Dirt Bike Jumping Tips For Beginners In Easy Steps
Dirt Bike Jumping Tips For Beginners
Dirt bike jumping – so you feel comfortable enough with your bike that you want to consider it. Let me give you some jumping tips for beginners. Well if you have never done it before don’t rush and make sure first you really feel very very confident and comfortable on your bike. I am not going to beat around the bush jumping is a very exciting experience. Your job is to make sure that every jump is successful. If you have been interested in this sport for a while I am sure you have seen people hit the ramp and nose dive or worst so make sure you follow some simple but important tips to avoid any injuries or breaking your bones.
What Do You Need To Get Started Fast
A Proper Bike For Your Size and Weight
The very basic thing to do is to make sure you have a proper bike that supports your weight. I am sure you spent a lot of time on selecting the best bike for your adventure so I will not spend time on it however just wanted to make sure we get that out of the way.
Dirt Bike Jumping Gear
To ensure that you are thoroughly prepared for the experience, you need a complete set of protective gear. You need an approved helmet, chest pads, jersey, goggles, and a neck brace before you do anything. Safety should be always your number one concern. Don’t take it lightly. Now, You’re Good To Go!
How To Jump On a Dirt Bike?
Dirt bike jumping for the first time can be scary and overwhelming. If you don’t want it to be your last, then start with small jumps as you work up to bigger ones. If you are ready for your first try to make sure to your bike is on the right gear and keep the line straight so you don’t hit the ramp on the weird angle so you end up falling before jumping.
Jumping Body Position
Footwork always pointing forward, use more of the bulkier part of the foot, not the hills. Position your knees in the middle of the bike so you have access to things. Knees should be squeezing tight both sides of the bike. Hips should be positioned over the foot pegs. Your upper body is probably the most important part and it should be at about 45-degree angle from the ground. Elbow should be in a neutral position so you can lean into the steep phase or drop back to something that is little more mellow. Overall you want to have a very neutral feeling on the bike. You don’t want to be too much forward or too far back
Keep the throttle even and you can accelerate a little as you leave the up-ramp. Practice enough time and once you get better you can back off the throttle just as you leave the up-ramp which will help you direct the front of the bike down for landing over steeper jumps.
Throttle Delivery
Please do not go aggressive with the throttle at any given moment. When you are just learning how to jump you want to be as smooth as possible as it will give you a nice bike level in the air. If you accelerate too much that can send you into an air-wheelie style jump. If that would, in fact, happen to correct that lean as forward as you can, pull the clatch in a tap the rear brake to try to pull the front of the bike down. Hopefully, you are not upside down already as that will not work.
Helpful Tip
Find a jump to practice hitting in 2nd gear using half throttle before moving up to 3rd or 4th.
Make sure you don’t back off the throttle too much when hitting the up-ramp as you probably guessed right, it would send you into a nose dive and that one is worse than air-wheelie. If that happens you must lift the front wheel back up by spinning the rear wheel as fast as you can by accelerating in the air.
Landing Safely
There are a couple of different things that will help you. One is your knees should always be squeezing the bike while in the air and on the ground. That helps in the flow of the jump. Number two is finding a nice smaller jump where you can physically see the landing. This will not only help you with depth perception but also with how fast do you need to hit it.
How To Land To Absorb The Impact?
As mentioned above use your legs to help absorb the impact and remember to keep your elbows out and wrists straight. It is because you want to spread the pressure evenly through your shoulders, chest, and arms. This is done to protect your wrists.
It is recommended to accelerate little just before your landing to direct the bike in straight line.
As a beginner, I advise you to start on very small jumps and don’t push yourself too far so you don’t hurt yourself.
Landing is the most crucial part of your bike jumping. By following common sense safety rules you protect yourself from severe crashes that might be life-threatening.
Positive mental thinking while bike jumping will not only help you stay focused but also provide you with the inner energy you need to keep moving.
To make your practice and training time more effective, you can ask a professional bike rider to help.
Do You Land Front Wheel First, Back Wheel First Or Both At The Same Time?
The answer will not be that simple because it all depends on a type of jump. The best advice when starting I would tell you to land with the bike closely matching the level of the landing area.
Inspect Your Jumping Zone
Make sure to inspect your jumping zone to ensure that it is safe to use. Check to see if there are people, animals or other obstructions and hazardous objects along the way. Ensure that space is sufficient for the task and that you’ve got a safe landing point and then back up about 50 feet from the back of your jump ready to set off.
If you are jumping the ridge of the hill make sure there is no one else coming your way so you don’t hit each other. It can be deadly.
Does It End Here?
Congratulations on your first try but it doesn’t end there. Practice as many times as possible. As you do this, you’ll start feeling more comfortable and you can keep building up the height of the jump.
Do You Feel Confident Enough?
At this point, you are now confident about dirt bike jumping and it shouldn’t be boring. Why not add some tricks. If you are capable of jumping 30 feet off the ground, then you can add a trick one at a time. Start with the basic tricks first as you progress to more complex tricks.
If you feel like you’ve got all the confidence and capability to do it like a pro, you may join in a competition and team up with other bike jumping professionals. There’s a lot you can learn from them as you further your dirt bike jumping experience.
What Are The Safety Tips For Dirt Bike Jumping?
Before you start jumping take your bike for a few laps around and get the engine to warm up. Since you will not be doing high jumps take some time getting comfortable with the idea of jumping. It is as important to feel confident mentally as physically. Remember it all starts in your head. Don’t rush it.
How To Deal With Unexpected?
If you end up with the bike going sideways in the air, do not panic but keep your body in line with front suspension and accelerate before landing. That will help you straighten things out.
If you come up short or case out remember to stay on the bike revving the bike hard before landing to tighten the chain and stiffen the suspension. A bike should be used to absorb the impact and not your body that can only take so much before snapping.
Safety
Knowing what to do in case you encounter a challenge while bike jumping is the best safety measure you can ever take. Learn the basics first.
How Do You Know If Dirt Bike Jumping Is The Thing For You?
Everyone would definitely love launching a successful jump and fly in the air – including you who are reading this article now. But how do you know if it is the thing for you before you get started? I cannot answer that for you but what I will say is you must always remember that your safety comes first. You can still enjoy dirt bike riding without jumping at least for a while if you don’t feel confident enough.
If you decide that you will do it no matter what, avoid fear – it is the worst enemy of bike jumping. Get some solid education (use a youtube video to start and talk to a professional), believe in your ability to master the game, be confident, follow instructions and be ready to start small but stay focused to your goals. With all that in mind, I am confident that it will be fantastic. See you there.
