Advice on jumping

[Pritchettk]

Hello I am new to this place, but I just recently bought me a 400ex. I was just wanting some tips on learning some jumps. I have a dirt hill so far that is about 3 feet high that I will try to start learning on. The first day I tried to jump a hill and I did about 3 times and the 4th i hit the dirt, lol. What are some basic things to know when trying to learn to jump?

[NacsMXer]

I think the most important thing to first remember is to stay loose in order to absorb the impact of landing and to have better control of the quad. Always remember to stay on the gas while launching off the jump with a blip at the lip to prevent nose diving. Remember, hit the throttle to bring the nose up and later when you are more comfortable with this you can concentrate on pulling the clutch and hitting the rear brake to pitch the nose down for a more even landing. Always remember to commit to the jump and not to chicken out at the last second and hurt yourself as we all may have experienced.

[KY Woods Rider]

The #1 thing is to start small. I know that everyone wants to start doing big jumps as soon as possible, but that's a good way to get hurt and damage your quad. Start on a small single jump that offers plenty of room to land and get stopped just in case you goof up and need some extra room. A jump that will put you 2-3ft into the air is more than enough to learn the basics of take-off and landing, yet it will be small enough that you can get away with quite a few mistakes. A jump that has a smooth and gradual take-off ramp works best when starting out too, because the really steep take-off ramps are less forgiving of body positioning and throttle control. As your skills progress and you get more comfortable, then you can gradually build up to the bigger jumps. Don't even think about trying a double jump until you've mastered the single jump.

Another important aspect that everyone forgets when first learning to jump is to start getting back on the throttle right before you land. Now, you don't want to do this while still in mid-flight or if the front-end is already too high. However, assuming the front-end isn't too high, start getting back on the gas just a split second before you land. You don't need to give it full throttle, just give it enough gas to get the RPM above a fast idle before you land. However, be ready for the quad to pull forward when it touches the ground. Doing this will take out some of the landing impact because the quad is trying to go forward as soon as it touches the ground, instead of just dropping straight down. Also, if you get a little bit out of shape on the jump, 9 times out of 10 that extra RPM before landing will help pull you out of a potential crash.

If the quad starts trying to turn sideways in the air, always keep the handlebars pointed in the direction you want to go. When you get more experience you can learn to straighten the quad out while in the air, but for now (while you're still on small jumps), just keep the bars pointed toward where you want to land, give it some gas before you land, and hang on.

If one side of the quad starts dropping, keep your weight to the uphill side, give it some gas before landing, hang on, and be ready for the high side of the quad to jerk downward suddenly when you land.

And finally, as NacsMXer said, always fully commit yourself to a jump. The absolute worst thing you can do is hit your brakes before coming off a jump or let off the throttle and come off the jump at an idle. While you can usually get away with coming off the jump at an idle if it's a really small jump, you probably won't get away with it if you hit the brakes before coming off the jump. I've seen several people get thrown over the bars or endo on 2ft tall jumps just because they got scared and hit the brakes. Once you get so close to the jump that you can't fully stop or go around it, then you're past the point of no return, so you're best bet is to stay on the gas and just do it.

[pikey21]

ok there are 3 rules to jumping

#1 show off
#2mad trics=mad respest
#3dont die.......and if you do try to make as big of mess as you can:devil: :devil:

[Beef]

yeah just start small and work your way up

[bikes_rule]

yeah start small or you will probly go to the hospital! table tops are great for starters because you dont have to clear it. when your talking doubles just go fast because clearing a landing is better that plowing in to it.

[EXJUMPER]

Originally posted by pikey21
ok there are 3 rules to jumping

#1 show off
#2mad trics=mad respest
#3dont die.......and if you do try to make as big of mess as you can:devil: :devil:

LMAO.......:devil:
But really...start small and don't let off the gas to early.

[HiZ]

this may help you!

http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=101429