noob tips

[Sharky]

While doing hill climbs don't forget ped pressure helps steer on the way up. Can't recall if Troy or OFG told me this but it helps a ton.

 

[Beauregard]

"Ped pressure?"

 

[stangmx13]

While doing hill climbs don't forget ped pressure helps steer on the way up. Can't recall if Troy or OFG told me this but it helps a ton.

im sure u mean "peg"

yep, if the rear tire is spinning and the front tire is off the dirt, weight on the pegs and hanging a leg off is all uve got to turn a bit. surprising how well it works really.

 

[2strokeYardSale]

would u also suggest this for anything actually steep? coming down climbs, not going downhill?

Yeah. If you are coming down one of the big hill climbs at Carnegie, line selection is not so important. But if there are rocks and rain ruts it's critical. I don't see any reason to move your weight up front going downhill, except if you are doing switchbacks and you want to brake slide, and that's for the turns only. You are giving up a lot of rear wheel braking traction.

Which reminds me... When going downhill, you will lock up the rear, which means you will stall the engine. Pull in the clutch, click up a gear, and bump start it. Do not coast downhill with a dead engine; a spinning crankshaft helps keep you upright.

Stalling on a seat-sucking downhill* is exciting. You have to pull in the clutch, thus picking up speed you don't want.


* When it's so steep and gnarly you pucker up and suck the cover off your seat

 

[OldFatGuy]

Stalling on a seat-sucking downhill* is exciting. You have to pull in the clutch, thus picking up speed you don't want.

And speed that you won't be able to scrub off again until you get to the bottom. Same thing happens when there's something like a 12" drop in the middle of the descent and you have to let off the front brake for a second so you don't go over the bars.

 

[2strokeYardSale]

Awesome noob tip from a pro on how to pick up your crashed bike:

[youtube]T3xEI7RD994[/youtube]

 

[stangmx13]

Yeah. If you are coming down one of the big hill climbs at Carnegie, line selection is not so important. But if there are rocks and rain ruts it's critical. I don't see any reason to move your weight up front going downhill, except if you are doing switchbacks and you want to brake slide, and that's for the turns only. You are giving up a lot of rear wheel braking traction.

ahh good pt. most of my time in the dirt was spent at Carnegie so direction changes werent soo important and it was easier just being more comfortable on the tank. ive been up and down most of the steepest climbs there, but i def see the issue if u need a bit more control over direction, ie Frank Raines or Hollister.

Which reminds me... When going downhill, you will lock up the rear, which means you will stall the engine. Pull in the clutch, click up a gear, and bump start it. Do not coast downhill with a dead engine; a spinning crankshaft helps keep you upright.

Stalling on a seat-sucking downhill* is exciting. You have to pull in the clutch, thus picking up speed you don't want.

* When it's so steep and gnarly you pucker up and suck the cover off your seat

agreed.

or u can just ride a 2 stroke and bump start it in the last 5ft before the huge puddle/mud-hole crossing at the bottom of the climb ... reminds me of a hare-scramble i raced in once, gained like 40 positions because i was one of the few that actually gas'd it through the mud. .

 

[terdog55]

Als biggest issue was his attitude. Remember, even though it can get tough, never let them see you sweat. Keep a positive attitude and enjoy where your at and what your doing.

If your helping someone get over / through a tough section, dont pull on the fender or try to roll the front tire with your hand like Als friend did. Grab the forks as high as possible and pull them down AND FORWARD. This will help keep the bike from wheelying.

Get the right bike. a HEAVY 4STK aint the ticket.

And for Gods sake, carry and drink some water!

 

[twolane]

And for Gods sake, carry and drink some water!

I can't agree with this more. Whenever I get in a little too deep I take a break, grab some water and plan my attack. When I get back on I feel better, my mind is at ease, and it just seems I'm able to beat whatever is giving my trouble.
There isn't much better than getting out of a jam. Mastering your bike, and the terrain is such a great feeling!

 

[Ironbutt]

Yeah, attitude is key.

You're supposed to have fun when riding.. I've laughed and laughed all day long at some of the antics of my riding buddies.

Als biggest issue was his attitude. Remember, even though it can get tough, never let them see you sweat. Keep a positive attitude and enjoy where your at and what your doing.

If your helping someone get over / through a tough section, dont pull on the fender or try to roll the front tire with your hand like Als friend did. Grab the forks as high as possible and pull them down AND FORWARD. This will help keep the bike from wheelying.

Get the right bike. a HEAVY 4STK aint the ticket.

