Dirt Bike Riding Techniques Forum

Can anyone tell me the strategy of those tricky corners. i dont go in on the rear brake anymore. but i fear the front end pushing should i just keep leaning? What do you guys know?

Man that is one of my struggles too, so I would also like some info on this! It is kinda weird, I try to go into the corners and not drag the brake, but when I keep my speed, the front end pushes, and so its hard. But yeah I know where you come from.  

Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.

im not that big of a track rider, so i really cant help. i bet secondstring couuld help if he was here. he knows everything that deals with track riding. and he aslo knows a lot about misc. things too.

but you are saying that your front end pushes when you try to carry more speed through a corner?

Well, I know im not a pro so I can't do everything perfect and fast, but those pros take corners fast..very fast so it has to be possable. It just seems like every time I try to keep more corner speed, I have a close call, or my front end does push and im on the ground. Or I go in then like get scared im gonna crash or the front is gonna push, so I slow way down. Do you get what Im saying? I tried to explain it the best I could.  

Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.

i get what you are saying, but i dont have an answer to your problem. but i do know that if you are too far back on the seat, then you are causing your front end to be light. which makes you lose bite on the front end. but if you get your weight more forward, then you will gain more control and traction on the front end. maybe try that? i really dont know. maybe try moving your weight forward more, keeping your elbows up an a good position, and weight the outside peg when exiting the corner after the apex.

Ya getting up on that tank helps a bunch i just dont like feeling of the back end going every which way. i come into it standing up then right before the turn i scoot up forward sitting down. I did this ride with a pro motocross racer thing at Glen Helen and he helped i ton i got lucky though. the deal was buy a bike from this dealer and youll ride with him. but ive got the connections . he told me to come in the corner with the clutch out and let the engine do the braking. always go outside and rail it. Apply the throttle smoothly for traction and accelerate out.

CR gives me way too much credit!  There are way faster people then me.  Holding corner speed is probably the hardest thing to do, and an area where the fast riders stand out.  First off, braking is a combination of using both front and rear.  Personally, I use a little more rear brake then front because if things get dicey, I can always just skid out the rear wheel and make a quick correction insteed of using too much front brake and end up washing out and dumping the bike, but thats rider preference.  Only using your front though is a recipe for disaster, two wheels applying friction gives you twice the stopping power.  For a 4 stroke, you can cheat using the compression to slow you down which works awesome. 

If you watch people that are truely fast, you'll see they don't sit down until they're 1/2 way in the corner, and they sit exiting.  Most people (and I'm really guilty of this, especially when I'm tired) will sit long before they get into the turn and try to compensate by putting a ton of weight on the front.  I see a lot of people making the mistake of almost sitting on the gas cap because they put way too much weight on the front, then they exit the turn sliding all over the place or spinning because they have no weight in the rear.  Sometimes you can get away with it if you can get your weight back fast enough, put that takes a lot of energy and causes a lot of arm pump.  You gotta find a good balance, too much weight on the front causes your rear to slide and and lose traction (which can really suck if there's a jump or whoops after exiting) or leaning too far back and making your front wash out. 

Another mistake I see a lot of riders make is when they put a leg out in a corner, they keep it way too low, and too far out.  When you put a leg out, you want to keep it in line with the bike and as high up as you can.  This not only puts more weight on the front of the bike in a neutral postion, but puts your leg in a postion to catch yourself fast if your front starts to wash out.  Squeezing the bike with your outter leg will allow you to lay the bike over and rail and help you keep your inside leg up.

By far though, the biggest mistake people make without a doubt (and I'm very guilty of this too) is looking right in front of the bike, insteed of looking ahead down the track.  If your looking where your front tire is going the entire time, your going to go WAY slower then if your looking ahead and picking out your lines ahead of time.  Force yourself to look ahead and you'll be surprised at how much faster you'll be.

what do you mean i give you way too much credit? i know you're not the fastest, but you seem to be good and you know a lot more about the motocross stuff than i do because i dont get to ride tracks. im still trying to talk my dad into letting me go ride dixon on a saterday or something. anyway, i learned something from what you just said so it goes to show that you are very knowledgable. you deserve the credit.

PS where have you been secondstring? seems like you were gone for a few days.

The board wasn't working when I was trying to post so I gave up for a few days.  It looks like they took away some of the pop up ads too.  I'm glad my tips have worked for you.

oh. well im glad your back. =)

The one thing I did not see talked about, is suspention settings. You can put stewart on a bad setup bike and he won't be fast.
Secondstring is right on, on who to do it, but sespension is also important.  

Country is right about suspention. I don't race track but there are a lot of track like corners where i ride, and i always down shift into the corner and push up on the seat and use (To much front brake probebly) and go leg out to my front tire and up shift out of the corner. But looking ahead is right on time advice, I have a bad habit of watching my front tire. But i'v cornered with a friends older KX250 and its horrible! my YZ250 is set up perfect and will handle the corners great. Thats suspention. Any ways thanks for the advice secoundstring.  

Also there is some really good PRO advise with pics and step by step for looking ahead and cornering on superheros sight.Just click on to the link under his name. There is alot of good info..  

Another thing to think about when it comes to corner speed is tire pressure. Try messing around with several settings. Also, I see this the most with Carmichael on sweeping corners he's letting his front end actually wash out basically but using enough throttle to slide the back end out so he's balancing it out. I've used this method and it takes a lot of commitment and practice. When u go into the corner and feel the front end washing out apply the throttle to break the rear tire loose and and it will straighten the bike back up and keep u from losing the front end and falling. Also, i found it was a little easier to slip the clutch and control the amount of wheel spin u get because u can quickly pull the clutch in or let it out as needed.  

I am more old school (been riding since 1974...)

Typically I am on both brakes (more front) coming into the corner; as I enter the corner as I lean I am coming off the brakes.

I typically allow myself to slide up on the seat further (to the front, with the new gripper seats sometimes you have to raise up a bit as you can't slide) and at the point I am on the gas I extend my inside leg to get more weight on the front and ready it case I do need to dab a foot.

Another small thing is keep your elbows up (don't let them slouch).  This gives you better leverage.  Its hard to do but also stay loose and fluid.  If you can then the bike can move around etc and you can deal with it.  If you are stiff and tense it makes if hard to be smooth.

The braking action has compressed the forks (which steepens the forks rake) which aids turning.  I try and come off the brakes as I am leaning, balanced where the forks don't un-compress too much as when you release the brakes then lean.

I also probably enter the turn a bit slower than some so I can get on the gas sooner and accelerate around and through the turn.  To me this is more stable.

It does not bother me to slide the rear a bit but I don't like to push (or slide) the front.

As mentioned tire pressure and suspension setup (especially sag) is important.  I raised the forks on my '06 YZ-250 10 mm in the triple clamps to aid turning.

Lastly; what shape are your tires in and do you have the proper tire for the conditions?

My YZ came with a D739 hard pack tire on the front; which was fine in the hard pack but horrible in soft dirt or mud.  Putting a D765 intermediate tire on is still OK on hard stuff but way better on softer soil and mud.  
Dave H 2006 YZ250
(2008 YZ 125 son)