On The Gas Wide Open

If you’re a rookie dirt bike rider looking to get out on the right foot, here are some helpful tips to help you become a dirt biking legend, or at the very least a lot more proficient.

Essential Tips for Dirt Bike Trail Riding

1. Elbows up

You won’t have much leverage if you keep them close to your body, so controlling the handlebars will be tough. However, simply elevating your elbows to the sides makes the bike much easier to handle, and because your elbows are now bent, you will be able to absorb steering and suspension movements much more easily.

2. Come prepared

Prepare yourself. Bring tools, spare parts, a spare jerrycan, and a tire patching kit, for example. It’s better to be overprepared than underprepared. It may seem obvious, but you’d be shocked by how many stranded folks you’ll come across on your travel who might use a little additional fuel.

3. Manage your Speed

Nothing puts you at more risk than driving too quickly for your skill and/or the conditions. It’s relatively easy to keep your throttle hand in check, but controlling speed on a muddy, steep downhill trail is difficult. The secret is to spot the issue ahead of time and slow down to a crawl rather than trying to scrub off speed when gravity and absolutely no traction generate the equivalent of a slip and slide.

4. Embrace Failure

This is a difficult one for a man to accept, but you might find it difficult the first time out. If you can’t get up a high hill or a bumpy climb, don’t be scared to accept failure and let someone else assist you or ride your bike up for you. It’s a lot better than crashing yourself and your new bike into the ground in a series of more frustrating failures. You’ll get better.