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Message: [QUOTE="firecracker22, post: 591885, member: 20316"] Tie1on, welcome and sounds like you're having a blast. Definitely challenge yourself as much as you can and still stay safe--you'll never get better if you don't try it. Sounds like you don't have a problem there. As for downhills, if it's super steep, I click down into 1st gear and stay completely off the clutch. Even if you ride the brakes, the engine will stay running due to the down hill, and if it [b]does[/b] die, just leave it in gear and feather the clutch to control speed. Then you can compression start it at the bottom or wherever things smooth back out. I went riding with a friend who has been a pro mountain biker and pro dirt biker and learned a LOT from her. She had me standing so far back on the bike on downhills that if I had sit down, I would have been on the rear fender. That keeps things much more stable and you don't feel like you're careening out of control. She also said brake where you can and ride it out where you can't. Look for places where you have traction, hit the brakes there, and stay away from the brakes (especially the front) in the loose or bouncy stuff. I have certainly gotten better at downhills (always a big hurdle for me) when I remember to do all that stuff. Stay loose too--if you tense up, you grab the handlebars too hard and the front end will do freaky stuff. Off my podium now, sorry. :confused: [/QUOTE]