SA Adventure Motorcycle Tour Grading System
Anyone with a valid motorcycle licence is welcome to join an SA Adventure motorcycle tour, there are beautiful on and off-road sections on every tour we run. Support will be given to inexperienced riders by the SA Adventure tour crew. We have a lead and sweep rider, a support truck and trailer, and a medic on each tour. You ride at your own pace always, and pillions can jump into the support truck at any point if the going gets a little tough. On each tour, we have a short off-road riding skills lesson before departure. You will learn new riding skills along the way and become a more confident off-road rider by the time the adventure ends!
The SA Adventure team is there to support you along the way. You, your safety and enjoyment of your motorcycle adventure is our number one priority! To help you prepare for your upcoming motorcycle adventure, our tour grading system is set out below:
Grade 1 motorcycle adventures are 99% on tarred roads generally in good condition. We may at times ride winding coastal and mountain roads. It must be remembered that riding styles in many of the regions we ride through can be somewhat different to those that you may be accustomed to, and as such a certain amount of care and riding skill, is of course required.
Grade 2 motorcycle adventures are about a 60/40 split between tarred roads and good compact gravel. These rides can also sometimes traverse non-technical high altitude mountain passes. No previous off-road riding experience is required or needed for SA Adventure’s Grade 2 motorcycle tours. Alternate rain routes. Our excellent support crew will teach you all the skills you need along the way, and you will be a more confident rider by the end of the tour.
Grade 3 motorcycle adventures are about a 60/40 split between tarred roads and off-road sections. There will be some short technical sections with rocks and potentially muddy areas depending on weather conditions. These rides can also cross high-altitude passes. Alternate rain routes. Some previous off-road riding experience is required or needed for SA Adventure’s Grade 3 motorcycle tours. Our excellent support crew will teach you all the skills you need along the way, and you will be a more confident rider by the end of the tour. We also recommend that you attend one of our Off-Road Rider Training days.
Grade 4 motorcycle adventures are about a 50/50 split between tarred roads and off-road sections. With the support of the SA Adventure tour crew, these motorcycle routes are achievable by anyone There will be technical sections with rocks, potential muddy or sandy areas, ruts and loose gravel. There will also be twin-track riding on these tours. These rides can also cross high-altitude mountain passes and we may experience adverse weather conditions. The off-road sections can be long. On some grade 4 rides, we cross a number of small shallow rivers. Alternate rain routes. Off-road riding experience is required to participate in our Grade 4 motorcycle tours. However our excellent support team will teach you the skills you need along the way, and you will be a more confident rider by the end of the tour. We recommend you attend one of our ride-specific Adventure Motorcycle Training days.
Grade 5 motorcycle adventure tours or outrides are not that extreme and with the SA Adventure support crew behind you, are achievable by anyone. These rides have some long days with a lot of gravel, sand, mud, ruts, river crossings, twin and single-track routes. They are not rallies like the Roof of Africa or the Dakar but will test your endurance, both physically and mentally. Alternate rain routes. Off-road experience IS required to participate in an SA Adventure grade 5 ride. We recommend you attend one of our advanced Adventure Motorcycle Rider Training days.