Posts tagged #Chris Birch

What We Think We Know About Riding—And What Chris Birch Actually Teaches

In this episode, we’re joined by world-renowned motorcycle instructor and KTM rider Chris Birch for a deep dive into rider technique, mindset, and how modern bikes—and training—are changing the game. Chris challenges the blanket advice that riders should always stand off-road, sharing real-world scenarios where sitting makes more sense. He also breaks down how rider education has evolved, why modern suspension can be a double-edged sword for learning, and how electronic aids may shape the next generation of riders. Whether you're just getting started or looking to fine-tune your skills, this conversation is packed with insights that’ll change the way you think about riding.

Posted on April 17, 2025 and filed under Chris Birch, Instructor.

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Setting Suspension Sag for Balance - Chris Birch

Setting your suspension sag is crucial for your bike's handling and safety, not just to keep your tires in contact with the ground or to compensate for added weight. Renowned adventure rider Chris Birch highlights the importance of getting this adjustment right. Traditionally, measuring sag has been tedious, often resulting in incorrect settings. However, with a new device that simplifies the process and allows you to do it solo, accurately adjusting your sag for varying loads is now easier than ever, significantly enhancing your ride.

Posted on August 22, 2024 and filed under Suspension, Tech Tips.

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Small vs Large Adventure Motorcycles Off-Road - Chris Birch

The topic of large and small adventure motorcycles is often approached with a "large vs small" angle, as if there is a definitive answer to the question of which is better. However, just as there is no one-size-fits-all solution for footwear, there is no perfect bike that suits everyone for all occasions. In this episode, we will discuss large and small adventure motorcycles from a different perspective. Chris Birch from Say No To Slow talks about how we ride large vs small adventure motorcycles and why what works for one may not work for the other.

Posted on April 18, 2024 and filed under Small Motorcycles, Motorcycle.

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RIDER SKILLS: Easy Lesson Makes Sand Riding Fun on ADV Motorcycles - Chris Birch

Chris Birch thinks that sand really gets a bad rap and that riding in sand is fun, not just for him but for all riders. And if you disagree, it could be that you either need to tweak your skills or perhaps you’ve missed one of the fundamentals of riding in sand. Time after time, Chris teaches riders to have fun in the sand, not just survive, but have fun. So, if you fear sand or you struggle in it, this episode of RIDER SKILLS should make it so that the next time you see sand through your visor, you’ll anticipate it with a smile on your face.

Posted on March 9, 2023 and filed under Rider Skills.

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RIDER SKILLS: Off-Road Tire Pressure Settings for Adventure Motorcycles

Motorcycle tire pressure settings are critical and for adventure motorcycles heading into the dirt it could make the difference between a fun ride or steady frustration, but does the perfect setting exist? Can we look at the chart, match our terrain and riding style to our payload and suspension, and then adjust our pressure to the recommended setting? Well not quite, but it may be a little easier than you think and to walk us through this we turned to two rider trainers with slightly different approaches. Bill Dragoo, although very technical minded, likes to keep it simple and has some great ideas he has developed for setting tire pressures he can live with. Chris Birch comes from a high level racing background and is very in touch with his tire pressures and how subtle changes make a difference in the way the bike feels. Both are top level rider trainers that will help put us on the straight and narrow for setting our off-road tire pressure on our adventure motorcycle.

Posted on October 20, 2022 and filed under Rider Skills.

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Rider Skills: How to Become an Aggressive Rider and Why You Should - Chris Birch

Aggressive rider? Sounds counterintuitive but there are times when you want to be an aggressive rider and riding instructor, Chris Birch, explains how becoming an aggressive rider, done properly, can improve your riding performance.

Posted on August 18, 2022 and filed under Rider Skills.

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Solo Rider's Guide to Motorcycle Rescue

For the solo rider, or the times when any rider finds themselves solo and having an adventure, it doesn’t take much to find yourself in a situation where your motorcycle has landed on its side, or worse, off the road or trail. This is when one of these techniques will help rescue, retrieve or unstuck your motorcycle. Featured is David Petersen, Chris Birch and Bill Dragoo.

Posted on July 1, 2022 and filed under Tech Tips.

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Should You Stand or Sit on an Adventure Motorcycle?

When you come to a tough section on a road or trail, you may ask yourself should you stand or should you sit? On this in depth episode, we talk to an expert rider and trainer, Chris Birch, and a rocket scientist and physics expert, Mark Nesbit, to learn about standing, sitting, what’s happening when we do and why traction has everything do to with the direction your wheels are pointed.

Posted on April 14, 2022 and filed under Tech Tips.

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Rider Skills: In Three Easy Steps - Log Crossing with Chris Birch

Getting your adventure motorcycle over a log can be a daunting experience, but learning how to do it can open up a whole new world for you. On this episode of Rider Skills we have instructor Chris Birch, world famous for what he does with an adventure bike, teach us how to get our heavy motorcycles over a log in three easy steps and look like a pro while we’re doing it.

Posted on February 24, 2022 and filed under Rider Skills.

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A Rocket Scientist Explains What Really Happens With Peg Weighting

Some riders say that peg weighting doesn’t matter, that the physics of weighting the motorcycle with your feet doesn’t change from one peg to the other. On this episode, we have celebrated off-road racer and renowned rider trainer, Chris Birch, and physicist and rocket scientist, Mark Nesbit, a former space craft designer from the European Space Agency, to work through the physics of what really happens when we weight the peg in a corner - and it’s not what you think.

Posted on September 23, 2021 and filed under Tech Tips.

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Rider Skills: Getting a Grip on Gravel Cornering - Chris Birch

On this episode of Rider Skills you’ll learn how to corner in gravel confidently, you’ll pick up key tips like when to sit and when to stand, and how your bike design will affect that decision. Instructor, Chris Birch, also talks about why peg weighting matters and how leverage comes into play, and how the dirt and asphalt corner differ and why the two shall probably never meet.

Posted on August 5, 2021 and filed under Rider Skills.

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Rider Skills: Mud Riding Tips and Tricks - Chris Birch

If you’re going to ride in the mud with your adventure bike you’re going to need some specific skills for it. You’ll need to approach it differently than hard packed dirt and you really should be prepping your bike for it ahead of time. Mud riding is challenging, but the with the tips and tricks that professional rider and instructor, Chris Birch, shares with us on this episode of Rider Skills, you may just learn to love it.

Posted on September 3, 2020 and filed under Rider Skills.

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Rider Skills: How Handlebar Position Affects Control - Bike Set Up

Setting up your bike’s controls is where Chris Birch begins, and with good reason. Because as you will hear in this episode, even your handlebar position changes the way your bike performs and makes the difference between a great handling bike and one that is a beast to hang on to. Chris Birch walks us through a basic setup that will not only help your ergonomics but also explains why you make the changes and how to tell what is right for you.

Posted on May 28, 2020 and filed under Rider Skills.

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Chris Birch - Life Long Motorcycle Addict

When adventure motorcycles first started to show up on the scene, many top off-road riders were drawn to them, and although they found that they underperformed compared to the bikes they were used to, they worked to invent new skills and techniques to be able to efficiently ride these oversized bikes, so that they could be ride them like it appeared they should be ridden… off-road. Riding instructor, Chris Birch, or you may know him as the KTM 1190 guy, is one of those off-road riders.

Posted on April 30, 2020 and filed under Adventure Bike, Training, KTM.

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