Getting on a motorcycle means taking on calculated risk. The top priority on our enduro tours is to arrive safe without injuries. We do this by riding at speeds and on tracks according to skill, while wearing all the protective gear, and keeping distance.
In short
- ride responsibly
- all should be fine
In depth
If your only priority in life is safety, stay home. Literally. Don’t leave your home.
Enduro motorcycling may look dangerous to outsiders. It’s not. * in comparison to other activities
Riding motorcycles ON PUBLIC ROADS is dangerous. We know it, and accident statistics show it. Some of us choose to only ride off-road for this reason. Trees don’t do stupid things, don’t attack you. Cars do.
Riding enduro motorcycles offroad is different. Falling off the bike in challenging terrain at very low speeds is common. We wear solid protective gear that absorbs a lot, bruises do occur. Real accidents and injuries are rare, at least for responsible hobby riders. (Races are another topic.)
Driving at your limit or beyond imposes higher risks.
Listen to the pros. Graham Jarvis, the king of Hard Enduro, teaches to learn to ride slow before riding fast.
Take care of your peers, keep enough distance. It’s not a race, unless it is one. The person in front of you may slide and fall at any moment. You need to be able to brake or ride around, not drive into his bike and crash yourself, or worse, ride into him and injure him.
We start many of our tours with two professional guides, not only one, depending on group size. One guy leads the pack, the other cleans up at the end. Sometimes the group splits for more experienced riders to take a harder route, and then join back together later. Each rider is asked to go at his speed, at the speed at which he feels comfortable and safe. The head of the group will halt from time to time, to let everyone catch up. And he adjusts the speed to the group.
We provide top of the class safety equipment. Helmet, goggles, boots, protectors for torso, knees and elbows, gloves. While wearing these, one feels like a gladiator. In contrast, most mountain bikers wear none, and falling from a mountain bike is the same as falling from an enduro bike. Been there, done that.
You absolutely need to close the strap of your motorcycle helmet at all times. If not secured, the helmet often comes off the head in a crash, leaving your head vulnerable.
Sometimes you see riders taking the goggles off in difficult terrain to have better air ventilation. That’s possible, but be aware of the dangers, and put them back over your eyes later. Tree branches can enter your face and injure your eyes. Dirt and stones can hit your face from a motorcycle’s spinning wheel that tries to go a steep uphill. This does happen. Stay out of that line, keep distance.
Drinking alcohol and driving on public roads is forbidden in Romania, there is 0.0 tolerance, and drinking and driving is not socially accepted at all in contrast to other European countries.
If you do not feel well, don’t ride. If you are exhausted, let your guide know to return to the hotel safely (with a guide or the group, we do not leave riders alone). Bring enough water, or refill your bottle or camel bag on a source or stream.
Health insurance is up to you. Check if your health insurance package excludes “extreme sports” such as Enduro motorcycling or motorcycle races.
Nearest hospitals are in the city of Cluj-Napoca.
Our founding member Horia is a paramedic. Because of alpine skiing. Where accidents do happen all too often. The advantage of skiing resorts is the readiness of rescue teams and quick transportation to hospitals. This is not the case in the Romanian wilderness.
Take care. All should be fine.