Then there’s reality, you get out on the track and try to clear a jump, say a table top for starters but your not really sure how much power you need to clear it. You pin the throttle and hit the ramp only you’ve jumped way to far and had your weight to far forward. You end up nose diving and knowing what your in for pin the throttle in the hope that the rear end will drop and you’ll land safely. Nope, at best you’ll be limping around for a couple of days.

After a while you learn to gauge how far you need to jump to land on the down ramps and your getting pretty good. Someone forgot to tell you about ruts on jump faces though and for some reason the bike kicks sideways of the peak of a ramp and you are all crossed up when you land, oh no, here comes that soil sample again.

How do you become a better dirt bike rider? Ride your bike. Take your time when trying new things and build up to them slowly, knowing what you can and can’t do. Think about what people tell you and take everything you read online with a grain of salt. Watch what the faster riders do on the track, look at their body position, listen to what the pro’s have to say. You probably won’t put any of it into practice until long after you knew about it though.

Unfortunately the most important lessons are those we learn the hard way, like the things I did when learning to jump the I mentioned in the beginning of the post. You can’t just get advice on something an expect to go out and do it straight away. When your able to do things it will come naturally and you will then release what you should have been doing all along was something you had been told or read about before.

So reality aside what advice can I give you?
When learning to jump keep your body in the attack position central to the bike, try to stay relaxed, you’ll most likely become a statue in the air though. Start with table top jumps and gradually work your way to jumping the full distance. Keep the bike in a higher gear rather than under power and keep a constant pace don’t back off but give the bike a little more power just before taking off.

When cornering try to put your leg out straight, don’t dangle it down or sideways. Sit on the opposite side of the seat to the direction you are turning, lean the bike and push against the outside of the bike and down on the outside peg. Power out of the corner from the apex. Make sure you’ve got good tires on the bike and practice pinning the throttle to get a feel for the rear end slide.

Use your legs to steer the bike and point your toes in to grip the bike over rough obstacles. Shift your weight off the seat and to the opposite direction to steer the bike while standing.

Keep your weight way back when braking to get maximum traction. Practice taking the inside line and braking harder if you usually take the outside.

Make adjustments to your suspension in small increments if you think it could be better. The more you play around with it the better you’ll get, but be careful as the wrong adjustments can be very bad for the bikes handling, if not dangerous. I increased the compression dampening so I didn’t get as much spring when learning to jump and not quite making the distance. This was great, only problem was now I had head shake in the front end at high speed. Not so great.

Come join motocross superstar, X Games gold medalist and Guinness World Record-holder for highest air.
Load up the trucks, bikes and haulers and come be a part of the action. It’s not everyday you get to ride and party with the best. There is no rigorous schedule, no info booths and no egos … just pure freeriding.

Ronnie Renner Free Ride Tour

It seems that the park has seen little use since it closed going by the grass growing over the tracks

Black Duck Valley - Circle Track

If you haven’t been to Black Duck Valley before there are two tracks to cater for complete beginner and junior riders, another two for intermediate junior riders and one for advanced junior riders. Then there are three more tracks that cater for senior riders from novice to advanced.

Track one is for advanced riders only and includes an awesome 90ft table top that launches you high into the air. I hit this one in 3rd gear in the meat of the power on my CRF450 to clear it. As well as a bunch of other fairly big table top jumps there is also a set of three fairly short table tops in succession which are pretty cool once you get the correct rhythm.

Track two attracts riders from novice to advanced probably due to its wide sweeping corners and fast flowing open straights with a mix of step up, step down and an 80ft table top jump. The first step up jump on this track is awesome and the 80ft table top lies at the end of the main straight which gives riders ample time to set up before tackling the ramp.

Track four is a tight track packed with table tops which will have you jumping more than you’ll be on the ground. This is a fun track once you get a decent rhythm going with a couple of medium length table top jumps mixed in.

There are a few payment options if you want to pay a once off registration with a yearly subscription fee which will save you heaps if you go to the park regularly. You can also pay on the day now, which is sure to attract more people to the park once again.

Yearly subscription will cost you $360 a year after a once of registration fee.
1.$1100 Upfront ( 1 payment )
2.$360 Upfront ( 1 payment ) Followed by 10 monthly payments of $80 ( total cost $1160 )
3.$100 Upfront ( 1 payment ) Followed by 11 monthly payments of $100 ( total cost $1200 )

Alternatively you can pay on the day based on your age.
Under 8yrs $10
8-12yrs $20
13-18yrs $40
over 18yrs $50

Camping costs $10 per night for a registered family or single member.

