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How do you do it?

6K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  nicelyb 
#1 ·
guys, i am 45 now but i can remember when i was in my late teens riding dirt bikes and hill climbing anything in sight without a care in the world. I always told myself i wanted to race MX when i got older. Well, im older and have a quad capable of it but i have lost my nerve. The only thing i think i would have a problem with is hitting a double or triple jump. I have never liked heights but how do you guys get used to it? How do you or did you start hitting the jumps and feeling like it was second nature? Where i live, we have access to a professional size and built MX track anytime i want. It has all the jumps and curves as well as kick backs etc. I have went around it a couple of times and every time i come to one of the many jumps i just almost come to a stop and just creep over it. Anybody have any starting tips or any i just too old to even begin?....:(
 
#2 ·
Well, I am 42so your not too old :)
I reccomend just making laps, and getting used to how the quad moves around. It's also easier to jump table tops. You can start out small, not having to jump the whole thing. Doubles can be tricky, especially with pointy landings. I am at the age, if I am not comfortable doing a jump, then I won't. I don't like getting hurt!
 
#8 ·
I started jumping when I was too young to have any better sense and after I started getting off the ground I started hitting things without much regard to what was on the other side, etc. Same was true when I started to ride quads.

I was OK after I got older and calmed down some. Then after some back injuries non-related and 10 years off quads I was a lot more cautious. But I would still jump things that did not punk me out. But I came back to riding a much bigger guy and bought 3 quads in a row that like to kick the rear end up and like to fly nose low.

That has taken all of my confidence away because I never know if I am going to fly like I want when I go over something. So I know I gotta get my rear end right and then start working my way towards jumping more by starting small and working my way up.

Right now if I jump it is usually an accident... lol
I've been riding mx for the past three years I'm only 18 though. But keep putting in laps.
The more laps the more you get used to the track and how your quad is in the air.
start with table tops first and go further and further out each time until you land on the down side. Learn the lips of the jumps also before you hit them so they don't through you everywhere. After you get used to the feeling of jumping start moving towards doubles and triples like me I just started doing a double this weekend that I haven't done in a year cause I didn't have the confidence I also went for a little triple this weekend also. I haven't ever done one of those ever lol. After you get used to jumping and knowing how fast you need to go to complete the jump it's all about how fast you can go before the take off of the jump.
And don't coast on the throttle or on the brakes. That helped me. With speed going around the track.
I am about to hit 40. I suggest small jumps and tabletops also... For the most part on doubles if you think your going fast enough GO FASTER!!! Its almost always better to over jump. Another thing is NEVER let off the throttle in the face of a jump, sometimes you can goose the throttle but most the time you want a steady power but never never let off of it until your in the air
Im 38 & learned if you want to jump it. Find someone that can do it and pace them. It may take a few times before you do it. But it works .
Guys, thank all of you for your input and suggestions as i find all of them very helpful. im actualy thinking about going and trying the track out tomorrow if i get my quad finished up in time...Thanks again!...:tups:
 
#3 ·
I started jumping when I was too young to have any better sense and after I started getting off the ground I started hitting things without much regard to what was on the other side, etc. Same was true when I started to ride quads.

I was OK after I got older and calmed down some. Then after some back injuries non-related and 10 years off quads I was a lot more cautious. But I would still jump things that did not punk me out. But I came back to riding a much bigger guy and bought 3 quads in a row that like to kick the rear end up and like to fly nose low.

That has taken all of my confidence away because I never know if I am going to fly like I want when I go over something. So I know I gotta get my rear end right and then start working my way towards jumping more by starting small and working my way up.

Right now if I jump it is usually an accident... lol
 
#4 ·
I've been riding mx for the past three years I'm only 18 though. But keep putting in laps.
The more laps the more you get used to the track and how your quad is in the air.
start with table tops first and go further and further out each time until you land on the down side. Learn the lips of the jumps also before you hit them so they don't through you everywhere. After you get used to the feeling of jumping start moving towards doubles and triples like me I just started doing a double this weekend that I haven't done in a year cause I didn't have the confidence I also went for a little triple this weekend also. I haven't ever done one of those ever lol. After you get used to jumping and knowing how fast you need to go to complete the jump it's all about how fast you can go before the take off of the jump.
And don't coast on the throttle or on the brakes. That helped me. With speed going around the track.
 
