Taking jumps

[newthumper05]

I used to ride alot as a kid but i havent been on a bike for 25 years. So i bought a WR450F 05 did all the mods. My question is its all coming back but when i jump the bike seems to fall out from under me, I dont remember this happening to me when i was a kid. Am i not gripping enough with my legs or what. It seems that the bike has more gravity than me although i weigh 185.

[Bamster]

Your not loading the suspension on the face of the jump.

[newthumper05]

Please excuse me for being a newbie but how do you load the suspension?

[Bamster]

It's hard to explain. You give the bike a little bounce compressing the suspension on the face of the jump so that your shocks are rebounding at the point of take off. Hope this helps.

[treehugger]

I know what you mean, I'm in a similar position. Were you riding two strokes as a kid? I was, and now that I'm older (and more tentative about jumping) I've found that the four strokes need more and longer throttle application off the jumps to loft the front end and to prevent it from diving. I would suggest finding a motocross track and just practice hitting the jumps with more and more throttle until you get the feeling of how the bike behaves in the air. Preloading the suspension helps too, especially with short steep-faced approaches that feel like they pop you straight up.

[freestyle250]

alot if times the bike will tend to fall from under you if you overanticipate the jump too. as if you were trying to make the bike jump with you instead of you jumping witht the bike. just have to be relaxed, compress like the others said, give it smooth throttle from base to take off, and let the bike do its own thing. then when you get more comfortable jumping you can begin to manipulate the bike in the air, dive the nose on purpose or throw some sick whips. just start small and work your way up

[Bamster]

When in the air and you want the front end lower, tap the rear brake .If you want the rear lower ,give it some throtle (clutch disengaged)

[newthumper05]

Thanks to all I will practice these techniques.