Riding dirt bikes and motocross is a hugely popular and forever growing sport. We’ve had some sketchy experiences through doing whiskey throttles and crashes whilst progressing our skill set, which is why dirt bike riding tips are important for beginners.
Due to the variety of different riding styles and sports types such as trials, supercross, motocross and enduro. This means that there is so much you can do on a dirt bike and it can be enjoyed by anyone.
Although there are some riding tips you need to know if you’re a beginner on a dirt bike. These tips are essential, as learning to develop your dirt bike skills such as through gear selection, throttle control and most importantly having the awareness of the dirt track or trial that you’re riding.
You’ll notice that when you start to ride the ability to preform turns and jumps correctly on a bike will not only keep you riding much safer, but you’ll also be able to ride a lot more fast and fluidly.
So, down below we have created a list of the top five dirt bike riding tips for a beginner.
Table of Contents
- Dirt Bike Riding Tips
- Attempt These Dirt Bike Riding Tips
- Remember – Finding Safe Dirt Bike Gear For Riding
Dirt Bike Riding Tips
1. Throttle Sensitivity & Learning When To Brake
When you begin to ride a dirt bike, you’ll notice that you’ll have control of acceleration through your right hand. This is done by simply gripping and twisting the grip, which then processes gas to your motor.
How To Accelerate Correctly On A Dirt Bike
Learning how to correctly control your throttle is essential, as without the necessary control, this could lead to an accident.
Throttle engagement requires a strong grip, as having a lose grip will lower response time if you approach the need to speed up or slow down.
Practice, Practice, Practice Your Acceleration
Many beginners struggle massively with their acceleration control, but in reality its the most important factor to keeping you weary and in control of your bike.
You’ll need to find a wide open area, where no one can bother you or cause danger. Then you’ll need to practice smooth acceleration and deceleration, by doing this it’ll help with with throttle control and slowing releasing the throttle away.
In addition to this, the throttle can also be used to slow down the dirt bike without using your brakes. So we highly recommend that you begin to practice by riding around a car park, by doing this you begin to introduce turning, as well as throttle control.
Moreover, if you find some rough terrain or speed-bumps, this is great as you can then practice throttle control over them. it’ll get you used to delivering constant power whilst standing up to ride over objects and your body being in different positions.
Dirt Bike Braking Tips
Once you’ve mastered the throttle control area, just as important, its time to master your braking control! This is important as it can prevent some serious accidents.
You’ll find that the brakes are located above above the right-hand grip on the handlebars. Although that is for the front wheel, whereas the rear wheel braking is control via right foot peg lever.
You’ll find that in most cases you’ll be using the rear brakes, however if you apply a strong amount of pressure on soft ground, then this may slide the rear tire out.
So as a beginner its important to learn throttle control with your brakes, as by mastering them, it can enhance your performance in corning.
2. Mastering Gear Selection – Dirt Bike Riding Tips
All dirt bikes will have their throttle grip which controls acceleration and a front lever to control their braking. But one other component that we have not mentioned is the clutch lever, which is on your handlebars(dependant on your bike or engine size) and allows you to control what gear you’re in.
A clutch lever will control the plates in the transmission, which then engages the drive-train to the motor, this means it’ll allow the bike to accelerate dependant on how much pressure you’re applying to the throttle.
There are some obvious ways of controlling your gearing, firstly by listening to your engine,you’ll notice if you need to change up a gear or drop one.
As you start riding you’ll get used to what gears you’ll need to be in, as lower gears will increase motor revs, where as a higher gear will keep a load off the engine. You’ll find yourself to be in lower gears whilst navigating a course or difficult terrains.
3. Stay Alert – Motocross Riding Tips
So now you’ve become a lot better than the stage you were at before. So this means that you’re able to use these new-found skills that you’ve developed and can start to go out riding on trials.
But with these new found abilities, you can’t just go out and ride any trails. You’ll need to be alert and start off with the easier ones and get yourself used to them. You’ll need to get used to looking around yourself and seeing early signs of trail obstructions, other riders and intersections.
Most, new-starters get used to just staring at whats in-front of them, so you need to get used to staring ahead and always being prepared!
By being prepared, you’ll learn to understand your reaction times and braking distances, plus you can potentially save yourself from injury or someone else from getting into an accident!
4. Learn To Use Your Body In The Corners
Learning to use your body correctly instead of just relying on your handlebars for a turning maneuver, is the next skill you need to develop. It’s a common misconception from newbies that you only use your handlebars to control turning.
It’s important to learn how to throw your body weight around the bike to make cornering more precise and accurate. You can preform this by shifting your weight towards the front wheel of your bike, this will help you to guide your front tire in the correct direction, as it’ll become more planted in the ground.
By improving your balance on your dirt bike, it’ll build up your confidence and your abilities in manipulating your body weight into achieving better control. This is why if you come from a BMX or mountain bike background, you’ll already be used to manipulating your weight.
5. Practice And Experience
Finally, once all of these skills have be tried and tested, you need to practice. The longer you spend on your dirt bike, the more used you get to your abilities and how to enhance them.
By practicing, it’ll help you become a better and faster rider, who can change gears more swiftly, brake easier and accelerate more smoothly.
More importantly, you balance and confidence will grow. So even if you start at a slow pace, keep practicing at least once a week, even if you make mistakes, its the only way you’ll learn!
Attempt These Dirt Bike Riding Tips
Remember, whatever skill level, type of dirt bike you have or age dirt biking rewards those who practice. Those who spend more time on their bike will find that they’ll progress more than those who are on and off.
Ensure that you follow our dirt bike riding tips, so that you can learn proper control and balance so that you can become a competing rider!
Remember – Finding Safe Dirt Bike Gear For Riding
Although this may be different, it’s important that you have the correct gear for riding your dirt bike. This includes having suitable dirt bike handlebar grips and the correct neck braces for protection. Without these essential bits of gear, you won’t be fully protected in case of an accident, plus having the correct gear will help for better control and balance. Once you’ve got all the necessary equipment you can go out riding safely and effectively!
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