I have been going over a jump on the one trail I ride on. I am too chicken to just punch it and hope for the best. The jump is very short but high so you almost bottom out when you roll over it. then there's kind of a second jump to clear about 15' past it. I will go down for sure if I don't launch about 6 feet or so. Please anyone give me some advice how to hit this jump and land without wrecking. I promise to video tape it.

Also, will the supension absorb most of the shock or will I bounce out of control when I land?

I know I'm kind of a wus but I've never taken a jump before and I can't break any bones in my arms or hands because of upcoming shows with my Band(October 26th at Parrot Bay in Galax VA) Come see us if you can, the band is called Krush and we play hard & classic rock.

Thanks in advance for giving me the courage to hit this jump.

 

Jerry, I wear a lot of body armor when I'm out "playing" in the dirt - it helps keep the sphincter from tightening up and helps boost your confidence. I have had some good wipe outs in the dirt (in the desert it feels more like concrete) and the armor hasn't let me down yet. Just keep playing around with small hills and small jumps until you feel confident in what your bike can do before you move to the "bigger" stuff. Body weight, balance, attitude, muscle strength, forward momentum plus how your suspension is "tuned" all factor into the equation.

About the KLX250 - "I've seen one thrashed to within an inch of its life, and I gotta say it is also one tough ****. It will kill you before you can kill it." - Scribe

 

Great points! I need to get some protective gear. My KLX is still completely stock and I weigh about 155 Lbs. I love the setup as is but I don't know if it should be tweaked for my weight. I'll keep plugging away at it and I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.

 

Knowing your ride and setup as mentioned are valuable things to know. Having the protection in case something goes bad, things happen. 5ft is not bad, so am sure we will be seeing videos shortly.

 

Practice on smaller jumps to get a feel for what the bike will do. Several factors are at play including throttle when you launch, compression on the jump face, and rebound when you clear the face. The rear suspension rebound will tend to make the rear wheel rise sending the front wheel down so you need to counter that by keeping the throttle up and shifting your weight back to counter the rebound. If you let off the throttle as you clear, you will nose down. Keeping on the throttle helps keep the front up/level. You'll want to be standing on the pegs through all of this, of course.

 

+1 Brian! Jerry you might also want to buy the "Dual Sport Riding Techniques" DVD, it has some great pointers!
Check out there website at http://www.dualsportriding.com.

or check out the reviews at:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246657

 

Yeah, I've rolled off my bike while going pretty fast a few times and dont ever remember getting hurt ever yet anyway.
The biggest jump I have hit was exact opposite of your situation. It was a small kicker but you would hit it tapped out in 3rd and 4th and it would send you about 30 or 40 feet.... It was at a track in a local guys back yard.
I was too chicken to hit it at first, just got used to the track, hit small jumps and progressivly hit the bigger ones until I got to the long jump... When I finally got up the nerve I nailed it and hit it as fast as my bike would go... WHOO HOOO!! what a rush

This was before I got my chest protector, and before I did any mods to the bikes performance.. Still with the 14/42, stock exhaust and jetting, stock suspension settings. I weigh 160 ibs

 

I almost thought that was sdunne going through the air for a moment.

 

Well, I finally got up the guts to punch it over the two jumps. I hit the first one in second at about 1/2 throttle.Then there's a split second to get back on the throttle for the second jump. I am amazed at how soft these babies land. I spent a good hour going around in circles and hitting the 2 jumps. Thanks for all the tips, I'll get some video once I rig up a helmet cam.

 

Are you sure it's not a double, in which the second "jump" is actually intended to be used as a landing platform?