back break in air. any help with good ways

nickman1209

Member
Dec 29, 2006
112
0
hey guys i always just lean up and do a little fender kiss but now i have started using my back break in the air. i was always trained to use body language. i was using it today on a table top and seemed to work. do i pull in the clutch when i use it because some people say to and some said it dosnt matter. i didnt use it personally and seemed fine
 

76GMC1500

Uhhh...
Oct 19, 2006
2,142
1
Yes, pull in the clutch. If you stall the motor, you wont have the ability to bring the front up if you get carried away on the brake. You'll also have to restart the bike when you hit the ground.
 

anarchy420

Member
Jun 1, 2007
60
0
as soon as im in the air. i pull the clutch. hit the brakes when needed. and right before i hit, i gas it a little and let go of the clutch to keep up my speed.
 

FruDaddy

Member
Aug 21, 2005
2,854
0
To expand, the intent of a brake tap correction is to stop (or drastically slow) the rear wheel for a short time. If done correctly, without pulling the clutch, you will stall the motor. When you let the clutch back out, the wheel will begin to spin again (as long as the motor is running).
 

JD_MXRacer

Member
Nov 27, 2006
411
0
you shouldnt get in the habit of using the back brake. a lot of racers say to only use it when absolutely necessary. it slows your momentum quite a bit. also if it does stall restarting it when you land will also slow you down.
 

TheGDog

Member
Sep 17, 2007
117
0
"Shouldn't get in the habit of using the back brake!?" <-- WHAT-EVER!!

You'll just wanna make sure you DO pull in the clutch when you give the tap so you don't kill the engine.
Do you NEED to pull in the clutch. Not necessarily, if you're only giving it the slightest bit of a tap, probably not... but killing your engine mid-flight would make you nose-down a ton. Not good.
 

JD_MXRacer

Member
Nov 27, 2006
411
0
TheGDog said:
"Shouldn't get in the habit of using the back brake!?" <-- WHAT-EVER!!

You'll just wanna make sure you DO pull in the clutch when you give the tap so you don't kill the engine.
Do you NEED to pull in the clutch. Not necessarily, if you're only giving it the slightest bit of a tap, probably not... but killing your engine mid-flight would make you nose-down a ton. Not good.

i have heard from a lot of people to not use the back brake too often. it is better to learn how to control it with the throttle and your body movements. but yea if you do definately pull in the clutch
 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks
Sep 26, 1999
11,790
34
JD_MXRacer said:
i have heard from a lot of people to not use the back brake too often.
I'm one of those people. With proper body position it is very rare that you would ever need to use the rear brake.

Having said that, with the current four stroke, merely letting off the throttle in the air is almost as good as hitting the rear brake. These days, when I ride a 2 stroke I have a hard time keeping the front low on jumps because of the lack of engine braking.
 

nickman1209

Member
Dec 29, 2006
112
0
yea. i have only had my 4 stroke for about 2 months. and before that all i have rode was 2 strokes. im not familar with engine breaking what is it?
 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks
Sep 26, 1999
11,790
34
nickman1209 said:
im not familar with engine breaking what is it?
Engine "breaking" is when your engine turns into more pieces than it started with. :rotfl:

Engine "braking" is when the drag created by the engine acts as a brake. If you are moving fast and let off the throttle on a 2 stroke, it only slows slightly as it coasts. On a 4 stroke, the drag of an engine while coasting is much more, almost like a brake.
 
Jul 4, 2006
117
0
Continually tapping the back brake is a crutch to using proper body position and technique. Squeeze with knees and push the bike down, arched back and elbows up to better control the bike upon landing. STAY OVER THE BARS!
DSC01917.jpg


My little guy now starts to loosen up and let the bike float under him a bit always being mindful of keeping the weight centered or forward.
jjump111.jpg



Upon landing he resumes the attack position and lands with the gas on.
jlandpax.jpg
 

Douglas777

Member
Sep 19, 2007
111
0
SteveinSpringHill said:
Continually tapping the back brake is a crutch to using proper body position and technique. Squeeze with knees and push the bike down, arched back and elbows up to better control the bike upon landing. STAY OVER THE BARS!
DSC01917.jpg


My little guy now starts to loosen up and let the bike float under him a bit always being mindful of keeping the weight centered or forward.
jjump111.jpg



Upon landing he resumes the attack position and lands with the gas on.
jlandpax.jpg


Nice! Kid seems talented!
 

allmoto616

Member
Mar 25, 2007
13
0
Another very drastic example of the effect of the rear wheel's spin on the attitude of the bike is Stewart's crash at southwick last year when his bike seized. the only reason he really crashed is because the rear wheel locked up when the engine stopped and sent him over the bars... And I would agree with GDog. Back brake is a great way to adjust your trajectory. Just look at Bubba in SX... he practically uses it off every triple, and lands nose WAY down.
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
~SPONSOR~
Oct 19, 2006
8,129
2
Merrillville,Indiana
It looks like he is landing front wheel first,only on landings with corners! The rest of the time he is landing parallel to the landing,which is nose down in the air.
 
Jul 4, 2006
117
0
Bubba's changed the style of SX mainly by riding over the front fender, not just over the bars. He doesn't brake tap as much as you think he's always way over the front fender squeezing and pushing the nose down with his knees. He's been taught by the same instructors as my son and it's a way more aggressive jumping style.
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
~SPONSOR~
Oct 19, 2006
8,129
2
Merrillville,Indiana
Nose down in the air, yes. Landing on the front end first, NO! Except when the 70 degree landing is in a corner! If you are crooked in the air, you damn well better hope the back wheel hits first! And on the gas, until front wheel drive comes!
 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks
Sep 26, 1999
11,790
34
whenfoxforks-ruled said:
Nose down in the air, yes. Landing on the front end first, NO! Except when the 70 degree landing is in a corner! If you are crooked in the air, you damn well better hope the back wheel hits first! And on the gas, until front wheel drive comes!
I have purposely landed front wheel first when kicked sideways in the air. My thinking, and it has worked for me, is that I can land with the front wheel travelling in the right direction and the rest of the bike seems to folllow it. When I land sideways on the back tire it tries (sometimes successfully) to slam the bike down on the "forward" side.
 
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