1. Bike setup. Set the bike up to work with you, not against you. Adjust your suspension sag front & rear, compression (high-low) setting, rebound setting, levers, bar position, pedals, tire pressures (12-14psi front / 12-15psi rear), and work with your jetting and idle to get your bike to run crisp and responsive. Continue trying new settings one change at a time, feel for the differences in the way they make the bike feel and react to obstacles and situations.
2. Always ride in the attack position. In the attack position, you should be standing, with your head up over the bars (scanning ahead), griping the bike with your ankles and knees, a slight bend at your hips, gentle grip on the bars, one finger on the clutch lever & one on the front brake lever, always looking at where you want to go, not what your trying to miss.
3. Get comfortable sliding the bike. Start with sliding the bike sitting in an open area, once you have the feel for the way your bike and tires slide, try moving to a standing position and work on sliding the bike more, remember we’re in the dirt with knobby tires, sliding the bike controllably is how we go fast comfortably and safely. Feel for the traction limits first, feeling the tires slide under you is paramount to corner speed & rider confidence for all motorcycle riders. Start slow and increase your speed as you practice.
4. Looking ahead, scanning ahead, look where you want to go. I can not stress this point enough! Look as far down the trial as you can. The farther down the trail you look the more time you give yourself to sort out fast approaching obstacles and develop your plan of attack. Your vision & your riding skills will determine how much speed you can carry thru a particular section. I look from corner to corner, 10 feet ahead or one mile ahead (corner to corner) I am always scanning the horizon for trouble and seeing how much speed I can carry down the straight into the next corner & how quickly I can get back on the gas for the next straight. REMEMBER, THE “FAST GUYS” ARE EITHER ON THE GAS OR ON THE BRAKES. NO COASTING. Don’t kid yourself…
5. Cornering & body position. When turning get your elbows up, “nuts” on the gas tank, weight the outside peg, look for a berm or edge or anything to set the tires against, look to the corner exit and where you want to go, apply the gas to start power sliding from the apex on all the way to the next braking point. When entering a corner “hot” apply both front and rear brakes, move your hips in the direction you what to slide the back end (backing it in) and lower your CG off to the inside. When your thinking to yourself,"there is NO way I can make this corner” continue sliding the bike towards the apex on the brakes, once past the apex release the brakes and hammer the throttle. This will stop the bike sliding both wheels and transfer the weight to the rear tire so you can ride it towards the exit. Take this one slowly, it can bite you in the back side real quick… If you don’t commit to the gas you can high side or power slide off the course. If the turn is off camber or flat finding an edge or berm and weighting the outside peg is crucial to maintaining corner speed and having a strong corner exit.
6. Wheeling the bike with the gas, clutch and pre-loading. This skill will allow you to negotiate obstacles at high rates of speed in control. Sitting or standing. Jumping ruts is another skill to use wheelies for. Up hill or down hill! Logs and downed branches, mud holes and creek crossings are other uses for bringing the front end up. Practice wheelies when ever you have an easy safe piece of trail and feel for the balance point covering the rear brake with you foot to avoid the dreaded loop out fender gone. Being able to wheelie a dirt bike is a Key factor to going quickly safely off road.
7. Brake sliding, backing it in and rhythm. Brake sliding is an advanced skill used to square off corners or rotate the bike around a hay bale, tree or any other obstacle you might be trying to turn around. Brake sliding is best performed by entering a corner at speed, pulling in the clutch, applying the rear brake to lock the rear tire to start the back end of the bike sliding in the direction you want. Once you slide the bike just far enough to clear the apex, the front tire pointed down the straight, release the clutch, hammer the gas and you’re off to the next corner. Try linking ten tight corners in a row using this technique. Now you have found the rhythm. Rhythm=Speed.
8. Covering the rear brake in the woods. The idea here is to minimize the reaction time it takes to move your foot to the rear brake pedal. By riding or covering the rear brake you can hold the gas on till the last possible second, then chop the throttle and instantly begin scrubbing speed quickly. I use this technique mostly in the tight stuff and sometimes on the faster two track. This technique can be very dangers if not performed correctly. Always were protective gear and practice in an open area first.
9. Accelerate or brake as hard as possible when the terrain allows (good traction) and float (minimal throttle or brake) over the rough stuff. This technique will help with fatigue and make you a smoother rider. Never forget how important your body position is on the bike! You weigh nearly as much as the motorcycle minus momentum, make the bike do what you want to. If you want it to turn slide up on tank, if it's rough then stand up, and so on...Ride, Ride and Ride some more!
Απάντηση με παράθεση