Getting a lil sideways in air..help

[tscoville]

So I'm stationed here in Japan and there is this one jump that gives me trouble. ( well most of them do because the track layouts are teribble ) but thats another story. the jump in question is about a 70 foot table out of a sand corner up hill. Now I'm a big dude, lot of weight for 250f. but third gear pinned i can sometimes make it or roll on 4th and some clutch taps to get the pull i need.

 

But what is bothering me is in the process of pinning it to make this thing, when i go airborne probly 90% of the time my rear end gets tweaked mid air ( assuming from the take off/ the way the lip is. ) and its sketchy because i have to try and correct it b4 i eat it. ive had a few close ones.

 

Sry for the novel. so my question is, what tips would you guys say to attempt to being more stable in the air or before take off. how to correct that in air? keep in mind in order to get the drive i need to hit this thing im pinned rear tire just spining and pulling as im leaning back trying to get enough traction and speed. this jump i dont hit in netreul riding position.slightly lean back seat bounch ish..then i lean foward and my rear end still drifts. but not in a really controlled way. thanks

 

 

[temporarily_locked]

IMO the best thing you can do is learn how to make the bike kick out a little and come back on purpose. So pretty much start learning how to whip. When you don't give the bike any whip input on the face, then it's free to do unexpected things. Add just that small amount of english, so little someone watching you ride probably wouldn't be able to tell you're doing it, but enough that it gives you that extra degree of control over the bike.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Die_trying

[MXRider72]

Just stay loose and let the bike do it's thing. When you get real tight is when it gets sketchy, but stay loose and the bike will naturally come back in line.

[Porkchop Sandwich]

As above, and it can help to give a little gas mid air as long as you aren't already nose up. Many times a little blip of the throttle will spin the rear wheel enough to straighten you out. typically though, as mentioned above, if you aren't panicking it will straighten itself out. 

[Gary Semics]

Getting sideways off jumps when you don’t intend to is 9 times out of 10 because you’re hitting an uneven face upon take off.  Think of a quad when it jumps off an uneven face; like where the two left wheels are higher than the two right wheels, your going to get sideways big time.  It’s the same kind of an affect with a M/C.  If there is a rut, a dished out area, a little rock or anything uneven about the place where the tires actually leave the ground it’s going to make you go sideways. 

 

The best way to solve this problem and keep your short clean is to make sure you take off in the center of the rut or dished out area, make sure you’re taking off on even ground.  If there is no even ground you have to compensate for the sideways pitch. 

 

The other possibility is that one foot peg is being weighted more then the other. 

 

This is explained in visual detail on my Volume 3 Series DVD # 6 "Motocross Basic Jumping Techniques". You can see a free preview and/or order it online at; http://wp.gsmxs.com/dvd-6-motocross-basic-jumping-techniques/ 

 

[tscoville]

IMO the best thing you can do is learn how to make the bike kick out a little and come back on purpose. So pretty much start learning how to whip. When you don't give the bike any whip input on the face, then it's free to do unexpected things. Add just that small amount of english, so little someone watching you ride probably wouldn't be able to tell you're doing it, but enough that it gives you that extra degree of control over the bike.

Ya believe me i wish i could get there, thats only thing i ever wanted to do was whip and im getting there, but also last thing on my mind for that jump. But like you guys said ill just try and be more loose and natural, maybe im just trying to hard period. And im sure im stiff from all my surgeries and body type. But gary is also right the face of the jump isnt pure and smooth, its uneven all over so its a posiblity my rear tire hits a different bump if you will then the front also kicking me every so slightly.

 

I was doing some research on this lately. And you guys think that maybe because im leaning back trying to get the drive up the hill, im just in wrong body postition period. like be neutral and grip tank/seat with legs like a SOB. thanks for the responses, race is sunday and only obsticle besides another (thats inpossible) that is sketching me out.

[Gary Semics]

Ya believe me i wish i could get there, thats only thing i ever wanted to do was whip and im getting there, but also last thing on my mind for that jump. But like you guys said ill just try and be more loose and natural, maybe im just trying to hard period. And im sure im stiff from all my surgeries and body type. But gary is also right the face of the jump isnt pure and smooth, its uneven all over so its a posiblity my rear tire hits a different bump if you will then the front also kicking me every so slightly.

