Jumping, do you sit or stand before you launch ?

StraithYZ

Member
Jun 7, 2001
17
0
I feel way more comfortable sitting before a jump other than standing and I have more control. This is how I jump off the big jumps 90% of the time. Anyone else do this ? or if you have tips let me know..thanks :D
 

mx547

Ortho doc's wet dream
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 24, 2000
4,787
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i often sit on jumps. there are many situations where it's an advantage. particulary if you need to get a little more lift.
 

blackhawk468

President of Bling
N. Texas SP
Nov 3, 2000
698
0
I'm no expert but I usually alwasy stand with my body position forward as I accelerate up the jump and when I'm in the air I move my position backwards. The only time I sit on a jump is if it is right after a turn and A. I don't have time to stand up and adjust my position. or B. I don't have enough speed to make the jump so I sit down to compress the suspension more than I could when I am standing (pre-loading).
 

StraithYZ

Member
Jun 7, 2001
17
0
let me rephrase, I sit all the way just before I hit the jump and then I stand up a little. It's hard to explain, but it's just a habbit i have
 

MoO_coW

Member
Jul 14, 2000
486
0
If you are talking about on a motocross track than you shouldn't be sitting at all except when your turning. I put my head over my bars and relax myself and jump, If I need more lift I just compress my suspension on my jump face.
 

yammyrider86

Member
Dec 30, 2000
21
0
when i approach a jump i usually stand before it so i can make sure my body is not off balanced and when i do sit which is not often , the tail of the my bike justs bounces me into a standing position anyway
--------------------
1978 yamaha dt100
 

LaRider20

Member
Dec 27, 2000
318
0
I sit all the time, but I'm old, slow, and ride MX for fun. I do the doubles and table-tops, then I go back to the truck and sit some more;) . I know that I don't have good technique, but I do have fun.:)
 

FMX_novice

Member
Jan 5, 2001
161
0
All i can say is watch the pros, 96.23593% of the time they stand ( i watched every single pro nationals event tape since 1988 and found every jump and got the %age that way so its accurate) I saw ricky carmicheal sit once off a jump at 338 i think it was, he got a bad run out of a corner battling with a lapped rider and he just slammed down on the back of the seat as he was on the face and the bike became vertical and he muscled it over the landing. But for all practical non professional purposes stand. If you stand you can input more into how your bike is to the ground by leaning if you stand.
 

Okiewan

Admin
Dec 31, 1969
29,555
2,237
Texas
Please be careful sitting on everything except the flat take-off's ... seat bumps require a good deal of experience and timing. It's a good way to re-arange your face.
 

mx547

Ortho doc's wet dream
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 24, 2000
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i don't think that he means he sits all the way through a jump, including the landing. i think that he sits as he hits the jump, then stands up for the landing. that's what i do. i probably use that technique on at least one jump on every track that i ride. i don't recall ever even getting close to crashing because of it. i say that if it works for you, don't worry about it. don't let these guys scare you just because they have a different method. as far as using seat bounce only when you don't have enough speed to clear a jump, most of the jumps i do require either the right timing or the right amount of momentum (not the same as speed). maybe some of these other guys should experiment with this technique and maybe learn something new.
 

RMFanatic

Member
Mar 17, 2001
99
0
seat jumping

I am no pro, but I have to agree with Okie if you are not carefull you will rearrange your face. I have a CR-500 and a CR-250 and I have discovered that the bike under you will respond a lot better if you are standing through the majority of your approaches. The mono is a lot more capable of setting the bike than you are, if it is compressed all the way to the jump it is more likely to nose you over if you are not over revving. I will follow with the fact that I to have found that atleast one jump on every track I ride works better with a seat jump, but I also find that in most cases it leaves you with a lousy set up for the next jump and on a timing section you may well end up with a face plant. The next time you ride try an experiment, plant your bike in second or third gear and never go over half throttle through the whole track, don't let your rear end hit the seat until you have actually started into the burms and get back up on your feet as quickly as you exit the burm. I try to do this for a couple of laps just about every time I go practice it's part of the "perfect practice makes perfect" principle. I think that after a few trips to the track trying this method may resolve the question for you without any further input.

Gordon Spraggins
Mxr's for Christ

PS I could'nt find as good a deal on an RM as I found on both of the CR's so I guess I should change to CRFanatic eh.
 

OoM_WoC

Member
Jun 19, 2001
10
0
CRFanatic

That name would confuse me.... I'd think u had gotten the new 450. You could use CR_Fanatic, or get the new CRF450 (no doubt the better choice!! :p )
 

Reeko

Member
Aug 9, 1999
67
0
There is another reason not to sit jump takeoffs.
Sitting is used to get more height to clear jumps at a lower speed.
However it is faster to jump lower. In other words, I can carry more speed through a jump by standing. If I sat it at that same speed , I would overjump the obstacle, and it would be longer for me to get back down to start accelerating again.

Remember, airtime is time you are not on the throttle.
 

StraithYZ

Member
Jun 7, 2001
17
0
I don't sit all the way up the jump until take off. I stand right before the jump. I guess it's just something I just do...I don't why ;)
 

BermBuster

Member
Apr 17, 2001
25
0
Reeko hit the nail on the head. Airtime is deadtime.

If you need extra lift, then preload the suspension by sitting just before take-off. Be careful when traveling high speed because you can get thrown.

I usually sit for the short, slow speed stuff (in or out of turns ect.,)

just my .o2
 

nikki

Moto Junkie
Apr 21, 2000
5,802
1
I think the only time I sit on most MX tracks is going into a corner and sometimes a second or two coming out of the corner (like to upshift a gear - it's easier for me to do sitting). But I approach almost all jumps standing (not straight up - but with my knees bent and my but usually just over the seat), and if I need more lift - I push down on the rear suspension with my legs off of the jump face. But you might want to practice compressing the suspension on smaller jumps before you try it on 50 foot doubles. :)
 

DougRoost

~SPONSOR~
May 3, 2001
720
0
I agree that it is rare you want to sit to get extra lift. I recommend buing and reading the "Pro Riding Techniques" book for sale from Eric on DRN Home page -- it answers all this and much more.
 
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