grizzitup

Member
Aug 6, 2012
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I am pretty new to the dirt bikes and have never done any jumps,.
This weekend I rented a skid loader to make a few jumps but really dont know how far to place them. I made one today that is 3' high with a tapered 9' ramp. Landing ramp is the same. I put the distance between jump and landing ramp around 20'. Is this ok?

Any advice greatly appreciated.
 

FruDaddy

Member
Aug 21, 2005
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For somebody new to jumping, tabletops are a much better idea. they are more forgiving than doubles. 20' is actually pretty small, but as a beginner, I wouldn't go ahead and get comfortable with that. Make sure your landing is rounded over to minimize risk if you come up short. The height of your jump leads me to believe the it would be OK as a single, so overjumping shouldn't be too hard on you, and better than coming up short. I have seen a beginner get a concussion on a 25-30 foot jump, helmet was trashed, nose went high and he came off the back, so don't underestimate the jump.
 

grizzitup

Member
Aug 6, 2012
7
0
FruDaddy,I appreciate your advice. I only built doubles this weekend but am going to rent a dozer next weekend and I will build a couple of tabletops. Any idea on how high the ramp should be and how long the top should be? I could fill in the 20' between the doubles or make it longer if need be.
 
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FruDaddy

Member
Aug 21, 2005
2,854
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Supercross jumps are usually in the 3-6 foot high range, not that you should be modeling your track after supercross stuff, that height range is usually good. keep them moderately short until you are comfortable jumping, 20-40 feet, but leave room to go longer later. Don't leave sharp edges on your landings, always roll them over.
When you start riding them, run a gear or 2 high. 40 feet is very possible in 1st gear, but the flight is more predictable in 3rd. There is no rule about this, just something I try to explain to beginners. Learn to control the bike before trying to progress. Basically, low, short, forgiving landings, and higher gearing is the safest way to start.
 

Ol'89r

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 27, 2000
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FruDaddy said:
Supercross jumps are usually in the 3-6 foot high range, not that you should be modeling your track after supercross stuff, that height range is usually good. keep them moderately short until you are comfortable jumping, 20-40 feet, but leave room to go longer later. Don't leave sharp edges on your landings, always roll them over.
When you start riding them, run a gear or 2 high. 40 feet is very possible in 1st gear, but the flight is more predictable in 3rd. There is no rule about this, just something I try to explain to beginners. Learn to control the bike before trying to progress. Basically, low, short, forgiving landings, and higher gearing is the safest way to start.

Agree with FruDaddy. :cool: It is very important to learn how to control the bike in the air before doing large jumps. Keep all of your jumps tabletops until you learn to control the bike in the air. After you feel comfortable with making the bike do what you want it to, then you can remove the middle of your tabletops and make doubles out of them. The last thing you want to happen is to find yourself 20 feet in the air without your motorcycle. :yikes:
 

thumbs

Tony 'da Rat
Oct 16, 2000
2,484
1
Once in the air tap your rear brake to bring the front down or rev the motor to bring it up.

If you just started riding and want to be fast Id work on my cornering speeds.
 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks
Sep 26, 1999
11,790
34
An important factor to consider is that a short, steep jump will have the front tire in the air before the rear tire even hits the ramp. This will kick the rear end upward violently. A long, tall, smoothly ramped jump is much easier than a short, steep one.
 

FruDaddy

Member
Aug 21, 2005
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What Gomer said. I thought about that but then remembered the OP said 3 high by 9 long. This should be a good ratio for length over height.
The brake tap and panic rev are both good techniques to know, remember the clutch when you tap the brake so the engine doesn't stall with the rear wheel. You want it running before you hit the ground, if it stalls, it will usually fire up as soon as you get traction, but you may be in for a wild ride. Cornering is where the speed is, once in the air the bike slows down, but everybody wants hang time.
 

truespode

Moderator / Wheelie King
Jun 30, 1999
7,978
249
DO NOT TRY THE BRAKE TAP OR REVVING ENGINE TECHNIQUE UNTIL YOU HAVE A LOT OF JUMPS UNDER YOUR BELT!!!

Learn PROPER BODY POSITIONING FIRST!!!

I am yelling. I hate seeing so many people telling someone who is rather new to jumping that they need to do something that is going to be so far beyond them that it will end up in a crash. If you don't have proper body positioning and you do any brake tap or revving you are opening yourself up for disaster!!!

Learn to jump on table tops and make sure you get a good feel for the bike and learn how to get comfortable first. Don't try to scrub, don't try to brake tap, don't get fancy until you know what the bike does with you on it.

I don't see any reason for a true C rider, let alone a beginner, to brake tap or scrub.

This is what happens if you don't learn the basics before going big too soon... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbHIxXiFAyA

Ivan
 

Bonehead

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Mar 15, 2001
406
1
Thats the best response to a post I have seen in a long time Thanks Truespode for saying what needed saying That scares the crap out of me that a guy would go build some jumps and just have at it after getting some feedback from a forum. JUMP FOR SHOW
CORNER SPEED FOR DOUGH
 

2strokerfun

Member
May 19, 2006
1,500
1
FruDaddy said:
Cornering is where the speed is,

"..And the best place to take someone else out if you're mad at them..." -B. Hannah

Jumps are more fun that practicing turns. Especially this summer on trails or tracks in the midwest without berms or watering system. I need to put ice spikes on the sides of my rear tire.

As some others have indicated, don't put the horse before the cart. Start small. Start tabletop. Start short. You will develop a feel for your gears and approach speed in order to hit the downside of the tabletop. If you hit the downside or overshoot on your first attempt, you either made the table too short or had too much speed (or just have way more talent than I'll every have).
And wear good protection. Also, very important you let somebody know where and when you are practicing so they can come drag you to the hospital if you are unable to walk or ride away from a mistake.

Good luck
 

grizzitup

Member
Aug 6, 2012
7
0
Just thought I would update. I have Gary Semics dvds and have basic video instruction. Not like a instructor but better than nothing. I have been learning the correct way to ride,getting better at corners,etc. I built a tabletop of sorts,a small double,and a few ski jumps. I have not jumped all the way across the tabletop but have gotten close(20') Not in a hurry to jump across it. Just trying to get a tad farther each day. I am more worried about correct position on the bike and doing it the right way. Thanks again for those that offerd advice.
 


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