August 10, 201412 yr Since a group of us have gone nuts with trials riding the past year, it's also dramatically changed the way we ride our dirt bikes as we apply the trials techniques to the bigger heavier bikes. As a result, we've slowed down a lot, get less injuries. do far less damage to the environment and (hopefully) have become better riders as a result! If anyone is interested, we've been posting these vids and articles. we've started a website about cross training techniques as well here. BEFORE YOU START Protective gear Setting up your suspension BASIC CROSS TRAINING TECHNIQUES Braking Feathering and dropping the clutch Riding across a camber or slope INTERMEDIATE CROSS TRAINING TECHNIQUES ADVANCED CROSS TRAINING TECHNIQUES These were put together from a wide variety of sources, including tips from the masters of endurocross and extreme enduro riding: Graham Jarvis, Chris Birch, Jonny Walker, David Knight, Taddy Blazusiak, Dougie Lampkin and Andreas Lettenbichler who are all ex-trials champions - may their names and bikes be blessed forever, amen. and#160; A huge thanks to Ruben Chadwick, our resident junior trials and endurocross champion for his riding and tips! Edited January 7, 201610 yr by sherconoob
August 11, 201412 yr This is gonna sound weird But riding trials has even made low speed riding on big fat touring bikes much easier. The only thing trials has not improved is my penmanship and my eyesight......and maybe cooking!
August 11, 201412 yr Author not surprised 0007, i've heard guys say they think their road riding improved even on sports bikes. i've got a DR650 for adventure riding and enjoy trying to balance at a stand still, and even occasionally jump ditches and the like! i know it totally transforms dirt riding, about the only thing that's suffered is fast riding... occasionally i still ride with guys who go hard and fast and i'm not much chop at that any more since i've only been riding slow and technical terrain the past year. but the moment there are creek beds and big logs they are falling all over the place and i have a few runs through for practice as they work their way through. a mate got a brain injury from a high speed stack last year, plus quite a few others did ligaments or bones, so the change of pace and style of riding has been great... no injuries but far more challenge and fun nowadays.
August 11, 201412 yr I agree about the trials improving road skills. I have been riding road bikes for decades and am very accomplished and safe rider (still here!!!! Hehehehe) and usually pull up at lights and fractionally before stopped place foot down.... A mate was following me in his car to the local hotel yesterday for a steak and salad lunch and I pulled up at lights, static balanced with bars to right for about a count of 2 seconds. Light changed and I was able to move off without feet leaving foot pegs (just!). He was amazed... at pub he says... WoW! I might have to do some trials riding! Pic of bike below and its not easy static sitting down and it is 300kg not 72kg! 10 inch rear tyre and 3 inch front doesn't help either!!! Hehehehe I actually did in front of two motorcycle cops that were following me in the city. Hehehehehehehe Do that coppers!!! Mags Edited August 11, 201412 yr by mags
August 13, 201412 yr Author nice ride, mags. and kudos for leaving the stock pipes on! on another forum a guy started a thread about "loud pipes are my right" which i felt deserved a tongue-in-cheek response. :-)
August 13, 201412 yr My neighbours do appreciate I didn't open up the exhausts like most of the Harley crew. I've sent the badass noise booster pic to a couple of mates!!! Hehehehehe Mags
August 17, 201412 yr Author i'll have to do a dirt bike specific one soon. our crew keep all their bikes quiet but there are some shockers out there and the guys wear ear plugs to prevent ear damage. :-(
August 22, 201412 yr Author tackling some endurocross style obstacles on the trials bike first before attempting them with the dirt bikes. also a snotty hill climb with logs across it, especially a big log that has to be jumped over and a slippery moss covered one at a 45 degree angle. one or two language warnings, we were getting pretty frustrated with this hill.
August 22, 201412 yr How frustrating was that giant hill!!! Even in the vid it looked damn steep to me! Don't know I'd have the kahunas for it? I did find a solution for it though... (see pic). Mags
August 23, 201412 yr "If we had a decent pair of gonads, we would try this sh** on the dirt bikes right away" "If we manage to grow a pair..........." Thought you guys were doing pretty good myself, but then again I don't ride anything but a trials bike. Trials is the only sport I know of that the average participant does not try to make themselves sound like the greatest at their sport. I like that, keeps things in focus.
August 26, 201412 yr Author love the hill climber pic, mags. bit different to trials and i'd never give it a shot, but have plenty of hill climbing vids in the collection... Trials is the only sport I know of that the average participant does not try to make themselves sound like the greatest at their sport. I like that, keeps things in focus. great atmosphere at club meets hey? something tells me it would be a bit more dog-eat-dog at a motocross event. a mate had the day off yesterday so we had a quick morning ride. he rode my trials bike for a few hours the other week and was hooked immediately and is looking for his first bike, he was keen to try some of the trials basics on his ktm 300exc.
September 23, 201411 yr Author all the trials training is paying off, finally starting to tackle some larger logs at last.
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