This is vague because I know everywhere is different but, is it safe to stay off the main roads while driving through countrys?

Has anyone experienced or heard first hand of mishaps when people stray off the main roads?

Are you talking about two-wheel or four-wheel experiences? I think if you look long and hard enough you may hear of an "incident" and I';ve had a couple myself but it wasn't because I was rolling (two-wheeled) off the main road.
Whatever you do, get yourself a current/up-to-date map. I'm amazed at how many people travel without them.

I'm not sure where you are thinking of, but I have driven on many back roads in France, Italy and Austria. They are usually very scenic, and of course safe. The one drawback - you will need a very detailed map, as many of the smaller roads are not on some of the Michelin maps.

When we were in France last month we had very detailed maps, and we took full advantage of them. We took lots of "shortcuts" on tiny back roads. It was fun, and we saw lots of interesting things because of it. We didn't always go the quickest way, but then, we weren't in a hurry. I definitely recommend exploring the back roads!

Thank you very helpful suggestions. My intention is to travel all over Western Europe on motorcycle and want to no if I should always be looking over my shoulder for the "bad guys" when I'm outside of the tourist district.

Thank you very helpful suggestions. My intention is to travel all over Western Europe on motorcycle and want to know if I should always be looking over my shoulder for the "bad guys" when I'm outside of the tourist district.

Even in the most modern parts of Europe, it is sometimes impossible to avoid "back roads." For example, in France it is not unusual for an Autoroute to suddenly disappear, forcing drivers onto significantly smaller highways until they can pick up another Autoroute. This happened to us a couple of weeks ago outside of both Brive-la-Gaillarde and Clermont-Ferrand. If you find yourself in this situation, just follow the big trucks, they are usually headed for the nearest Autoroute.

If by "bad guys" you mean criminals, there'll be a lot more of them in tourist districts than on rural side roads. Highway robbery ceased to be the crime of choice for the ambitious a couple of centuries ago.

If you mean lousy drivers - it's the ones you can't see in the mirror you have to worry about. Many European side roads can be a tad narrow and twisty. Just stay on the proper side and keep your wits about you.