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Any green laners on here?

Eastmids-HD

Eastmids-HD

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I'm looking at giving this a go and wondered if anyone on here does it has tried it, if so, any info and advice would be appreciated 👍
 
If you mean bikes then look at the TRF . They have loads of members and do trail riding days .

https://www.trf.org.uk/ I used to know a lot of people who were in it and others but I lost touch with almost all when the TBM forum closed down .
I used to do a bit up here but we had to get the landowners permission up here .
 
Cheers both, a mate that I met up with yesterday started green laning the other month and joined the TRF, I certainly don't want to try it on my ktm 1290 super adventure s and am looking at 250/350 bikes, I can use the adventure kit I have but ultimately it's the bike I need to sort out, I'm only wanting to spend around £2500-3000 as I may not get into it.
 
Eastmids-HD said:
I'm looking at giving this a go and wondered if anyone on here does it has tried it, if so, any info and advice would be appreciated 👍
Click to expand...
me......mixture of laning and hard enduro.
What advice do you need ?
Bike - depends on what you plan to do, lanes exclusively with a chunk of road riding... I'd go 4 stroke.
Mainly off road and lanes....Id go 2 stroke and a 300.

Gear.....depends how hard you ride.
Helmet you can get and Airoh for about £120. pants and top....say £150 to £200.
Knee support...Acerbis for about £60.
Body armour...id suggest an all in one system with elbows, shoulders and back...£150 to £200.
Boots...£150 to £500...dependant on level of support but Tech 3's are decent for about the £200 mark.
Gloves...£30.

I'd say about 5k on a bike and another £700 to 1k for the gear would see you right.

Then it's finding people to ride with.
A good way is either join your local TRF or as you seem Midlands based, get a NORA licence and go to some of the WOR events that are mainly west Wales based to meet people to ride with.
I'd recommend trying it first and not knowing your skill level on a bike maybe do a tuition day at Mick Exstance where they provide bike and gear and see if you like riding before you pull the trigger on a bike and the gear. Exstance is more for Enduro/Hard Enduro but will cater to your skill level and help you decide.
 
Jukebox said:
me......mixture of laning and hard enduro.
What advice do you need ?
Bike - depends on what you plan to do, lanes exclusively with a chunk of road riding... I'd go 4 stroke.
Mainly off road and lanes....Id go 2 stroke and a 300.

Gear.....depends how hard you ride.
Helmet you can get and Airoh for about £120. pants and top....say £150 to £200.
Knee support...Acerbis for about £60.
Body armour...id suggest an all in one system with elbows, shoulders and back...£150 to £200.
Boots...£150 to £500...dependant on level of support but Tech 3's are decent for about the £200 mark.
Gloves...£30.

I'd say about 5k on a bike and another £700 to 1k for the gear would see you right.

Then it's finding people to ride with.
A good way is either join your local TRF or as you seem Midlands based, get a NORA licence and go to some of the WOR events that are mainly west Wales based to meet people to ride with.
I'd recommend trying it first and not knowing your skill level on a bike maybe do a tuition day at Mick Exstance where they provide bike and gear and see if you like riding before you pull the trigger on a bike and the gear. Exstance is more for Enduro/Hard Enduro but will cater to your skill level and help you decide.
Click to expand...
That's excellent, much appreciated.

I was told of a chap in Wales that does enduro days on Gas Gas bikes, can't remember his name?

Last time I rode anything off road was my big wheel Kx80 back in 1986 😂
 
not a green laner as such or of now but used to ride a bultaco 250 in trials and time trials some 45 years ago
 
Eastmids-HD said:
That's excellent, much appreciated.

I was told of a chap in Wales that does enduro days on Gas Gas bikes, can't remember his name?

Last time I rode anything off road was my big wheel Kx80 back in 1986 😂
Click to expand...
It's great fun and a hobby where you can put in as much or as little as you like.
The TRF are legitimate green laners and get their fun out of exploring and riding lanes and byways.
Then there's moving onto hare and hounds events which is mainly flat riding at pace on private land.
Then there's enduro which is hill climbs and decents and general 'off piste' type riding that's physically demanding and then there's hard enduro that's simply stupidity and trying to get up stuff you'd need a cable car for and down stuff you'd need a sledge for 😂
Youtube is your best bet to research stuff and maybe help decide which ones for you as not knowing your physical state or what you want out of it then only you can decide.
There's loads of videos on laning and then channels like Midwest mx for a general mix of hard enduro and enduro and then of you search for videos fron Endurokex or on Romaniacs or Erzbergrodeo then that's the extreme crazy mental batshit stuff that makes you wonder what drugs they are on 😂
If you decide which one you fancy trying and want to commit to buying stuff then in happy to help or advise and I know
@32:1 is also extremely knowledgeable about bikes and gear, as he was the person that helped me out massively by finding my bike for me and sending me a load of gear up to get me started 👍
 
I've got a honda crf250l, Bought it new about about 8 years ago. Lots use them and parts are cheap. Very reliable , Not the quickest but they do seem to be one of the green lane favourites. The klx 250 is another good green lane bike. If you want something faster , More enduro type then look at the gasgas ec200 , They are very quick. You will pick up a half decent crf250l for around 2,5k upwards. 3k upwards would get a low milage and newer. I've had a few transalps, 2 x kle 500 and xt600e so the crf to me is much lighter. You can buy a full set of plastics ( aftermarket ) for about £100 so always cheap when dropped.
 
