Watch: Chris Birch shows us how a big adventure bike should be ridden off-road

Most of us have our limits when it comes to off-roading on big adventure bikes. Chris Birch, it seems, does not, and ahead of his appearance in the GoPro Display Arena at this year’s ABR Festival, we’ve found a video to prove it.

It follows Chris out on the west coast of New Zealand, riding through the kind of terrain that the average biker would take one look at and find another way around. Swollen river crossings, loose rocky climbs, and long stretches of trail that look more like riverbeds than roads.

He’s joined by his mate Adrian, who’s on a KTM 890 Adventure R, a reasonable choice given what lies ahead. Chris, on the other hand, rolls out on a fully loaded KTM 1290 Super Adventure R. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s the sort of bike you might regret choosing the moment the trail disappears into water.

Chris, unsurprisingly, finds the whole thing amusing, laughing as he suggests “everybody knows you need 160hp to do swollen river crossings.”

The pair pick their way through everything the route can throw at them, from a full on crossing of the Mackley River to the rocky, technical climbs of the Mount Frederick Track. Shot using a mix of on and off board POVs, the video does a brilliant job of showing just how unforgiving the terrain is, and just how easy it seems to be for Chris.

Most riders wouldn’t even consider attempting sections like this on a big adventure bike. Chris makes it look like its a gentle Sunday cruise.

Then again, this is a man who’s an eight time New Zealand Enduro champion, a three time Roof of Africa winner, and one of the most respected extreme enduro riders on the planet, so it’s probably no surprise he makes it all look so straightforward.

It’s one of those videos that makes you shake your head in astonishment and wonder how on earth he does it, so stick it on and see what a big adventure bike can really do in the right hands:

And if you want to witness it for yourself, Chris will be heading to the GoPro Display Arena at the ABR Festival in June to show exactly why he’s regarded as one of the best off-road riders in the world. He’ll also be taking to the Bridgestone Stage and the Traveller’s Tent to share stories from his life riding in some of the most remote parts of the planet. Weekend tickets for the ABR Festival are selling fast, so get yours here before it’s too late.