It ’ s doubtful I ’ ll ever mount a challenge for the Dakar . I ’ m far too old , and to be perfectly honest , far too scared to fire a giant dirt bike along moonscapes at 180km / h . I am very much in awe of people who do . I look at them like I look at the MotoGP racers – gods to be admired and venerated , and if necessary , sacrificed to . That said , I have ridden a fair amount of dirt in my time . I did Sydney to Phillip Island on the dirt some years back . I ’ ve done dirt courses , and pitched myself off the bike with all the dignity of an anvil thrown from a plane . I remain no threat to anyone astride a dirt bike . Unless you ’ re standing where I ’ m crashing . But that ’ s on you . These days , I don ’ t do much dirt stuff . But I should do more , and so should you , and there are lots of reasons for that . I was reminded of them all while attending a Metzeler tyre launch for the new Karoo 4 and the Tourance Next2 . The first is a superb , dual-purpose ( but very dirt-oriented ) hoop for the big adventure bikes , and the second is the evolution on what is already one of the best dual-purpose ( but more road-orientated ) tyres you can get for your luxo chookie . Now I know some of you frailer readers consider riding dirt an anathema . You ’ d rather fight a bear . I ’ d ask you to reconsider . Riding on dirt brings many lessons which translate directly to your on-road skills . And there ’ s no Highway Patrol on the dirt tracks . Sure , you might get the odd cop on a dirt bike , but he ’ s normally focused on terrorising young kinds on unregistered dirt weapons . Most of the time you can speed your fool head off and remain unfined . And then there ’ s the fact that riding a bike on a surface which offers no grip whatsoever is enlightening . Dirt-bike riders will say there is lots of grip on the dirt . Compared to what good hotmix offers ? I don ’ t think so . Dirt , and all its permutations – mud , clay , gravel , sand , rocks – moves constantly under your tyres . And everything is different . Where you put your body , how you weight the ’ bars and pegs , throttle and brake application , the chances of getting a tree through your face – all of it different to carving bitumen bends on a bike . But it is a magnificent learning experience – especially for people who don ’ t ride dirt . Because one day , and that day may never come , you will lose traction on the road , and in that brief period of time before you hit the road , and then a tree or a car , you ’ ll pour so much shit out