Iceni Weekend in aid of charity. We also gave some raffle prizes to help swell the coffers.

The Saturday route started early morning from the Angel Inn at Larling, near Snetterton in south-west Norfolk, under the watchful eye of a very experienced guide.

About two-thirds of the ride was off-road, using sections of Peddars Way to Swaffham and then on to the north-west Norfolk seaside resort of Hunstanton on The Wash.

Dave and Rob each chose a KTM 250 EXC fuel-injected two-stroke enduro motorbike.

Dave said: “It was unbelievable. It made me look like an off-road genius which I’m certainly not.

“That was until my rather big crash!

“I was going too fast on some wet chalk. When I put the front wheel down, it went sideways and I went careering down the road backwards, sliding on my stomach.”

Fortunately he was wearing all the right safety clothing including body armour, padded trousers and knee pads.

“The bike was fine, it just bounced. I didn’t and hurt my arm.”

Dave managed to finish the ride despite his tumble.

With Rob having other commitments on the Sunday, Dave decided not to do the Sunday ride in Suffolk after his mishap.

But he still enjoyed the experience.

“You forget how much fun it is to ride off road,” added Dave.

Check out KTM’s full range of off-road enduro motorbikes at orwell.co.uk/ktm/new-ktm-motorcycle-range/enduro