Hey all

My 2011 XTR is in pretty good shape. Not mint, but not far off.

Thing is, I got it 4 months ago when I fancied trying some green laning amongst other things. Well, today, without any planning or ability or off-road experience I happened across a legal byway, and headed down it. Amazingly, I came out the other end safely 3 miles later, muddy and shaking with excitement and fear, but with so many close shaves I lost count!

So, this thing is going down. A lot. How do I prepare? I've seen guys online with their bikes dented, snapped and scratched, and they're fine with it. How does one go from a nice, clean, showroom-condition bike, and deal with the fact that it's going to roll down a hill and from that point on be saleable only as a properly used off-roader? At the moment I can't get my head round it.

On a related-note, is it worth getting a couple of blank side plastics before I go off-road again? Those stickers are awful pricey!