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Quick question:

I came across another "mini MX" track in my town. (Very small), but it has 2 nice, high berm type turns. The turns are not sharp, and they are more like turn-arounds I guess, since they help you go back the way you came.

What should my body position be on the bike as I enter/exit the turn? Do I move up toward the gas tank, or just stay mid-bike? I can do the berm turns at a slow speed, but it actually feels more dangerous that way since gravity wants to yank me down the berm.

I am having more trouble catching on with this one than jumping and hill hopping combined. As always I appreciate any tips. Been watching guys do these berms on quads all night long, but no one came along on a bike that I could watch.

matt

some very basic rules for turning, Matt
best way to practise is a figure 8
yes it is boring, but it works
and don't try to become the next world champ in a day, it does take TIME

- keep your ellbows up, if you do not keep your outside ellbow above the bar end you will lack leverage and will eventually turn your upper body towards the outside of your turn, you will lose 'balance'

- keep you upper body upright, shoulders/chest facig 'where you want to go'

- outer foot with a bit of weight, balls on the peg

- inner leg almost, do not overstretch your knee straight, foreward, above the ground, keep ankle, knee and hip tense but not uptight
never drag your inner foot, do not turn your inner leg in the hip, do not bend your inner knee, short: do not hold your inner leg dog-style, your foot might get caught, I know quite a number of weekend warriers who tore ligaments in their ankle or knee that way put the inner foot back on the peg as soon as possible

- as long as you are on the brake, you stand, you sit down 'on your handlebars' = as far to the front as you can, to keep weight on the front, to keep your rake small and weight on the front, lean the bike and get your inner leg out in one swift movement at the apex of the turn, between braking and accelerating, as soon as you are on the gas in the same swift movement you put your inner foot back on the peg and get up, before the acceleration bumps is there a correct term for them? bruise your rear

a fast mxer friend of mine once told me: on track you do not ride, you brake and you accelerate, but you do NOT 'ride'

same as always, Matt
get out there, try your best, see what it feels like
come back, tell us about it and ask detailed questions
I wish I could just come with you to show and then watch you, but ...*sigh*

do you know someone with a camera, willing to come along and shoot some film or 1000 pics?
it will help a lot to see whay you do 'from the outside'
back in the old days before digis were invented we sometimes went thu 5 or 6 rolls of slides

how fast do you hit your berms ev? 'cause i tend to remember alot more the slower i go.

You know that's a good idea. I can set up the camcorder on a tripod and see how the turn looks and make adjustments from there.

I will do that.


matt

does any one know how to turn on an inverted berm like at my moto track i have a left handed u turn and the high part of the berm is on the left side and the worst part is its made up of mostly sugar sand and i have a jump right after that and im on a mini honda xr100r