whip the kdx

[toalco-kdx]

i ride my kdx220 at a mx track quite a bit and i've noticed that i can't move it around in the air very well. there is a jump that i always hit as im still turning from the corner right before the jump and my back end always swings out. i try to move the bike back in underneath me and it starts coming back but it moves slowly. i know most of it is probably me but is it possible for the kdx to be whipped or moved around in the air like 125's and 250's? another thing ive noticed is that revving the bike in the air doesnt do much to raise the front end.

im thinking about getting a YZ250 how much easier would that be to move around in the air?

 

[rethnal]

A 1975 DT125 can be whipped... so can a KDX! It's not a big deal if you approach the jump correctly. As far as the the rev factor on bringing the front end up...you have to be in gear with the clutch out. It's the tire torque that does it! (respectively) ;)

 

[KDXFreestyle]

I can whip mine a little bit, but im still practicing. Watch crusty 7, the helmet cam whips... and just do the motions that they do, it helps. This is how I am learning

 

[toalco-kdx]

i know that it can be whipped but how much easier is it to do it on a mx bike? i went to the canadian nationals in calgary this weekend and there were people moving the bike around alot off small jumps where they barely had any air. i know that the pros can do this but even in the beginner races people could whip it with very little air.

 

[rethnal]

In a Nutshell..... approach the jump from the inside and hit it at a 20 degree angle or so opposite of the of the whip (start about 5...then 10 and so on). Depending how much whip you want...the more the angle...the more the whip....with your body at a zero degree angle.... once you are airborn, the bike will start to pull towards you! You can vary the degree of pullback by leaning more opposite of the intial angle of the bike. Once you master this..... it's all cake!

 

[skipro3]

Yea, Like Rethnal said. Also, if revving doesn't raise the front end much, try tapping the front brake while in the air. That should make it move. :eek:

 

[toalco-kdx]

thanks for the advice. doesnt tapping the front brake cause the front end to drop fast?

 

[rethnal]

DON'T touch the front.... unless you like endo's!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jaguar]

braking in the air, front or rear, has an effect towards lowering the front end.

 

[rethnal]

You don't want to land with a stopped front tire...... it can throw you. I know....trial and error!

 

[skipro3]

I was kidding, hence the eek! face. Tapping the front brake usually has a violent effect on bringing the front wheel back to earth. It is a last ditch effort if I somehow find myself suspended in the air and going to loop the bike.

 

[rethnal]

I seen that.... I just didn't want someone to try it. It hurts. :ugg:

 

[motometal]

i've done it and gotten away with it, but it did jolt me a bit when the front tire came back up to speed.  The jolt is more on higher speed jumps, because the tire has to speed up more when you land.  Wouldn't want to do that when the bike was whipped.

 

[KDXFreestyle]

if anyone wants to try to give step by step info on doing whips... im interested.. leave them in here. THANX

 

[rethnal]

Hmmmmm........ Thought I did. :eek:

 

[skipro3]

You did say it rethnal, I heard you! I just don't think he understood a word you said. Unless you see it in action and can tie the words to the motions, it can be confusing. Too bad we can't post mpg videos.

 

[toalco-kdx]

i think theres another thread that has a link to a site with step by step tips. and theres pics showing the steps too.
yea i knew not to hit the front brake, i just heard it has WAY more affect than hitting the rear brake, i just didnt know how much.

 

[toalco-kdx]

i just thought of something else, does shifting up or down without using the clutch have an affect on bike position?

 

[rethnal]

Down does...., like hitting the brake but not very controllable and you may go over the handlebars. Same with up... but not nearly as effective as revving the motor in gear with the clutch out. But it does make a nice transission to haul @ss after you land! :)

 

[KDXFreestyle]

lol... i found that out the hard way... about downshifting.. lol make sure you nblip the throttle RIGHT before you land so you dont endo lol... upshifting./.. no effect, but blip the throttle a little before you land, so you dont bog too much. Just to get you going faster.

 

[motometal]

any time you acellerate or decellerate the rear tire while you are in the air, the bike's position will be affected.  Physics dictates this.  Transfer of force.  Kinda like when a shotgun recoils.

if you were able to upshift and give it gas, the front end should come up a bit each time you upshift.  Downshifting doesn't do as much as stopping the rear wheel with the brake.

 

[rethnal]

My point! But who am I? :)

 

[kx_693]

I can whip my kdx the same or a lil better then my kx250, or my brothers ktm 200 or 125. I feel really comfortable on my KDX