Tassie Girl

Member
Jan 20, 2004
6
0
Hi my name is Samantha and I thought I would introduce myself. There are a few girls riding MX at my local club and its great to see lots of other girls ride motor bikes too.

Does anyone have any special tips for girls that ride motor bikes.
My Dad and brother ride motor bikes but my Mum doesn't.

Sam.
 

TwistNShout

Member
Nov 19, 2003
281
0
Originally posted by Tassie Girl
Does anyone have any special tips for girls that ride motor bikes.

When I first started riding and was asking for tips to become a better rider everybody basically told me "seat time" and that was great advice, I just think it should be called "peg time" b/c in MOST instances you can handle the bike better by standing. Practice steering and sliding with the rear brake, squeeze the bike with your knees to turn it, shift your weight to the rear and ride a gear taller to stay on top of sand, shift weight to the rear when going downhills & when in doubt, gas it out. These are just the basics that I can think of off the top of my head. If you do a search on this site you will find some really great advice.
 

bikergrl

Member
Jan 16, 2004
10
0
Hi Samantha! How old are you? I'm 15, and my Dad rides too. The best advice I can give you is to practice, practice, practice! I'm still in that stage, and it's worth every minute. Beg your Dad to take you to a practice track whenever he goes, and ask your brother for tips! I'm sure he'll be a great help! I still have to teach my brother, and I'm really looking forward to it! Well, good luck, and make sure you keep safe, (it's a dangerous sport, but that's the fun of it) and have tons of fun! Good Luck!

Jo
 

firecracker22

Sponsoring Member
Oct 23, 2000
3,217
0
Hi there, and welcome! It's hard to give random tips but one thing I wish I had known right at the beginning is to practice good form now. It's hard to remember to keep your elbows up etc. while you're still trying not to fall off but it's much easier than re-learning later. Elbows up high, stand up and don't get overly tense and hang on too tight. That's bad news but it's a normal reaction when you're nervous.

Also, look where you WANT to go not where you are going! If you are cornering, look at the exit, not the spot you are traveling towards.
 

GETMETOCA

Can't Wait For Tuesdays
Mar 17, 2002
4,768
0
Hey Tassie!  It is really good to see you here! :thumb:

First of all, thank your Dad for helping you get into the sport, a lot of young girls don't get that kind of support! 

The couple of things I remember when I first started was that having the right protective gear was crucial.   The first time I tried to ride a dirtbike it was too powerful of a bike and I didn't have any knee guards or gloves on and it hurt like heck when I went down.  After I got all the gear and tried out a smaller bike, I was good to go and wanted to keep learning.

Second thing I remember is that "when in doubt, gas it" really is true.  Go at your own pace, but remember momentum is your friend and it gets you out of all kinds of jams.  The more I ride, the more I see this to be true.

Third, sometimes just following a better rider around and mirroring their body position is helpful.  Just get used to your bike and practice drills like figure eights and off cambers and corners.

Good luck!
 

srellis

LIFETIME SPONSOR
May 25, 2002
394
0
Originally posted by GETMETOCA

"when in doubt, gas it" really is true.  Go at your own pace, but remember momentum is your friend and it gets you out of all kinds of jams.  The more I ride, the more I see this to be true.


That goes against logic but it is so incredibly true. This year one of our tracks put in sand whoops. I thought I had a line down the first couple of laps my first race. But by my last few laps the final whoop or two had gotten pretty deep. I was going pretty fast and the back end started swapping BIG TIME!

All I could think of was tighten my legs on the bike and go faster... I was scared half to death, but it got me out of the sand and away I went. It took a lot of guts to keep the throttle open but all I could think about was what my husband said. I was shaking afterwards thinking about how close I came to going down. My husband was proud of me though!
(After he quit running to come pick me up!)

Susan
 

Tassie Girl

Member
Jan 20, 2004
6
0
Thanks everyone for your help, it's really helped me out "A LOT".

I'm going to a practice day at Oatlands on February the 8th (Oatlands is my local club) so I will get a chance to try everything you have said.

My dad keeps telling me to stand up but i can't hear him so he keeps lifting his arms up to get the point across. :)

Sam.

By the way this is a photo of me after my last race of the year, it was hot and I was tired and not too impressed when Dad took the photo. I hope it works. You can also get an idea of what our track is like from the other photos he has put up.

28822dsc02322_m-med.jpg
 

dirtbiken

Member
Jan 15, 2004
4
0
hey i am 15 and new to mx too. I have raced two times. I have been riding for 2.5 years. This is a great sport and lots of fun! All your tips i'm sure will help!
 

KDXgirl

Member
May 10, 2003
146
0
Hey Samantha!

Its good to see another Ozzie in here! there wouldnt be many girls that ride in Tassie at all, at least Ive never seen any!
Good luck!
 

zharra

Member
Jan 12, 2004
13
0
another ozy dirt chick

Hi there samantha, i come from down oz aswell,from Adelaide,S,A, I got a 03 yz125, and love it,been rid'n for almost two years and love doing jumps and going hard,wanna race soon ,How old are you and do you race? :laugh:
 

mudchick

Member
Mar 18, 2003
11
0
Samantha,
Two pieces of the best advice I ever got were, #1- Never look where you don't want to go. And #2 - always try to take the path of least resistance. I rode with a good friend who's been riding ,many more years than I, and kept those two thoughts in my mind the whole time we rode where he took me! And yes, when in doubt, "Gas IT!" Best of luck! :thumb:
 
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