#5 ·
I am about to hit 40. I suggest small jumps and tabletops also... For the most part on doubles if you think your going fast enough GO FASTER!!! Its almost always better to over jump. Another thing is NEVER let off the throttle in the face of a jump, sometimes you can goose the throttle but most the time you want a steady power but never never let off of it until your in the air
 
#9 ·
sounds like we need a 40+ ride for us old farts. lol. I haven't ever been on a track but I want to. I mostly freeride dunes but pretty much the same concept of the big jumps and whoops
 
#10 ·
Yup practice is the olny way!riding with faster guys will always help so you can get your speed right!im 36 and recently cased a jump came up about 4' short and broke my arm this was April 6th!i normally race xc but love jumping did a few mx pracice days last year and wanted to run half the mx series that's close to me!im just about reay to get back to mx already back w aC just giving myself the full time to heel that docs suggest!ya gta trust yourself/your machine perfect example I though I was going too fast when I did this and backed off the trottle well I paid for that in the end faster is always better!
So now I have a titanium plate and some screws to keep me together!
 
#13 ·
Yeah, from what I hear, that is why the KFX comes with a stock titanium header. You are supposed to keep it around to melt down for rider spare parts, such as titanium screws, plates rods and so forth.


Me, I got a rusty metal plate in my head, a few nails, some glass, some lead, some dirt, some cardboard and a whole lot of duct tape holding me together.
 
#14 ·
Lol that's good stuff..... For me it was having a bike that feels right under my butt
 
#15 ·
Lol that's good stuff..... For me it was having a bike that feels right under my butt[/QUOTE]

the best part of that is in your signature you have +3" of seat foam lmao
If you were running a stock seat I'd be calling you "Iron Butt" hahahahaha
 
#19 · (Edited)
I ran MX for years up until 4 years ago when i was a young 37years old. I had a freak accident and broke my neck in 2 spots. I was doing a local county fair MX race and did not make a small double jump. I hit it just right where it flipped me over the bars and I did a lawn dart straight into the dirt head first. I broke my C1 and shattered the C4. Needless to say the good lord spared me once again and did not kill me out right or paralyze me. I have a Titanium rod from the base of my skull to my shoulder blades and an artifical C4 vertabre in my neck now, other than some limitations on how far I can turn my neck I am fine. I raced the same fair race 1 year later to show myself that I was not going to let the accident stop me racing. Needless to say I am not as fast as I was, but I still get out there. I take a lot longer to jump the bigger jumps now adays because my next wreck I may not be so lucky and I have a wife an kids that needs me. I still ride MX and race XC because I love the sport and can not think of any better way to waste most of my disposable income. LOL!! I just approach racing with a more " I'm here for the fun " attitude compared to my old " I gotta win" attitude. I still get frisky during the race and getting to riding on the edge then I remind myself that wrecking hurts ( I usually slow down then, but not always). Anyway the moral of my story is, go ride/race some MX and have a good time with it no matter how fast you are, the more you do it the faster you'll become. Oh an 1 more thing wear a neck brace!!!! I'm that kid who's mom was right when she said "you'll fart around and break your neck riding that 4 wheeler."

Happy 4th of July!!!!! 'Merica!!!!!
 
#21 ·
I bet my buddy Nicely is equally concerned for me and disappointed in me every time I suit up without a neck brace. Probably thinks I am a bad influence too.

He's probably right...

I will at least look into one of those Atlas braces or something this summer and see if I can do it. Logan Nixon and BC showed me the ins and outs of that Atlas at Steele Creek but I still aint done the first thing about it. Haven't even looked where to try one on or where to get one and haven't priced them either.


I went way too long without wearing proper protection other than an old helmet. So I am trying to get the safety gear and get back acclimated to it again. I am actually still adapting to the chest protector. Just like the hydro pack... anything like this makes me feel all out of whack and burns me up. I am very whiny and easy to make uncomfortable... outside my tiny zone of familiarity.
 
#22 ·
Neck braces seem kinda expensive, but when you compare it to the cost of having a doctor fix what you broke, its a decent price ( especially if you get Leatt to throw a sponsorship your way ). Obviously the neck brace will not, nor is it designed to stop all neck injuries, but it doesn't hurt anything. I highly doubt that if I was wearing one I would of not gotten hurt. I hit straight up and down and they aren't designed to stop those kind of hits.

Anyway back to MX discussion. Unlike XC where you want the quad narrow to fit between trees, you'll want a wider stance to help corner better. You should never be coasting in MX. If your not on the gas you should be on the brakes. It sounds easy, but it takes a lot of practice to do that automatically and not think about it.
 
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