Privacy Policy

Last updated Oct 25, 2026

This policy explains what Bret Tkacs, LLC ("we") collects when you visit brettkacs.com, why we collect it and the choices you have.

The Short Version

  • We use Google Analytics to see which pages help riders find the right class. It's on by default. You can opt out anytime, and we honor Global Privacy Control.
  • There are no advertising trackers on this site, and we don't sell your personal information.
  • Forms (interest lists, the newsletter, consultation requests) send only what you type, and only after you tick the consent box.
  • YouTube videos load only when you press play.
  • Bookings happen on WeTravel, or GRIT Moto for Utah, under their own privacy policies.

What We Collect

When you browse. If analytics is on, Google Analytics records the pages you view, the links and buttons you click (including which class and date you pick on a booking button), how you arrived, your device and browser type, and your approximate location. Google states that Google Analytics 4 doesn't log or store IP addresses.

When you email us. Your name, email address and whatever you include, such as a phone number or your riding experience.

When you book. Bookings and payments happen on WeTravel or GRIT Moto, not on this site. We receive the booking details you give them, such as your name, contact details and the class you chose, so we can run your class. This site doesn't take payments or store card details.

Hosting and security. Our hosting and security providers process technical data, such as IP addresses, to deliver the site and protect it from abuse.

Google Analytics and Your Choices

We use Google Analytics 4 (measurement ID G-KH8R26GS2K) with Google Consent Mode. Google signals and ad personalization are turned off, and we don't use Google's advertising products. When analytics is on, Google Analytics sets first-party cookies named _ga and _ga_KH8R26GS2K, which last up to two years.

To opt out, choose "Opt Out of Analytics" in the banner, or open "Your Privacy Choices" in the footer. If you opt out, or your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, the Google Analytics script doesn't load at all. We remember your choice in a cookie named bt_consent for 12 months. Clearing your cookies resets it.

Booking on WeTravel

Every class except Utah is booked on Bret's WeTravel page at brettkacs.wetravel.com. WeTravel runs the same Google Analytics property on those pages, subject to WeTravel's own cookie consent. When you follow a booking link, Google Analytics may add a short link parameter (_gl) so a visit that starts here and ends in a booking there counts as one visit. Everything you enter on WeTravel, including payment, is handled by WeTravel under WeTravel's privacy policy.

Booking With GRIT Moto (Utah)

Utah classes are booked on gritmotoadventures.com. Links to GRIT Moto carry campaign tags (UTM parameters) so GRIT Moto can see the visit came from this site. GRIT Moto's privacy policy applies there.

YouTube Videos

Video thumbnails are served from this site, so nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. When you do, the video loads from youtube-nocookie.com, YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode. From then on YouTube, a Google service, receives your IP address and may store data on your device under Google's privacy policy. "Watch on YouTube" links take you to youtube.com.

Email and Forms

If you email motoguru@brettkacs.com, we use your message to reply and to handle your booking or request.

The forms on this site (tour interest lists, the newsletter signup, and requests about expert witness work or institutional training) ask for your name, your email address and, optionally, your interests and a message. Each form needs your consent before it sends. We keep what you send with the page you sent it from, the time and the consent wording you agreed to, in this site's admin, which only Bret's team can open. A notice may also go to Bret's team by email. We use it to reply, to tell you about the tours or classes you asked about, and to send the newsletter if you signed up for it. To limit spam, the form briefly keeps a short code derived from your connection's IP address, not the address itself, and clears it after the hour.

Other Sites

Links to Instagram, Facebook, Patreon, ChatGPT (Bret's bike and boot guides) and other sites take you off brettkacs.com. Their privacy policies apply there.

Sharing

We don't sell your personal information or share it for targeted advertising. The service providers that run this site and our classes see only what they need to do that job. We may disclose information when the law requires it, or when we believe in good faith it's needed to respond to valid legal process, protect our rights or property, or protect someone's safety.

How Long We Keep It

  • Booking and payment records: up to 7 years, for tax and accounting.
  • Email: as long as we need it to handle your request and your classes.
  • Form submissions: until you ask us to delete them or unsubscribe, or until we no longer need them.
  • Analytics: Google Analytics keeps event data for the period set in our account. Reports are aggregated.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS. No way of sending or storing data is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what we hold.

