“Lots of amateurs show up and worry about one big jump. They spend all morning concentrating on the one big jump and don’t concentrate enough on the rest of the course. Entering and exiting corners properly is more important than one darn jump.”
Brock Sellards
“A lot of riders hate ruts, but you have to love them. A rut is a traction tool, and it can allow you to rail a corner faster than if it were flat. Get your inside leg up and out of the way–dragging your foot is the worst thing you can do. Use the rut to accelerate hard out of the corner, because it will keep your rear wheel from sliding out.”
Jeff Emig
“When you get on the brakes hard for a corner, there is a right and a wrong way to do it. Just like when you accelerate out of a corner, you want your tires to get the most traction possible. Brace your upper body behind the handlebars when you get on the brakes, and squeeze with your lower legs and force the bike into the ground. If you just slam on the brakes and don’t help the bike get stopping traction, you’ll just slide or skid into the corner.”
Tim Ferry
“Some people think that you need to over-rev your 125 to go fast, but it is more important to keep the engine in the meat of the powerband. When you over-rev your engine, it puts a bind on the chain and rear suspension, and doesn’t allow the rear shock to work properly.”
Michael Byrne
“Instead of hanging off your bike and letting it pull you by your arms, lean forward and grip your bike with your thighs, knees and lower legs. Your legs are much stronger than your arms, and riding like this will help you conserve energy.”
Erik Kehoe
“In contrast to the way you ride hard terrain. sandy, loose tracks require you to lean back and steer with the throttle. If you get too far forward in the sand, the front end will knife and tuck out from under you. Lean back and gas it hard to corner in the soft stuff.”
John Dowd
“Some riders say that using only one finger on the clutch helps you be smoother with the clutch, but personally, I switched to one finger because it gives me one more finger on the grip, holding on. Having three fingers and your thumb gripping the left grip is alot more secure than two fingers and your thumb. I like to use my middle finger, but some riders use their index finger. It’s all what you’re comfortable with.”
Ricky Carmichael
“I see a lot of novice riders sitting down way too much. You should always try to stand as much as you can: sit down at the last second when entering corners and stand up as soon as you can when exiting them. When you stand, you can use your legs as additional suspension.”
Ryan Hughes
“Sometimes, if you come into a rutted corner too hot and aren’t lined up perfectly, you can tap your front brake to help keep your front wheel from riding up the sides and out of the rut.”
Mike LaRocco
“A lot of boots nowadays have replaceable arches, but that’s not where you should be standing. Try riding on the balls of your feet. That allows your ankles to work with the suspension.”
Jeff Emig
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