Going down steep, rutty hills

[Flux3D]

So a few weeks ago I was out riding in Jawbone Canyon near Mojave. This place is known for having lots of hill climbs and narly trail riding. So anyways, the first ride we went on we ended up on top of what seemed like a freakin mountain and the way down consisted of very steep rutty hills that usually had turns right after them. Normally I would just coast down in 1st but this was not possible because you would pick up too much speed and get ruined by the ruts.

So I was wondering if anyone had some advice on braking and handling techniques for hills like these. It seemed like whenever I used my rear brake I would lose control because my bike would get out of alignment and one of my wheels would get stuck in a rut so I resorted to using almost all front brake and using the engine to brake. This however proved to be very hard because my two-stroke likes to stall if its in low rpms. But if I pulled in my clutch to help it not stall then I would pick up too much speed. I eventually made it down but I fell a good amount of times and ended up having to walk the bike part of the way. Anyone have some advice for me??

 

[headshot347]

if its possible try to go down the hill at an angle, instead of straight down, it'll slow down your speed somewhat, i don't know what the hill looks like or how wide it is, but if you can, start at one side, go down at an angle till you get as far as you can, turn around and go in opposite direction, my $.02 hope it helps

 

[Flux3D]

I'll keep that in mind. The only problem for these particular hills is that they have huge ruts that would make it hard to cross over like that. But your advice would probably help on other hills I will encounter. Thanks for the reply! :)

 

[Rooster]

Stand up, lean back as far as you can to keep the front tire light and roll through it. It's and acquired taste, next thing you know, you will be on the gas down the hill. :whoa:

 

[cr85re]

yeah hills are just practice.and find your own positioning what ever works and is comfortable to u.

 

[stumanarama]

sometimes its easier to just commit, and start coasting then to go really slow and be hard on the brakes, as mentioned, its a skill that will come with time and practice. good luck

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

I ride the Mojave desert a lot and know the terrain you speak of.....

Let me ask you this: Would you have been able to ride UP that section of trail? If so, what speed would you have been going?

It is common for riders to be comfortable going fast up the hill but then feel the need to creep going down. It is really hard to ride slow, up down or flat. If you are in creep mode you have to pull the clutch and gently feather the back brake to keep things under control.

If you can gather the courage to attack the down hill at a speed that will get the engine reving up then you will have much better control. Let the engine scream the same RPM that you would allow it on the way up. At that RPM the engine will provide a lot of braking. A gentle touch on the rear brake and mild use of the front brake will keep you from over reving the engine.

Shift your weight back. Slide back on the seat so that you can stand on the pegs instead of having your knees braced against the tank. This will get more weight over the rear wheel, assuring that it will turn rather than lock up.

If you get to a "step" where the trail drops down very steeply for a short section, GAS IT! You want that front wheel to lift so that you don't cartwheel down the hill.


Rod

 

[250girl]

when I see an extremely, steep, rutty, downhill trail I just go,"oh S@#T", cringe and hope that It won't hurt as much as I think it is going to.

If you get into one of the ruts,just try to stay in it if you can.That's all the advice I have becuase I tend to go down hills like that either on my face,or with my bike on top of me.