Your Rights

Depending on where you live, for example California, other US states or Canada, you may have the right to know what personal information we hold about you, to get a copy, to correct it, to delete it and to opt out of analytics. Canadian residents can also withdraw consent and complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

To make a request, email motoguru@brettkacs.com with "Privacy request" in the subject line. We'll verify your identity and respond within the time the law requires. We may keep records we must hold for tax, legal or security reasons. We won't treat you differently for using your rights.

Children

This site isn't meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you think a child under 13 has sent us personal information, email us and we'll delete it. If you're under 18, use the site with a parent's or guardian's permission. We don't sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16.

Where Data Is Processed

We're based in Idaho, USA. Information is processed and stored in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those where you live.

Changes

When this policy changes, we update the date at the top.

Contact

Bret Tkacs, LLC · motoguru@brettkacs.com

Accessibility: if anything on this site is hard to use, email motoguru@brettkacs.com and we'll help.

BRET TKACSADV TrainingSee Idaho Dates

Next UpArkansas ADV Training · Apr 1–⁠3, 2027

See 2027 DatesWhich Class Fits Me?Get in Touch
Rider on a loaded adventure bike leads another down a dusty gravel road, Idaho high desert
Nampa, Idaho · Owyhee Mountains

Idaho Adventure Training

Two-day adventure motorcycle training at Bret's home base.

See Idaho Dates

Jun 3–5, 2027 · Jun 24–26, 2027 · From $1,395

New riding location
Daily
Max, about 5 per instructor
10 Riders
On packed gravel, on arrival
25+ mph
Fly into Boise, rent a bike locally
Fly & Ride

Choose Your Idaho Dates

Idaho Adventure Training

Idaho Challenge Training Advanced

Idaho Adventure Training's fundamentals, faster and on harder ground: higher speeds, longer days and sustained high-consequence terrain.

Idaho Head Start Training Half Day

A half day on Idaho's natural trails before Idaho Adventure Training. Book it alone or add it to either Idaho Adventure date.

Riders pick their way down a rocky desert trail between granite boulders, Idaho

Am I Ready?

You don't need trail experience. You do need real gravel miles: nervous riders with miles do well here, confident riders without them struggle.

You Must Be Able To

  • Ride packed gravel roads at 25+ mph when you arrive.
  • Ride at or above posted speed limits on gravel and dirt, corners included.
  • Handle relentless sun and high-desert heat.
  • Ride and train up to 9 hours a day (most days run about 7).

Idaho Challenge Training Also Requires

  • Be proficient on Class 2 gravel roads when you arrive.
  • Ride gravel and dirt roads at 30+ mph on arrival. Class pace reaches 45+ mph by day 2.
  • Ride and train up to 10 hours a day (most days run about 7).
  • Sunday includes Class 3, possibly Class 4, rocky hill climbs, ridden luggage-free.

Idaho is fully mobile, deep in remote country. If you can't keep the group's pace, for any reason, you can't continue and there's no refund.

Which Class Fits Me?Get in Touch
Riders work across a vast, steep grass hillside under a deep blue sky, Idaho high desert

Owyhee Terrain

You'll Ride

  • Deep Sand
  • Loose Gravel
  • Steep Rocky Climbs and Descents, up to About 30°
  • Bedded and Loose Rock
  • Off-Camber
  • Hardpack
  • Ruts
  • Washboard Gravel Roads at 35–50 mph

Not Typical Here

  • Mud
  • Grass
  • Tight Turns
  • Logs
Hemingway Butte sign warns of steep slopes as a rider descends the hill-climb chute, Owyhee Front, Idaho
Hemingway Butte, Owyhee Front, Idaho

Owyhee Mountains, Near Boise

A different spot each day on public BLM land southwest of Boise. Within a day's drive of Seattle, Portland and Salt Lake City.

Stay. No camp, showers or toilets on site. Stay in a Nampa hotel or camp free on BLM land.

