Although the outside line in a big sand turn isn’t always the fastest, it may be the only one available. For today’s tip, we thought we’d have Ryan Morais remind you how to get through that outside line with ease

ONE: “When you are coming into a corner like this one, it is important to position your body in the center of the bike. Since it is a sand corner, you do not want to be towards the front of the bike because this can cause your front-end to push; however, you do not want to be too far back on the rear of the bike either. If you are too far back, there is a good chance that the front-end will jump out from underneath you if you get choppy with the throttle. By positioning yourself in the center of the seat it displaces your weight equally, allowing you better traction and control over the bike.”

TWO: “Once you’ve entered the turn, make sure you are steady on the throttle. If you come into the turn too hot and bury the bike in the sand, not only will you lose all of your momentum, but you’ll also lose a lot of time. To avoid this predicament, keep things steady with your throttle hand. Roll on the throttle and keep your finger on the clutch in case your RPMs begin to drop.”

THREE: “It is always vital to have your finger(s) on the clutch when you’re railing through a corner like this. There will be times when the turn is just too soft and your bike will begin to bog. This is when you will need to feather the clutch to bring up your RPMs; that way you don’t come to a complete stop, and you can keep your momentum”

FOUR: “As you are going through the apex of the turn you need to weight the outside footpeg. By keeping pressure on your outside footpeg it’ll save you from leaning it over so far that you may tip over. It’s also crucial that you have your inside foot pointed forward and out in front of you –not down and to the side. This is critical in keeping your balance through any corner.”

FIVE: “Lastly: always look ahead… Especially in a corner! Many amateur riders have a bad habit of looking down at their front fender when railing through a turn. When you’re looking down at your front fender it causes you to loose focus of what’s going on and the next thing you know you have either blown out the corner, washed out, or both. If you’re looking ahead, it not only gives you the opportunity to set up for the next obstacle that’s ahead of you, but also you aren’t so focused on the obstacle you are tackling at that moment in time. It’s a hard habit to break, but the sooner you can look ahead and focus on what’s coming up next the faster you’ll become and the more confidence you’ll have.”

Tags: bowl turns, How-To, ryan morais, Skills, Tuesday Tip

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 at 6:15 am and is filed under How-To, News, Skills. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.