jumping

[ScottYZ250]

what the heck does WFO mean?

 

[cycleboy]

Wide F...ing Open aka Full throttle.

 

[Smitty]

Scott if you want to jump just do it. Grab a little throttle like your not scared and go off of something. It ain't going to kill you if you crash on nice "soft" dirt with all your gear on. I've been over the bars at 50mph and rode the rest of the race. Not trying to be rude but when I started riding a few years ago I wondered about jumping until I did it.

 

[alee]

I agree totaly. I still find myself scared ie: first Double now I'm onto triples and still haven't gotten up the nerve to really commit to one.


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Arthur Lee
99 KX 125

 

[JJmxr]

The easy ones are tables. Coming up short is not problem on them.Start with second gear get your speed up and let off the throttle before your front wheel starts up the jump.You will basically coast right over it,and since you cut the throttle early your bike should stay pretty netural while in the air.Keep doing this till you build enough speed to clear it.The next thing to do is to learn to control it in the air.Now that you can clear it try shifting your weight to change the attitude in mid air. Then pratice locking your rear brake ( remember to pull the clutch in )to drop the front.A little throttle while in the air will raise your front.After you master the these things on the tabletop ( it could take some time )you will have some good confidence going.The final step is now to learn to carry the throttle all the way off.Thats where I'm at now,but with these skills you can handle about 1/2 the jumps at the track. The only thing left is let your ( and mine )balls drop and go for it !!

JJ

 

[TNTRASH]

I learned how to ride motocross back in the 70's when jumps had more of a flat take off.  The best way to learn to jump is to start slow, driving over the jumps getting faster all the time.  In the old days when we hit a jump wide open, the ideal thing to do was to basicly push the bike forward as if you were trying to push it away from yourself. This gave a flatter arc.  I still think this is the way to learn to jump.  Start SMALL and work up to the big ones.  Once you feel confident on small flat jumps, work up the steeper face jumps.  On these jumps pushing the bike is sometimes not the best thing to do.  Pulling back on the bars is just as bad.  You have to find the balance of yourself and the bike.  I still have trouble on the steep jumps basicly because of how high the bike is going.  
I guess the secret is to not go to the largest jump you can find first.  Start small and work up.  Wear your gear.

 

[KDX613]

Hey Scott
I suggest you start with a smooth mound, say about 2ft tall with an incline of about 45 dg's that rolls off smoothly at the top, and preferably landing
on an area of slightly declining ground. you really need a nice run-up too.
Then I suggest you just hum over the mound in about 3rd gear. lean back a little to prevent the front end dropping and just relax. The jump will seem a lot higher and scarier than it is but you'll be right. Once youve done it a few times you won't be able to stop!

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[Pianoman]

Guys, if your bike wants to toss you off when you jump, or is just simply unpredictable even though you're giving it enough gas and leaning back, take a look at your rear suspension.  It is possible that you don't have your spring preload set properly, or maybe the compression damping not high enough.  First, try upping the preload on that rear - that's right, tighten down on the spring a turn or two (is your race sag correct?).
Tim

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"If you sit down at a poker table and don't see a sucker, get up - you're the sucker"

 

[Pianoman]

Oh, by the way, try leaning forward, too.  Leaning back is a little more desparate.  Did I mention increasing the rebound dampening on that shock... or stiffening the fork?  Doh!

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Tim
'89 & '90 KDX200
'98 KLR250
"If you sit down at a poker table and don't see a sucker, get up - you're the sucker"