madcarlos said:
I've got a honda crf250l, Bought it new about about 8 years ago. Lots use them and parts are cheap. Very reliable , Not the quickest but they do seem to be one of the green lane favourites. The klx 250 is another good green lane bike. If you want something faster , More enduro type then look at the gasgas ec200 , They are very quick. You will pick up a half decent crf250l for around 2,5k upwards. 3k upwards would get a low milage and newer. I've had a few transalps, 2 x kle 500 and xt600e so the crf to me is much lighter. You can buy a full set of plastics ( aftermarket ) for about £100 so always cheap when dropped.
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I've been doing some research on these and people say that the front shocks are the weak spot on these bikes?

I'm still tempted by a ktm 300 exc or the 350??
 
Its a minefield and one thing for sure is you won’t get it right first time 😉
We all have our own expectations, experience and abilities so there’s no one shoe fits all feet with offroad and GL riding.

Ive a mate who rides his husky norden 900 everywhere the others go, its a tank of a bike as you know but he gets around okay and then on road sections he’s gone, but he’s basically ruined the bike with scratches and dents but he doesn’t care one jot, Id pick something lighter for sure and if you intend to explore offroad a lot more than road and have some ability, lets say enduro style Id advise a 300 2st with a kickstarter as when your battery goes flat you can still fire it up.
If you intend to stay on tarmac and firmer dirt lane style riding Id suggest something like the excf500/450 and less of an engine gets you buzzing to much and road work becomes a chore
I have friends who ride a lot and know many fella’s that ride and there’s those who think the 690enduro or 700 tenere are the best do it all bikes and others like the lighter weight stuff like the klx250/300, it really is a minefield 🤐
Things to think about, dont overate your ability when buying a bike, will you use bike for other things like going to work, how far do you intend to ride each day, your height and comfort and of course price

My one piece of advice is if buying a second hand bike make sure you check it over fully, also there’s some nice deals appearing in the new stuff as dealers are having it hard

Ady Smith runs beginner enduro tryout days and I can recommend Ady

Whatever you choose ENJOY
 
Not wanting to be a killjoy, but a piece of advice I was given when I used to greenlane in my old landrover, try and leave everything as you found it.
A lot like shooting, there are those who want this sort of activity banned and damage to the greenlanes give them fuel to fan the flames.
Also make sure where you go you are legally allowed to, again for the above reasons.
Then go and enjoy yourself ,I had some fantastic times at 4-5mph, saw things you'd never see else where ( came across 2 steam traction engines once that used cables to pull a plough across a field back and forth.)
If you know this already, apologies.
 
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Eastmids-HD said:
That's excellent, much appreciated.

I was told of a chap in Wales that does enduro days on Gas Gas bikes, can't remember his name?

Last time I rode anything off road was my big wheel Kx80 back in 1986 😂
Click to expand...
Try Ady Smith for training -
www.adysmith.co.uk

HOME - Ady Smith Off Road Experience

Make a booking at one of our Upcoming Off Road Experience Days. A great way to experience enduro riding and gain some useful tips!
www.adysmith.co.uk www.adysmith.co.uk

Also there's some good off road riding parks where you pay £25 - £35 for 4 to 6 hours riding, I occasionally go to Atherton nr Wigan or Parkwood Off Road Centre nr Leeds, both tracks are different with Atherton being flat and fast and Parkwood being more technical. There should be some off road parks nearer to you.
www.parkwoodoutdoorsltd.com

Parkwood Outdoors | Venue

Parkwood outdoors- 4x4, Enduro and Trials practice/ hire at one of Yorkshires best outdoor and motorsport venues.
www.parkwoodoutdoorsltd.com www.parkwoodoutdoorsltd.com

On the bikes, with 'pure' enduro bikes the engines do need frequent maintenance and occasional rebuilds, trail bikes are much lower maintenance at the cost of power and weight though. I have a KTM 250 2T, it's brilliant in the gnarly off road stuff but quite 'nervous' on the road with knobbly tyres, soft suspension and powerful brakes, also a 250cc 2 stroke can be a bit of a handful in the technical stuff when you're wheel spinning at high revs and suddenly get traction, the 350cc 4T bikes tend to be a bit more rider friendly.

If you like bikes you are probably going to find this sport very addictive, it's a great way to improve all your riding skills and keep fit at the same time, have fun!

Me and a mate at Parkwood last year, mines the old 1998 KTM MXC250 on the left -

20230614_172136.jpg 20230614_145445.jpg 20240508_053229.jpg
 
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One bit no one has mentioned, never ride with owt in your pants pockets, you will have a bum to planet interface meeting at sometime,& having the outline of a swiss army knife & loose change on your thigh is not fun ! This of course is pure conjecture.
 
Joining the TRF is the best bit of advice for anyone looking to green lane.

After that, I think the cheapest way in bike-wise is a Honda CRF250L/Rally - not much power but good to learn on and you can usually find upgraded examples for around £3k on eBay etc.

If you want off road riding tuition I can't recommend the Jones family @ https://www.yamaha-offroad-experience.co.uk/ highly enough, I've been going with a group of mates every year for several years now.
 
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