And for Gods sake, carry and drink some water!

 

[mbalmer]

Get the right bike. a HEAVY 4STK aint the ticket.

I have about the smallest bikes I can get. Ttr125 and crf150f. They are a real struggle to pick up. I lack upper body strength. I blame it on being a grandma. Maybe I should just practice picking it up in my front yard .

These tips are really good. Have a great holiday.

 

[2strokeYardSale]

Pick up your crashed bike with your legs not your back or your arms.

Now lifting it over obstacles, that's another story. Sucks to be short.

 

[KazMan]

Now lifting it over obstacles, that's another story. Sucks to be short.

 

[2strokeYardSale]

Al has a new riding buddy. At least he didn't whine like Al.

[youtube]4DtJjBXnJ3Q[/youtube]

So much fail I don't know where to start. His main problem was lack of speed. Motorcycles want to flop over at low speed but add a little speed and they track straight and true.

 

[Papi]

Al has a new riding buddy. At least he didn't whine like Al.
So much fail I don't know where to start. His main problem was lack of speed. Motorcycles want to flop over at low speed but add a little speed and they track straight and true.

geezus, you are by far the worst noob rider coach/critic I have ever read.

using language like that above, what noob in their right mind would ever listen to you?

1. every new rider starts at their own pace, not yours.
2. it can take a noob many simple trail or parking lot rides to just find a comfort zone.
3. stick to the basics; balance, acceleration, stopping, individual control skills. expecting a noob to suffer through hill climbs is unrealistic.

YMMV.



.

 

[mbalmer]

Al has a new riding buddy. At least he didn't whine like Al.

[youtube]4DtJjBXnJ3Q[/youtube]

So much fail I don't know where to start. His main problem was lack of speed. Motorcycles want to flop over at low speed but add a little speed and they track straight and true.

Where is this? Looks like a fun place to ride.

 

[sloth]

If your bike is laying downhill on a steep hill, don't try and flip it all the way over. Drag one wheel around until you can easily get back on.

The hardest thing for me to get over was letting the bike do it's own thing (within reason). Standing up helps a lot with that. STAY LOOSE! If your hands are numb, you're fighting the bike too much.

Don't go too slow on big rock steps with loose gravel. Centrifugal force from your wheels acts like a gyro. You're more likely to fall by trying to slowly creep down it.

If you think you're about to catch some air, keep your center of gravity neutral on the bike and keep your speed constant. Grip the bike with your knees so your feet don't come flying off the pegs if you screw up.

 

[sloth]

geezus, you are by far the worst noob rider coach/critic I have ever read.

using language like that above, what noob in their right mind would ever listen to you?

1. every new rider starts at their own pace, not yours.
2. it can take a noob many simple trail or parking lot rides to just find a comfort zone.
3. stick to the basics; balance, acceleration, stopping, individual control skills. expecting a noob to suffer through hill climbs is unrealistic.

YMMV.



.

I'm sure he's basing his tip off of his experience as a noob at one point. I also found that by challenging myself I learned a lot faster than staying in my comfort zone the entire time. All the sweat and blood I suffered through those hills climbs taught me more about riding than I would have in a year sticking to my comfort zone.

 

[Kestrel]

Very much appreciate this thread. I recently resurrected a mid 90s XR250L and actually took a trip this past weekend to do some hardcore forest service road riding in western NC. Had a great time, but I've always been a street / trackday rider and am at somewhat of a loss of how to ride in dirt.

As per some other folks' suggestions, weighting the outside peg while pushing the bike under you worked wonders in the turns. It allowed for throttle-on slides that never left me feeling like the bike was going to lowside. Having that weight on the outside peg seems to apply more of your weight straight to the ground, rather than at an angle, and allowed for a higher level of grip, or so it seemed. Worked great for me, anyway.

I picked up an older book, "Pro Motocross and Off-Road Riding Techniques" by Donnie Bales w/ commentary by Gary Semic, and surprisingly... have found it to be more or less worthless. The author never seems to have much to say, and although there are a couple useful tips mixed in there, most of it seems like filler / garbage. A lot is said, but it tells you very little, if you catch my drift.

Are there no Code/Parks/Pridmore style books for off road riding?

 

[2strokeYardSale]

I don't know of any books. Somebody mentioned Shane Watts (Dirtwise) videos. Some of his stuff I saw on YouTube was way beyond noob.

Here's a nice one broken down:

[youtube]nXVNITiaaTQ[/youtube]

That's for rutted and bermed turns, not for flat turns.