[vid]Deep Sand Cornering - beginner

[CapKX]

I've been riding a local sand track the past few weeks, just trying to put in time to get better. This weekend I snapped a few videos to see what I was looking like in the corners, I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong (besides inexperience). Here are a few videos, and suggestions would be great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIuTz352ewE

and one for the LOL:

I didn't commit at all on that one haha

[temporarily_locked]

try standing up before you start braking into the corner, brake later then when you sit down put your inside foot up higher and more in, like more toward the tip of your front fender. look further ahead.

[dmm698]

What die trying said. Try to get your inside leg up higher and point your toe towards the fender a little more. Stand up coming into the corner more so you can break harder and later. You'll have more control over the bike, braking while sitting down you're just along for the ride. In sand its especially necessary to squeeze with your knees all over.

[tye1138]

I've been recently doing a lot of sand riding and one critical aspect (adding on to what the other guys said above) is lean angle.

In sand you don't brake as much because the sand already puts a lot of drag on the bike. So the goal is to carry more corner speed and when doing so, you will lean the bike over more, pretty much guaranteed. If you slow down too much, you will crash or not be able to get that lean angle. Unlike normal harder surface ruts, its very hard to maintain speed through a sand rut without getting back on the throttle super early. So you will eventually train yourself to ride slightly different in sand then harder terrain.

Sand is a lot of fun if you get it right. It can really mess you up if you get it wrong though. Pinching and standing are the two holy grails.

[Flamehead]

All I have is sand to ride around the house. The faster you go the easier it is to ride the sand in my opinion. Also, I would recommend not using the front brakes very much and from the video's it looks like your braking way too early. You want to be standing up, gripping with your knees braking, sitting through the corner, and back standing up as soon as possible for your next obstacle.

[CapKX]

I appreciate the responses, that specific corner comes from hard pack to deep sand and it's off camber. I agree I'm breaking early, but I can't figure out how to approach that turn, maybe I'm not coming in from wide enough (and of course not standing up)..

[dogfish]

Try taking sand corners with both feet in the pegs and learn the required lean angle. You will be amazed if you havent tried cornering while standing. I grew up riding sand in northern Michigan as a kid and one lesson I learned from the old dogs was body postion in the sand. We have whooped out trails with deep sand and 4 ft berms that you cant rail sitting down with your foot out. Get on that sandy track and see how much you can stand riding it on the pegs it will make you a better rider. Once you incorporate standing, you will sit for mere seconds only and have more control. Squeeze them knees. ? Watch Ricky Deitrick ride.

[Gary Semics]

Dude, what can I say without writing a book? Lots of tipical beginner mistakes. Well, I have written a book and produced 21 Motocross Technique DVDs.

[Tha Breeze]

Come in faster, come in wider, get your foot up by the radiator shrouds, lean over sooner, and pin it as soon as your front wheel gets to the berm. Also to help with coming in harder stand up.

Going through berms really fast is kind of a new feeling. A lot of beginner riders is used to having their weight, or center of gravity, being pulled straight down. Because of that they want to keep it that way. Well in doing so it severely limits your speed through corners. In order to really go fast through a corner you are going to feel your center of gravity being pulled in a new direction, which would be down at an angle towards the corner. You have to commit and get used to this new feeling. To get technical about it, your acceleration through the corner (composed of entry speed, sharpness of turn, and the pull of the motor) has to be greater than gravity pulling you down in order to not low side.

But really you just have to commit and get used to the new feeling. Once you get going really fast I realized the other day it's almost as if time speeds up when you go through them really hard. I was blasting through some perfect sand berms on a 450 (much fun btw) the other day and I realized that when you almost g-out in a corner it's as if you kind of black out and time speeds up and you can't do anything while you are in the corner. All you can do is stay on the gas and keep it leaned over.