The facilities haven’t changed. They still have 3 hot showers at the top camping area. Flushing toilets in both camping areas and cold showers in the bottom camping area, but from what I’d could see the cold showers didn’t appear to be hooked up anyway.

Drinks, ice and firewood are available from reception. They don’t however, carry any spare parts so it might be worthwhile to pack some spare levers and stuff if you plan on staying a few days. They do have a tyre changing machine if your stuck.

There is a renewed focus on safety at Black Duck Valley. You must complete an induction before you are permitted to ride on any of the tracks at the motorcycle park. It is also made clear that you are not covered by insurance if you participate in any activity associated with a dirt bike, including unloading the bike from a trailer. I initially wasn’t concerned with this as I knew the problems the previous owners had with liability but thinking about it now, I have a Motorcycling Australia (MA) licence which includes insurance at MA affiliated clubs. Clubs like Fort Lytton have their own public liability insurance, but Black Duck Valley still can’t get it?
In contrast to this it is also made clear that the park wants to create a place were you’ll be coming back for years. A relaxed environment were you do not exceed your abilities, do not attempt ramps that are beyond your ability and keep a moderate pace.

On Easter Sunday 2010 there were over 50 riders spread over all of the tracks. There was a person delegated to each track to keep an eye on the riders and also to assist in the event of a crash. I did see the flashing lights on the patrol vehicles go off a couple of times and delivered riders back to their campsites with fresh ice and assistance.

What else would you expect, after all it is all about dirt bike riding. A big thumbs up to the guys making a visit to Black Duck Valley again a reality and lets hope they get enough support to continue and improve the park into the future.

Wrong Way

I tightened up the sprocket bolts before the first days riding and everything else checked out fine. On the morning of day three of the trip I was eager to get out and do some laps as the rain had been on and of since we arrived and the weather had cleared for now. I quickly looked over the bike for visual signs of loose parts and didn’t see anything suspicious.

Dirt Bike Broken Sprocket

After cutting quite a few laps and landing on the down ramp of a table top the motor stopped suddenly and the bike felt weird. I new something was wrong as the motor seemed to just drop out without the usual drag from the engine when it stalls.

Sure enough, i looked at the rear wheel only to find my rear sprocket had broken into three separate pieces, torn the bolts and tabs clean off a couple of points on the hub, and jammed the chain into my now broken my chain guide. After pushing the bike back to the camp site and stripping the broken parts off the bike I noticed that it also took a gouge out of the inside of the swing arm and tore teeth off the front sprocket.

Dirt Bike Broken Hub

Now I’ve fitted a new Talon sprocket on a new set of rims and used medium strength loctite to make sure they stay tight. Also fitted a new chain, front sprocket and chain guide. I’ve had to learn an expensive lesson, so hopefully by reading this you won’t do the same.

Chain Tension Adjuster Bolt

With a few squirts of INOX lubricant (like CRC), quite a few actually combined with working the bolt in and out a few times using a socket wrench I managed to return the movement to normal. It’s surprising how much heartache a little bit of build up can do. There was only a small amount of build up on the bolt but this was enough to almost completely seize it.

The lesson here is to always spray on some anti rust/lubricant on all adjustable bolts and other parts that are exposed to water and such. I regularly spray my spoke nipples, foot peg springs so I’ll add chain tension bolt to the list of maintenance items.

You race into the first corner after getting a great start only to find yourself tangled up in a mess of bikes. You change your line at the last minute and narrowly miss out on taking a soil sample of your very own. Great, you are out of trouble, but because you came in so hot the bike stalls and you are left with the task of firing your bike up again.

With all the adrenalin running through your veins you’re eager to get going so you try to start your four stroke while it’s still in gear in an effort to save time, instead of worrying about finding neutral like you know you should. Finally you give up and click the gear lever a few times rolling the bike to make sure you’ve got it and then kick it over again, even pulling in the hot start lever this time.

Left behind

Now the problem you have is that the rest of the pack has been speeding away the whole time you’ve been trying to get moving. The biggest problem you have is the feeling of failure, there is a huge gap between you and first place and if your in a relatively short moto the tension and disappointment builds quickly.

