I'm a new member here but I've been riding for 13 years. I'll jump pretty much anything standing up but I only feel comfortable seat bouncing small jumps in really low speed, second gear situations. A higher speed seat bounce doesn't bother me too much until I get into a higher gear. I never feel like I know how the bike will launch. Will it go nose-low, nose-high, level? I don't think it's a suspension setup issue because I seem to be in a neutral/forward position leaving jumps when standing and on the throttle. I could be wrong though.

It seems like jumps don't follow the same rules as to how they launch when you seat bounce as opposed to standing. Any help with this is appreciated.

Welcome! :)

Honestly, what you're feeling sounds pretty normal to me. I only seat bounce over small stuff, ya know the up/down sorta jumps where you wanna just go up quick and come right back down. The higher speed stuff, there really usually isn't any reason to seat bounce unless there is a problem with the jump and you don't get enough boost of the ramp/take-off.

But yea, seat bouncing puts your bike in a completely different angle then if you just hit the jump standing up, preloading or not.

some people say the only time to seat bounce jumps is when you need extra distance on a jump. This may be the true'ist form of seat bouncing, but i quite often find my self seat bouncing jumps just because i never stood up between the corner and the face, not because i need extra distance. It is possible to 'seat bounce' with out really seat bouncing. I don't know, but i would guesstimate that your sketchiness comes from your rears position on the seat. The further back you are on the seat, the more leverage you will have on the rear spring and the more effect you will have: this will require more accleration on the face and keeping the front end up in the air. Moving forward on the seat will elimate the seat bounce effect for extra distance, and requires you to be forward on the bike, really forward. I see a lot of sit down jumping leading to boner airs because they don't compensate for the lack of rear compression.

tye1138 said:

Thanks. I can clear these jumps standing up but I have to preload them really hard and use a lot of energy over them. The size of the launch is probably most of the problem on these jumps since they are longer, taller, and not as steep as what I'm comfortable seat bouncing. They are also about 20ft further to the landing than anything else I've seat bounced before. One could probably be done in second but the other may require third.

The jump at my house that I seat bounce is really close to the corner and is sort of like a smaller version of those jumps in SX right out of corners that the riders get lots of "pop" out of entering rhythm sections. These aren't like that. I just need a little extra lift to get over them easily with a shorter run.

I know when and when not to seat bounce, I just need to learn how to do it on a variety of jumps so I can use it when I need to.

Die_trying said:

I think you might be right. If my backside is forward when I seat bounce that jump at home I still almost endo because the launch is so small and steep. Sitting slightly rearward and really gassing it pops me up off the seat and pitches the bike just right for the landing. On these longer, mellower launches shouldn't the kicker effect be a lot less no matter where I sit? I think I could handle a nose-high situation (I'm 6'5" so it's easy to get up over the front) unless I really overcook it, but I'm deathly afraid of an endo on jumps this big. Height doesn't really help as much when the nose is down.

Well I'm a noob so I don't know squat, but isn't the whole point of the seat bounce to gain additional lift/air on the jumps? If so, I really don't think the seat-bounce would be a use-able technique at the high speed high gear situations you're talking about. I mean, the big high fast seat bounce jumps are for show and in MX it's not about anything but pure speed and keeping a low trajectory or scrubbing. It's probably not really supposed to work out, but I could be way off.

BlackCR25098 said:

I need the extra lift on these jumps to clear them using alternate lines that don't involve going all the way around the outside. The highest gear I'll need is third and it may not even be necessary. I always try to do things the fastest way possible but sometimes different lines are needed to execute a pass or avoid roost or a downed rider, etc, and seat bouncing may help you get in front of somebody or keep a more consistent lap time if you have to avoid something.

Die_trying said:

Thats a very good point, I think people forget for sure. ;)

Ih8Hondas said:

Its funny you mention that, we have lots of those types of jumps here, its a very common obstacle at SoCal tracks, jumps right out of corners, sometimes with pop, sometimes without. One situation is a rhythm section, where you enter on an 180 degree bowl corner, I hit the first jump on the clutch in 3rd gear seat bouncing, then I hit the second one in 4th gear and kinda try to scrub (like that happens) the third and back off 2 gears into a 90 degree corner with a little hump after it, which I seat bounce as well. Its a very quick section, the jumps arn't big, just lil 20ft doubles, but its a great training tool because it can be done so many ways and you can over-jump everything and be safe, which is nice.

Ih8Hondas said:

Just be careful, as you pointed out above, some stuff doesn't respond well to it and as you said, nose down is way worse the nose high.

I am a vet novice and I ride a sx style track out here in ca. It's turn jump turn jump. No rest. The two bigger jumps are over 75'. I have been riding for about three years now. I seat bounce everything. That way, i feel I have more control of the bike. Less throttle input, more rider input. That way, I can hit the bigger jumps in fourth gear. The engine is not wound up, and the suspension is relaxed. Makes it easier to control the bike in the air and when and where I land to set up for the next obstacle. The only time I stand up is when I wanna make up time on bigger jumps by relaxing my legs and allowing the bike to come up to mid section and stay real low over a jump.

Search "a lap around 408mx with 534b" and u can see that I actually am seat bouncing all the jumps on my 250. My 450 is a little different but still the same concept.

apparently the video was deleted. ill repost it.....

you can see in the vid that i dont to carry a whole lot of speed to clear the bigger jumps, even on a 250 just a little seat bounce and i can comfortably clear all the jumps without excessive speed and without having my engine and suspension all wound up causing unwanted movement when landing.

Yeah. Problem is, being on a 250 two stroke, if I'm not on the pipe I'll end up finding the hit on the face of the jump, which would amplify the inconsistency I'm trying to avoid.

Ih8Hondas said:

ya. you gotta stay on the pipe.

Preload when going fast, seat bounce when going slow. If your in the middle of a 3rd or 4th pinned straight, seat bouncing is not a good idea. Thats just asking for an endo. Preload instead. Compress the bike with your legs, not your ass. Its the same effect, you get a higher/farther launch, but you dont get the over the bars endo yard sale you would get from seat bouncing.

Die_trying said:

Hitting a jump sitting down and "seat bouncing" are two TOTALLY different things.

cantwait said:

I would still be accelerating hard when hitting these jumps. I see a lot of faster guys seat bouncing them so I know it can be done. I just need to learn how to do it consistently, like I said before.

Gary touched on it for you. Most all jumps and jumping situations are unique. What you are trying to do can be done as you stated, it just takes seat time (experience) Generally high speed seat bounces take a much greater pull or tug on the bars just before take off because the faster you are moving the faster and stronger the inputs and outputs will be and need to be.

I was recently down at the old Crystal Coast, Jimmy Wienert's new training facility. There is a high speed (4th gear WFO) single to table. The single is abut 50 feet, the table landing is about 80 to 90 feet. At the end of the table is a small down side about 8 feet long. If was just as fast or faster to scrub the single and only jump about 80 or 90 feet but it was fun trying to get to the little down side out there about 135 feet. In order to do this I was sitting at the rear of the seat and pulling very hard on the bars at the transistion and all the way up the face. This face is not steep by motocross terms and not escessively long either but just long enough, about a 3 to 1 ratio.

Alright. That's the info I was looking for. I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do now. Thanks.