newbie throttle control

[mike_california]

I'm a beginner. I bought my yz426 after almost 15 years of no off-road riding and love it. After I got the engine broken in, it starts first kick every time (sometimes second kick).

Anyway, I have a newbie question. When I ride over short whoops, I am off the seat and let the bike rock back and forth under me. The problem is that the throttle also rocks back and forth because the angle of my arm changes. You know, when the bike angles up, I chop the throttle and when it angles down I get extra throttle. Is there a trick to avoid this?

Thanks!

this?

[Boit]

Mike, might I make a suggestion? When you grip the bars, do an exaggerated overgrip like Semics recommends. If you aren't familiar with this griping style, it looks like this. From the seated postion, first raise your elbows about 4 to 6 inches higher than what would be a normal or natural grip. Then, grip the bars. Your hands should be forced to grip in a rotation that would be like shutting off the throttle. If you use this grip all the time, you should find this will let your hands fall in a more natural grip when standing and you should have better control of the throttle thru the whoops. It takes some getting used to and you simply have to make yourself do it until it becomes secondary. This gripping style is beneficial throughout ALL the riding techniques and is just good sound style. Semics stresses this grip in his videos and I've found it to help me immeasurably. All the pros do this, except Vuillemin, who has an unorthodox style that works for him. Hope this helps.

[Numpsy]

Hi there, after my 12 year absence I found that I did the bigges, and most usual, rookie misstake ever: I held on to my handlebars like it was a lifesaver.....

After a while of practice the grip loosened and these problems dissapered !

The two big rules of mx is let Your body be as relaxed as possible, control your bike with your legs and not Your arms, and every problem is solved by a big hand of throttle !!!!

Just spank it..... Numpsy

[Boit]

Numpsy, you are right on the mark there. The death grip is still one of my biggest problems and seems to only get better if I ride often. The arm pump it causes makes racing very frustrating. Unfortunately, having to earn a living gets in the way of riding often....that and having to drive an hour to a track. Racing was out of the question in my 20's and 30's due to the responsibilites of raising a family. I don't recall any big jumps back then...and certainly, no doubles or even what could be considered as whoops. I've had to learn to trust my suspension to do most of the work instead of my body. With the quality of the machinery these days, and the aftermarket parts available, it's sure much more fun now.

[mike_california]

Thanks everyone for the advice: I'll overgrab the throttle and spank it. :-) Can't wait to get out there this weekend. It seems to get a little easier every time. We had a little rain this week, maybe it'll help with the dry conditions here in Northern California.

[James_Dean]

Mike,

It seems that every time I see a novice learning, his weight is too far back most of the time. Try to get forward and keep your weight neutral and squeeze the frame with your boots. This will allow your arms to relax and not have to be pulling forward as much. Less arm pump and better throttle control. ?

James

[MikeOK]

Well whoops are one of my few strong points on a MX track and I've found that the 426 handles them very well. I also agree that you need to stay neutral on the bike and grip with the boots real hard. Also I've found that you can usually ride more agressively than you think you are capable of, just let the suspension do all the work like you see on that cool new Honda CR250 ad on TV. These bikes are amazing...

Mike