ADV & Dual Sport Riding Clinic in Fools Ride Territory in Richmond, Ohio
September 26-27, 2026
Appalachian ADV is adding a Special Ladies Only Level 1 Beginner to Intermediate Group Clinic with special guest co-coach Melissa Fike this autumn down in Richmond, Ohio! The cost of this Clinic will be $385 compared to the normal Group Clinic cost of $450.
Join Kane Wagner and Melissa Fike from Appalachian ADV for a Ladies Only two day beginner to intermediate ADV Riding Clinic. Riding Clinics will only have a max of 10 riders and 2 Riding Coaches! Participants must bring their own bikes. We keep the rider to coach ratio low in order to semi-customize your experience and to help build a temporary team of riders.
The riding clinic will include basic ADV bike set-up, theory and drills, and real-world riding tests. The cost of the clinic will also include Kane's Homemade Granola Bars, bottled water, the ability to camp on Friday & Saturday nights (all forms of rustic camping with 110v power to charge electronics, flush toilet, and sink), and Truck/Trailer parking on-site. Hotels and other lodging options are available within 15 minutes of Fools Base Camp (you can leave your bike/trailer on site overnight).
The Level 1 course is designed for Beginner to Intermediate, Clutch Capable riders that are looking to gain experience and basic skills for dirt and gravel roads. Clutch Capable refers to the rider having experience and comfort with basic operation of the motorcycle. This course is ideal for returning riders, street riders new to ADV, riders looking to brush up on skills & techniques, riders looking for new or different techniques, and riders looking for real-time feedback & coaching. The Level 1 Clinic is not “off road” training but uses basic off road techniques to help improve overall non-pavement riding and build confidence within the rider and in their bike.
The Saturday session will include theory & drills and access to the trails on the Fools Base Camp. In the first session we start with bike set up and ergonomics then build upon each aspect from bike lifting techniques through bike balance, friction zone, body positioning, braking drills, steering techniques, maintaining and breaking traction, line selection and tire placement, managing and negotiating obstacles (loose gravel, small logs, potholes, hill climb and hill climb recovery, etc.).
For the Sunday session we will run an ADV loop designed to test riders and provide real world experience with the Coaches. The second session takes us into the woods on pavement, dirt/gravel roads, and some light-duy off-road style tracks that help build on the skills & drills from the previous session. Trees, rocks, ruts and other natural features replace the cones. The controlled environment at Base Camp is replaced by a semi-controlled environment when we hit the road. We review how to interpret terrain features that have been weathered and run through by other off-road vehicles. The loop will cover terrain in the local area and will include a gas stop.
Please bring plenty of fluids (hydration pack or bottle holster attached to motorcycle), snacks to maintain energy (particularly for Sunday's session), and appropriate riding gear (i.e. riding boots, riding pants and jacket with armor, helmet, gloves, weather-appropriate layers/rain gear). Your motorcycle should be current on all maintenance requirements and it is highly recommended that participants also have fairly fresh ADV tires, skid plates, and other crash protection on the bikes. Tires should be a minimum 50/50 but we highly recommend more aggressive tires! Not all 50/50's are the same, tread pattern including gap spacing and depth make a huge difference in tire performance! We recommend a fairly fresh tire with defined knobblies that are similar in nature to the MOTOZ Tractionator series. Contact Kane@AppalachianADV.com with any specific questions about tire selection. Check out our FAQs for Appalachian ADV Events, The Tire Conundrum for help in tire selection and the Appalachian ADV Community Podcast - ADV & Dual Sport Riding Clinics with Kane & Tom.
Our goal is to push your limits and get you out of your comfort zone a bit to help build confidence in your machine and your own skills. We keep the clinic's rider to coach ratio small in order to semi-customize your experience and to help build a temporary team of riders. We are all there to help pick up your bike and your spirits when the bike inevitably takes a closer look at the ground. This ADV Ride Clinic is intended to familiarize riders with the theory, physics, and skills necessary to ride ADV & Dual Sport bikes on gravel and dirt surfaces. We do not expect riders to master every drill at the conclusion of the course but to have a solid foundation, recognition of weak spots, and the ability to take these theories and drills home allowing continued practice to build upon the riders' skills.
Saturday Schedule:
Sunday Schedule:
Kane is the owner of Appalachian ADV and a Certified Riding Coach with the US Motorcycle Coaching Association. All USMCA Certified Coaches uphold the USMCA's Values and Code of Conduct, pass a background check, and hold certifications in abuse prevention, CPR/First Aid, concussion protocol, heat illness & cardiac arrest training.
Kane is also Wilderness First Aid Certified through Survival Med. The 2-year certification uses an industry-standard 16-hour Wilderness First Aid course with Hands-on Practical Skills that is accepted by National Park Service, National Association for Search & Rescue, USDA Forest Service, Boy Scout troops and many other governments, non-profits, organizations & businesses.
Melissa and Kane grew up in a little town on the PA border and they played middle school football together! If you came out to this year's Fools Ride Rally she ran sweep for Kane on the Dual Sport Moderate routes each day.
Melissa has been riding for over 25 years spending decades accumulating seat time on a multitude of terrain including hare scrambles, motor cross tracks, and street bikes. Her comfort zone has always been off road tackling technical terrain. A mother of 3, daughter of 13 and 12 year old twin boys, she's had the privilege of teaching them how to ride as well as coaching youth competitive soccer. Melissa is genuinely excited to pass on her motorbiking knowledge with patience and a zero judgement zone.
