Bike Flying low, not clearing jumps without lots of speed

[Dirtymutt9]

Hey guys. Im not sure if this is a suspension issue or a technique issue so i thought i would post it here.

I am a novice/intermediate MX rider and a solid intermediate offroad rider.

I had my suspension done on my old rm250 2 stroke, 1999, and it seems like my bike doesnt jump as far as my buddies bikes.

for example, there is a small table top right out of a turn maybe 25 ft max. on my 250 i seat bounce the jump in 3rd on it in the power and just make it.

on my buddies 450 with STOCK suspension im in 3rd going slowly ( i suck at riding 4 strokes) and seem to absolutely launch the jump to the point of overclearing.

I have noticed this a few times but it really dawned on me this weekend.

I have my suspension set up by ProValve here in Costa Mesa for an intermediate MX'er. I really like how it feels.

I am curious if there is something going on? I am confident that i am going slower on the 450, i know its not just an illusion. my buddy himself watched and noticed the same thing.

Is this a technique issue or suspension?

thanks for the input!

[cazub]

I may be wrong but a 4 strokers going to carry more momentum pretty much all the time. I would think thats the difference, i mean that'll affect how you compress and how you fly. Anybody out there with more knowhow that can back this idea up?

PS. we are talking about a 250 2stroke vs a 450 4stroke right?

[blakers213]

Difficult to tell without video. Possibly 2 stroke spinning tires and 4 stroke hooking up. I know on my 450 3rd gear I would way overjump 25ft.

[emerybrian]

It's the bike. When I switched to a 450 I would over-shoot landings all the time, even though it felt like I was hitting them with the same speed/throttle.

[SOAB_465]

It's the bike. When I switched to a 450 I would over-shoot landings all the time, even though it felt like I was hitting them with the same speed/throttle.

+1

Big bores don't give you any sense of speed. On my 465 I over jump things all the time too, because you go in the same speed or slower, and roll a little bit of power on, and it gives you WAAAYY more boost than on a 1/4 litre.

if you get comfortable with controlling the attitude of the bike (so you don't endo) you can try rolling out of the gas on the face, and it will be even faster and lower.

[Dirtymutt9]

thanks for the insight guys. i guess im just gonna have to go faster!!!!!!

[tye1138]

Probably in the wrong gear on the 250 my guess is. You might just need to simply get more in the meat of the power band in 4th gear.

It could also be suspension, a slightly stiffer setup will give you more boost.

I really prefer that stiffness and choose to constantly make my front end stiff because I like the feeling of that boost when you hit a jump face.?

[SOAB_465]

Probably in the wrong gear on the 250 my guess is. You might just need to simply get more in the meat of the power band in 4th gear.

It could also be suspension, a slightly stiffer setup will give you more boost.

I really prefer that stiffness and choose to constantly make my front end stiff because I like the feeling of that boost when you hit a jump face. ?

I don't think you'll need 4th gear to clear 25 ft on a 250... more likely you're lugging it in 3rd and hitting it higher in 2nd would give you more height.

But if you can clear it going faster and lower then keep doing what you're doing! faster and lower is where it's at?

[thebug]

I have a buddy that rides a CRF 450 and he can do our whole track in 3rd gear, including a 90 foot table top. If you watch him, he just blips the throttle at the lip of each jump. My 250 even goes that extra little bit off the jump if I blip the throttle and I am just coming into the powerband. Adding gas on the lip seems to be more effective for a 450 than the 250 2 stroke. Riding my son's 125's there is pretty much nothing that happens by "Blipping" the throttle off of a jump. IMO a 25' jump is 2nd gear in my neck of the woods on a 250 2t. Obviously it dramatically depends on where I am in the powerband. I have made a 25' double in first, but wasn't really comfortable. LOL?

The other thought is that you are absorbing the rebound. One of my son's struggles big time with this. He is off ever so slightly with his timing and actually absorbs the rebound and stead of adding to the compression. Something that I have also found that helps is shorter shifts in the middle of the powerband to prevent wheel spin on our slippery track conditions.

Happy riding.

The Bug

[Kev250]

Maybe your RM is slower than your buddies 450 (I would say a 450 and 250 2st are in the same league speed wise) but I can't see it being all that different. Maybe something else is going on here. If I hit the 25ish ft double at my local track on my kx250 in 3rd gear on the power and seat bounced I'd probably end up in the car park at the top. As long as it gets grip a 2 stroke 250 will clear things easily.

[tye1138]

I don't think you'll need 4th gear to clear 25 ft on a 250... more likely you're lugging it in 3rd and hitting it higher in 2nd would give you more height.

Woops, yea I didn't see the 25 foot length!?

On second reading, sounds like the OP just needs to use the clutch and generate some drive out of the corner before clearing the jump.

We've got a 25 foot double that leads to a quick rhythm section, right out of a corner. So I prepare myself by being in 3rd gear to clear the first double via seat bouncing/slipping the clutch and then once the rear wheel grabs some traction, I pop it into 4th to complete the rest of the rhythm section. But it was tricky for me to get that dialed in the first few laps because I didn't know wether I should seat bounce and what gear I needed to be in to deal with the rhythm section.

[BDubb106]

Sounds like you need to build more speed or stiffen up your suspension. I had this issue before I had my revalve/ respring on my 08 250... Suspension was simply too soft and was soaking up most of the launch the take off gave me. Since the suspension rebuild theres not much I cant clear on my 250 that I can clear on my 450 as long as Im where I need to be in the power. Set up was the key for me.