 

I was doing some research on this lately. And you guys think that maybe because im leaning back trying to get the drive up the hill, im just in wrong body postition period. like be neutral and grip tank/seat with legs like a SOB. thanks for the responses, race is sunday and only obsticle besides another (thats inpossible) that is sketching me out.

I don't think it's because your body would be back too far. If anything that would help the bike stay straight. Being back too far could make the front end go too high though. Pay close attention to the exact part of the jump where the bike is going to leave the jump. If there is any type of rut or dished out area make sure you are lined up straight with it and in the bottom of it. 

[temporarily_locked]

Ya believe me i wish i could get there, thats only thing i ever wanted to do was whip and im getting there, but also last thing on my mind for that jump. But like you guys said ill just try and be more loose and natural, maybe im just trying to hard period. And im sure im stiff from all my surgeries and body type. But gary is also right the face of the jump isnt pure and smooth, its uneven all over so its a posiblity my rear tire hits a different bump if you will then the front also kicking me every so slightly.

 

I was doing some research on this lately. And you guys think that maybe because im leaning back trying to get the drive up the hill, im just in wrong body postition period. like be neutral and grip tank/seat with legs like a SOB. thanks for the responses, race is sunday and only obsticle besides another (thats inpossible) that is sketching me out.

 

I remember that part of learning to jump really well. Be loose was super frustrating because it isn't something you can actively do. I would tell my self to be loose and end up dead sailoring it because i didn't do anything. I think better advice is learn to make the correct movements on the face. Loose isn't the whole story, you still have to put some input into the bike to control how it jumps. 

[tscoville]

I mean dont get me wrong if im too far back i can adjust nose down thats not a real issue. but ill walk the track saturday and check it out closer find the cleaniest line and hit it straight and see what happens.

 

and thanks die trying ill keep that in mind.

[coastalrider]

Make sure suspension and sag are right first. Balanced helps a lot regarding sideways too.

And believe it or not (cause it sounds too easy): BREATHE! you'll loosen up some and with that distance you'll just pull it back around straight. Practice looking over at something and behind you some while jumping and then looking back on some other jumps. You're feeling comfortable and your bike is moving around underneath you probably the same degree and you're just easily pulling it back in because you're relaxed. When you're tight and not breathing and your hands have a death grip, the bike can move 0.25 of an inch and your brain wants to freak out.

Let us know if that helps any. I wouldn't want to be giving bad advice. It helped me though.

Edited May 30, 2014 by coastalrider

[Moto-Potato]

I had the same problem with a couple of jumps also, the faces had irregularities which caused the back end to have a mind of its own! I had a word with one of the experts at out track and he said as you ride up the face, grip the bike hard with your knees in a neutral position. once you have taken off then you can loosen up. As you grip with your knees it physically stops the back end from moving. 

 

Helped me alot. Give it a try!

[maxamillion125]

Back end kicked out on me last weekend - dislocated shoulder and fractured humerus.

 

http://youtu.be/-JSsFtqI0aA?t=4m36s

Edited June 1, 2014 by maxamillion125

[IndianFighter]

What exactly happened there max? Landed nose down?

My crash a few weeks ago looks similar from that view. New double on track, bad surface so lost traction causing me to shut throttle in fear; cleared the double but landed nose heavy slightly to the left. Dirt was very soft and front seemed to dig in and threw me over. I was lucky to have pulled in my elbows on instinct and saved my shoulder/collarbone but still took a pretty nasty hammering to the shoulder region and back and chest/pec.

[maxamillion125]

What exactly happened there max? Landed nose down?

My crash a few weeks ago looks similar from that view. New double on track, bad surface so lost traction causing me to shut throttle in fear; cleared the double but landed nose heavy slightly to the left. Dirt was very soft and front seemed to dig in and threw me over. I was lucky to have pulled in my elbows on instinct and saved my shoulder/collarbone but still took a pretty nasty hammering to the shoulder region and back and chest/pec.

 

I got cross rutted but the landing was also very soft which caused the front to wash out.

[Zimman]

ouch