Australia is spoilt for choice as a mecca for adventure motorcycling. There are literally tracks galore for beginners or experienced folk.
If you’re new to this extremely fun sport that speaks of freedom and inner fulfilment, then we can highly recommend getting to one of the numerous adventure motorcycling schools around the country. These training workshops essentially help novice riders become more confident offroad.
Having done the grunt work, we’ve created this list of the best training schools in Australia.
Note: None of these is in a specific order yet each provides different experiences for various riders out there. Let’s begin.
1. Stay Upright
We love Stay Upright and you’ll find them running offroad courses across various states. What we love about Stay Upright is that some of their students actually carried through from previous courses as they teach complete learners.
You’ll find general adventure riding courses as well as courses for motocross and trail bike riding. You’ll want to stick in the ADV lane for sure and really learn how to master that big bike of yours. Additionally, they run lessons exclusively for women too!
2. Academy of Off Road Riding
It doesn’t matter how much you’ve ridden, there’s always space to learn more. That’s the case with Kinga from OnHerBike who, before she got YouTube famous, took a course at the Academy of Off-Road Riding.
It’s certainly an eye-opener and a chance to see how to properly ride in a controlled environment. You’ll be learning braking, clutch control and handling the heavier weights offroad. And yep – you’ll be learning how to pick up your motorcycle!
3. Simon Pavey’s Off Road Skills Course
While Simon lives in the UK, he still runs tours and skills acceleration courses in Australia for keen adventure riders. These are generally held around Merimbula and you’ll get training from one of the most experienced in the field of adventure riding.
After all, Simon Pavey is a Dakar Rally racer and thus, he’s certainly someone who knows how to throw a bike around. In addition to off road skills, he also runs a seperate adventure bike maintenance course designed to keep your bike moving when you’re a million miles away from a mechanic.
4. Honda HART Australia
Yep – Honda runs their own training and you don’t need to own a Honda bike to join in. They’re half-hoping you’ll bike a Honda down the track though, and you probably will when you realize what these bikes can do in the hands of a confident and experienced rider!
You’ll find them running regular courses across NSW, VIC and QLD. In these courses, they cover riding posture, low speed manuvers, going up and down steel hills and how to plan your expeditions. Definitely worth heading along to!
5. Top Rider
Based on the Sunshine Coast, Top Rider has advanced courses specifically for adventure riders. You can join them on a 1 day adventure training skills course followed by a 1 day adventure ride. Bring your camping gear and make a weekend of it!
You’ll find these starting from Mt Cotton which is east of Brisbane. Even if you live south of the border, it’s worth the trip up as they take their riders through some stunning scenery and epic offroad tracks for all skill levels.
6. Maschine
We think we’ve left one of the best until last! Maschine runs tours and training across Australia for those who are big-bike enthusiasts. Don’t expect to be surrounded by MX riders here as it’s genuine for 600cc and up. While they certainly love training, it’s the tours that have earned them a solid reputation in the ADV riding community.
They have been running since 2011 and their crew has been riding offroad bikes since the day they got out of the nappies. Maschine is clearly enthusiastic about showing fellow Australians tracks that so few people can access.
You’ll find organized adventure rides along The Tanami, Kakadu National Park, Victoria’s High Country and the Gulf of Carpentaria. In addition, they’ve organized several international expeditions.
In Summary
Group rides are perfect for those who are newer to the sport. You’ll be accompanied by the professionals and have a group of like-minded riders to chat to each night, instead of a lonely ponder at the camp fire by yourself.
Instead of dealing with headaches and trying to plan each day, you can offroad the repsonsibilities so you can simply enjoy the ride and take it all in. These are perfect for those who have been holding themselves back for some time.