Choices

So what do you do? Give up, take it easy and save your strength for the next moto or dig deep and chase them down? Ask yourself this question. If you were watching someone in the same situation what would you expect them to do?

A helping hand

Imagine you have seen the guy stall or crash in the first corner and you’ve run over to help, only he’s handed over the bike to you because he thinks its all to hard to catch up. You’ve got nothing to loose so you decide to go for it! Now if you look at it as if someone else caused the problem and your trying to salvage as many points as possible you will most likely have a much better outlook on the race and restored confidence.

Pride and glory

So now the race is over and you gave it everything you had. You chased down a bunch of riders and maybe even got them all. It’s a great feeling to know you can come from behind and still put on a good show.

In the end

It’s times like these that make us better riders. You may have picked up some new lines or more speed because you rode more aggressively. That feeling will stay with you in the future. It’s important not to give up, always ride to your ability and try just that little bit harder sometimes..

“It’s been crazy. I’m so pumped to have done it,” said Renner after his jumps. “What a killer vibe! All these people coming out to see me and they were psyched. I could hear the crowd cheering.”

Guinness World Records certified Renner’s highest jump, which was officially measured from the top of the 22-foot-tall quarterpipe, as 41 feet 5 inches from the top of the ramp (63 feet 5 inches high, total).

“I was super excited to come but didn’t really know what to expect,” said Lindsey Marlow, a fan. “I’ve seen a lot of motocross events, but Ronnie’s jump was amazing!”

Renner set his initial world record in 2008 at the Santa Monica Pier when he jumped 59?2? above the ground. After that jump, he knew he could go higher amd he did. When asked what he planned to do next, Renner stated, “Between myself and Red Bull, we’re bound to come up with something crazy.”

• A “bridged-box bottom piston” which is nine grams lighter and has more power in the high and over rev rpm ranges.
• A wedge-shaped crank web acts as a counterbalance to sooth engine vibrations. Kawasaki says it offsets 60% of the crankshaft’s reciprocating weight.

Changes to the 450 include

• Revised cam timing and ECU settings which Kawasaki says will improve mid to high rev performance while a reinforced cylinder sleeve and right side crankcase offers more durability.
• A new stainless steel exhaust pipe that is 40mm shorter than the 2009 titanium pipe.
• Updated chassis with a new lower-rigidity steering stem shaft and revised suspension tuning that promises added comfort and cushioning when landing jumps.
• The D-shaped aluminum swingarm has been revised with narrower ribs and thinner walls.
• The Uni-Trak rear suspension linkage has also been revised to provide a long rear suspension stroke and to make precise tuning easier.

The KX250F also received several updates, but it didn’t get fuel injection. The KX450F received fuel injection in 2009 but its smaller sibling will have to wait until at least next year to switch from carburetors.

A longer head pipe with a shorter mid-section. The suspension and chassis changes are similar to the KX450F, except with Showa parts.

Schubring who won the best flip nomination in the last Crusty Tour, will join action packed live shows showcasing freestyle motocross mixed in with pyrotechnics, freaks and of course, the Crusty babes.

Schubring currently riding a KTM 250 SX, will join Australia’s top freestyle riders in this year’s Tour, alongside international talent which includes Nate Adams and Seth Enslow.

Matt Schubring said, “I’m looking forward to giving fans the best show possible. I’m only participating in the first three weekends of the tour, and my signature trick will be the backflip ruler. Crusty is always awesome fun because the freestyle motocross community is really tight, and we all pull together to put on the best show possible for the fans.”

2. Skipping is a great form of exercise. Not only will it increase your stamina, reflexes and stability it will also help prevent arm pump. Make sure you don’t cheat and jump on one foot, use both and penalise yourself if you miss a jump, adding more to the number you intended to do.

3. Mix up your exercise routine. Don’t just do running, go for a bike ride or swimming, or try another sport like surfing. If you put in 100% effort you’ll get a great work out and you’ll have fun doing it to. If you do go runnung make sure you have decent footwear so you don’t do unecessary damage to your knees and ankles.

4. When you are on the track and your tired and see someone just ahead of you, push yourself to catch up to them. Your heart rate will go through the roof. If you want to prepare yourself for the challenge practice spirints as part of your exercise routine whilst running or cycling.

5. Don’t try and build up big muscles. You need lean muscles which aid in stamina not brute strength.

6. Make sure you stretch before and after a riding so you are flexible and relaxed. The will reduce the amount of soreness you will get from riding hard.