Fly & ride. Fly into Boise and rent a ready-to-ride adventure bike from Into the Horizon. Book it before class; it must meet the gear rules. Rental details 

Student climbs a loose, rocky hill on an adventure bike, Idaho

What You'll Learn

  • TractionFeel the grip limit before you pass it.
  • Body PositionPlace your weight on purpose, not in reaction.
  • VisionLook further, decide sooner.
  • Clutch and ThrottleKeep momentum on loose climbs without thinking about it.
  • BrakesStop a loaded ADV bike on changing surfaces.
  • EnergyLet the 500-pound bike do the work, not your body.

How the Days Run

  1. Thursday EveningOrientation. Optional meet-and-greet. Name the skills you want to fix.
  2. FridayFundamentals. Sand and hills: standing and seated technique, traction, slow-speed balance, picking up the bike.
  3. SaturdayHarder ground. Ruts, climbs and descents, trail and slide turns, terrain reading. Graduation dinner in town.
  4. Sunday (Optional)Sunday School. A 6-hour, expedition-style ride far from pavement. +$450.

Enhanced Gear

  • Full-Face Helmet With Eye Protection
  • Gloves
  • Long Sleeves With CE2 Elbow Armor
  • Long Pants With CE2 Knee Armor
  • Tip-Over Protection on Levers and Critical Controls

A face shield is enough eye protection, and MX armor is fine for elbows and knees.

Bring a bike with real ground clearance. Support-truck space is tight, so leave extras at your hotel. Instructors carry tools.

Boot & Tire Lists
Boot toes compared: welded sole on an Alpinestars Tech 10, left, molded sole on a Sidi Crossfire 3, right

Included

  • Graduation Dinner
  • Snacks, Drinks and Morning Coffee

Not Included

  • Motorcycle (Rent One Locally)
  • Lodging
  • Other Meals

Sand Riding and Hill Lessons

  • Riding up Hills

    232K views

  • How to Avoid Getting Stuck in Sand

    90K views

  • Riding Sand Roads With Wheel Ruts

    379K views

Bret Leads Every Idaho Class

  • Bret TkacsLead InstructorTeaching riders since 1996, with a degree in adult education and 49 countries ridden. He reads what your bike is doing to see what you're doing.
  • Paul SolomonsonInstructor16 years teaching riders. Paul turns complex ideas into simple, memorable language and makes sure every rider gets the support they need.
  • Christina TkacsRegistrations and Rider SupportKeeps every class running smoothly, from registration to the riding days, and often supports riders in person at class.
  • Nick PalmerIdaho Support RiderHe'll lift your bike when it goes down, and carry it through a hard section if that's what it takes.

Riders Who Trained in Idaho

5.0 From 120 Verified Reviews on WeTravel

  • They kept getting back to basics here and there, discussing different techniques and more. And then you could jump back to the challenges and apply what you just learned/fixed and see/feel the result.

    Igor · Idaho Challenge Training

  • What impressed me the most was the strong focus on safety. The instructors didn’t just teach techniques. They explained why they mattered.

    Pavel · Idaho Adventure Training

  • I never heard Bret say to me or the other riders that a technique was ‘wrong’. My take away from our conversations were that different riding environments require different techniques.

    Dennis · Idaho Challenge Training

Idaho Questions

What If I Can't Hold 25 mph on Gravel Yet?

Build the speed first at any ADV Training location; they start from the basics. Head Start eases you into the terrain but doesn't replace the requirement. Not sure where you fit? Get in touch.

Will I Drop or Damage My Bike?

Probably, at low speed. Picking up a dropped bike is taught on day 1. Fit crash protection and lever guards.

Am I Fit Enough?

Riders in their 70s finish routinely. It runs on technique, not strength, but full days of learning are tiring, so arrive in the best shape you can.

What If It Rains?

We ride unless it's truly unsafe, like lightning or impassable terrain. We've trained through snow, downpours and 100°F heat.

Is This a Dirt-Bike School?

No. Everything is built for heavy, road-legal ADV bikes, where dirt-bike technique can be unsafe.

Ready for the Owyhees?

The only class that moves. New backcountry every day.

See Idaho DatesGet in Touch
  • Bret Leads Every Class
  • Small Groups Across the US
  • Rated 5.0 From 120 WeTravel Reviews

Bret Tkacs ADV Training

Get in Touch

Tell us what you have in mind. We reply by email.

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