"Out of all of the trainers I've worked with, Kane Wagner is the absolute best coach! His feedback and classes are so personalized and wonderful! He's a treasure to the ADV community!" -Scott from Akron, Ohio
"I really enjoyed Saturday's clinic and got a lot out of it. I appreciate your expertise, your patient teaching style, and your attention to detail in helping me and the others. It was just the right degree of difficulty for me, everything I did was a challenge but nothing was so overwhelming that it felt way over my head. It was good to get out of my comfort zone and I feel a lot more confident now, especially after the group ride at the end. Really a good group of guys too. I will definitely recommend your clinics to others." Jim from Brunswick, Ohio
"[The] Clinic was absolutely superb. Kane is an amazing teacher. (I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go.) But the group was also so helpful. Everytime I fell/got stuck, all of [them] came rushing in to help." -Sony from Suwanee, Georgia
"Really enjoyed the clinic. Many tips and practice for getting comfortable with your bike. Kane and Marsh covered clutch, braking, throttle, balancing, slow speed turning, control and other facets of riding. Where else are you encouraged to lock up your rear brake in thick gravel and grass, spin your tire, lift the front wheel over obstacles, options to turn around, options to get going without sitting on the bike and my favorite - climbing on your bike from the right side (non kick stand side)! I was worn out at the end of the day." -Dave from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
"I appreciate the classes you teach. You cater to who you have, encourage taking risks but never push, and let people grow." -Josh from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
"What an awesome weekend! You are a great instructor with much knowledge! What great courage you gave me to try new things. 'I knew I didn’t know a lot but I didn’t know I didn’t know that much.' Can’t wait for your level 2 class!!!!" -Dave from Cross Plains, Wisconsin
"You're doing a really good thing for the beginners of, not just Adventure, but riding as a whole. You were very organized and covered everything you need to know." - Cody from Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania
"What a great time. Being new to the ADV world and having a Harley-Davidson Pan America, Kane showed me what this bike is capable of. I learned tons of techniques and gained confidence in handling off road obstacles." -Matt from Cleveland, Ohio
"In this class we all worked hard AND had so much fun. The class is set up perfectly with one day of drills followed by one day of riding on diverse terrain. Kane and Tom are amazing instructors/people. A great group of students too, differing experience levels (I'm a total newbie), and everyone was super supportive. It was cool seeing how everyone's confidence levels and skills shot up dramatically at the completion of the first day." -Tony from Fairport, New York
"Kane Wagner is a wonderful ADV riding instructor. His clinics are so helpful to learn and apply the basic skills needed to take your riding adventures to the next level." -Tambra from Titusville, Pennsylvania
"Thank you for your time, patience, knowledge and encouragement the past two days [at the private clinic]. I’m a much better and more confident rider because of it." - Chris from Dublin, Ohio
"Had a lot of fun and learned a lot. Got me thinking of all the fundamentals as I'm riding. Kane and Tom are great instructors who enjoy what they do. Can't recommend them enough. See you at the Fools Ride!" -Daniel from Huntingtown, Maryland
"As a new rider, the training aspect is critical. The learning curve of piloting my 485lb bike off road is steep (sometimes very steep). After a training clinic with Kane you get the techniques to then go out and practice those things that you may never have discovered on your own. I also think training informs you what kind of riding you like to do. There's so many ADV style bikes out there, you need to get out and get dirty to find what you like best and then find the bike that best lets you enjoy that aspect of adventure riding." - Phillip from New Albany, Ohio
"Very good course! I got into ADV riding 3 years ago but haven’t tested my skills like I did this weekend. Highly recommended if you want to learn some new practice drills to sharpen your off-road riding ability and improve confidence. No classroom, you’re learning while on your bike all day, which was perfect for me." -Dan from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
"Would definitely recommend the clinic I have been off-road on dirt bikes all my life and Kane taught me some things... on my Honda CB500X Rally Raid." -Steven from Boardman, Ohio
Clinic Riders will be emailed more information prior to the session including discount codes from some of our sponsors including:
Motoz Tires USA - The Official Tire of Appalachian ADV
Gryphon Moto - The Official Riding Gear of Appalachian ADV
OBR ADV Gear - The Official Moto Luggage of Appalachian ADV
Barkbuster Handguards - The Official Tire of Appalachian ADV
Pivot Pegz - The Official Foot Peg of Appalachian ADV
Scott's Synthetic Oil Products - The Official Oil Products of Appalachian ADV
Have Fun, Take Chances - Appalachian ADV's Main Motto (article linked)
Experience Gained is Wisdom Earned - Appalachian ADV's Clinic Battle Cry. You can't get better without doing it and putting in the time. We are here to help build experience through sharing techniques and skill assessments.
Let's Make It Wierd! - Kane's infamous twist on training... helping riders gain comfort in their skills and their bike through riding wierd in a controlled environment so that when it inevitably gets weird in the real world the rider will not panic (or at least panic less) to help aid in making it to the other side unscathed.
Participants must be at least 16 with a motorcycle endorsed drivers license or a motorcycle temporary instruction permit. Riders should be proficient at operating a clutch and have some general experience operating a motorcycle. This Clinic is not designed to instruct a rider that has no experience operating a motorcycle. If this is what you are looking for, it is recommended to check out the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic Rider Course or similar. Participants are responsible to carry appropriate insurance for their motorcycle. Street-legal Motorcycle registration must also be current for the applicable state of residence.
We make every effort to ensure events listed in the CycleFish Motorcycle Event Calendar are accurate at the time of posting. However, event organizers sometimes make changes to event details, or cancel the event, without notifying us. If you find information that is incorrect, please Contact Us and let us know.
