Going from Road to Dirty bikes...

I just did this year. It is a ton of fun and a lot cheaper. Big things i learned was stand up a lot more than you think you have to. I thought i was standing up a lot but my friends made sure to let me know i looked like i was on a sunday ride. I'm no mx genius as i have been doing it for all of a couple months but seems to be the easiest to hold your rpm's high and regulate your speed in corners with the clutch. (advice from others: is that the right way?) if you feel like you are going to lose it in a corner give it a hand full of throttle. When you are working on jumping the best thing to do is follow someone you trust and tell them you want to follow them to learn how to jump, make sure they aren't doing anything other than just letting the bike clear the jump. that was always a problem with me trying to jump, trying to figure out what speed to hit stuff at. The front brakes/tire will grab more than you think it will. Elbows out or you will be uncomfortable and look like a squid and again your friends will remind you of how silly you look at least mine did. Typically it hurts less to overclear something or go faster through a creek or something like that than to go slower. I learned it is a lot less demanding around an mx track to just give it that little bit extra throttle to land smoother, saves your legs from being tired and your arms will thank you too.

If you start getting arm pump be easy, you won't realise how bad it is until you realise you can't shut off the throttle after landing a jump.

 

Get that bike together and go ride. Good gear is important and I think I have more money in MX gear than roadrace gear. MX is a blast. I try and ride at least once a week. Quite a few top AMA guys ride all the time too. Its great training and a ton of fun. Riding trails is fun and all, but it won't teach you as much as riding a MX track. Riding a track is good because you will learn the track and corners just like a road course. After you have the layout down you can push the limits of your abilities and the bike on each corner lap after lap. Riding in the woods/desert its always a new corner. Just like when you are out riding the canyons/roads on a street bike. The MX community is cool. Get out to the track. Meet some people and get advice.

 

like i said at the beginning of this thread and others have re-iterated... when you panic as your sliding, grab more throttle. dirt tires hook up and pull you upright under acceleration. its completely counter-intuitive to street riding, but an insane thrill to be leaned over and grab a ton of throttle and feel the bike pull harder as you straighten out.

when in doubt, throttle out.

 

when in doubt gas it. If it doenst fix the problem, at least it will end the suspense

 

Here is a little clip of a semi fast novice on a dirt bike for the first time in a year.
He is much better today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTO6JsNB7_I

 

I started riding dirtbikes over the winter, and I crash, a lot!!!! I wanna start getting into some trail riding.

 

MX is what I have been doing the past couple of years.

The transistion is hard but you will learn to love it.

I'm still learning, I need corner speed, especially rutted turns.

It is very easy to make a mistake.

I'm hooked and can't wait to race at Tomahawk this weekend.

It's great to throw the bike in the back of the truck and in a 2 hr drive pick from a handful of tracks. Ride all day for $25 - $50.