air

[bajarider]

i haven't been riding dirtbikes for too long, but i'm starting to jump little by little, first the fear of a hard landing but i think i have that under control, now my problem the gear i should be using when entering the jump, and the revs, and basically i'll take any advice on this matter.

[Danger4u2]

I don't do big air, but I was asking questions on how to do jumps from this guy on a 450 Honda that could soar.  He said when he leaves the ground he is under power.  If the front wheel is going to high he puts on the back brake to stop the back wheel and this will help bring the front down before you land.  If the wheel is to low he gives it the gas and that makes the wheel come up before he lands.  We were at the dunes so I'm talking about taking off and landing in sand.  He hits the gas as he lands, he says it helps stabilize and make the bike go straight plus it kicks out about 6" of sand giving you a softer landing.  The main thing he looks for in a jump dune is the approach ramp and the landing ramp.  Stay away from hills that send you up in the air and straight back down, that's where you get your hard landings.  Keep in mind when you do big air "The penalty for failure can be DEATH".

[Hillclimb#42]

 Some good advice Danger. Always be on the gas off of a jump. Its easiest to control if you hit the jump at the speed you need then burp the gas as you go off. Be in a neutral stance and get used to grabbing the clutch in the air, because as Danger said rear brake will bring front end down, when staring at the sky. You have to have the clutch in on this deal or you kill the motor which makes for a real hard landing. Hit the gas and slip out the clutch when landing like a hole-shot, will take out alot of impact. Also hit the gas, if you're nose heavy. This will drop the rear or at least stop the rotation and hopefully keep you from a faceplant. This is commonly known as a "panic rev"  Start with a table, or sand where the landings can be a little more forgiving. Good Luck!

[bajarider]

 thanks for your help and i will try this next weekend hopefully, let's ride!!!

[5dracing]

Another thing I found that helped me alot was to be in the power before getting to the jump. I once had the power come on hard on the face of a jump and looped the bike out. I also believe I was too far to the rear of the bike. 500's, if thats what your riding, can be tricky to jump properly. work your way up to the big jumps.

[n2682]

i agree with everything these guys are saying bout jumping brake if nose is high gas if nose is to low  another hint if your on a four stroker i found that this methoid is pritty much the same but needs to be done at a lower rev there is more parts moving in the motor causing a greater rotating assemply  thats alot harder to correct its like when u rev your car the motor rocks to the right on the gas and the left when u let off well a bike does this with the rear wheel sprinning witch is basically the same affect but a four stroke motor causes its own affect i learned the hard way had to ask alot of people before i decided to jump my bike again in fear of breakin my neck.

[KXer]

All good points above, also remember to stand up.  some people are not comfortable standing but otherwise you can inadvertantly do a seat bounce and end up over shooting your landing.

Stay on the pipe, stand up, you can do the clutch and tap the break to adjust your approach angle or body position and "Man handle" the bike where you want it, then get right back on the throttle as you hit the ground. 

These have worked well for me.
On a similiar note, I hit StarWest SX track last night for my first time on a track I think I did well.  1st lap I rolled everything only clearing a couple small jumps, end of the night the only things I didn't go for were the 60' table, 60' step down, finish line jump, and the peak doubles (those look sketchy).  If you want to become a better rider, ride a track, IMO.

[mustangfury]

Good advice KXer.  I've personally done a seat bounce when i first started riding/trying jumps and it's not fun.  I ended up going over the handle bars at about 40mph on my landing.  Just stooping a little bit off the seat will pretty much forgive you of doing a seat bounce.  Another good tip is to slide toward the front of the bike.  I think 5dracing mentioned something about this.  If you're sitting on the back it has a lot more spring as the rear shock decompresses on take off.  This pushes more of your weight to the front which will in turn can cause a partial front flip if you don't correct it quickly.