The KLX for some of us larger guys, with the suspension not set up right can catch us off guard sometimes. I have been too far past the center of the bar on many occasions. In fact just being in 1st or second and letting off the gas too fast in the wrong position can send you looking right at the front headlight if your not careful. You need to learn to stand and keep your weight back. But ultimately these guys are right, they have been telling me for 3 years to get bigger springs in the front, and I think its gonna have to take me going over the front to knock some sense in me. Oh and money too.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and offer some different advice from my own experiences of riding w/ much faster riders. 1st, good sharp dirt nobbies are a must, once a tire looses it's sharp edge, you loose a LOT of traction, that's why the pro's only use tires once. 2nd, trying to ride above your head or above the bikes abilities will usually slow you down b/c you'll be more tense and you'll crash more. Riding at a consistant pace is usually faster overall than restarting after crashing several times. When I'm thrashing through the woods as fast as I can, my faster buddies will have to wait for me for probably a minute or 2, but if I push it to much and crash, they will be waiting several minutes longer. If you keep pushing and crashing, you'll eventually get hurt and won't be riding for a while. Remember why you ride. To have fun. If your constantly worried about keeping up and your getting mad about crashing, your not having fun. Go at your own pace and enjoy the ride. I'm sure your Dad and his buddys would much rather wait for a minute than to have to haul your broken bike or body out of the woods, that always ruins the day. Speed will come, but it can take years, don't rush it.

 

Cliffsta,

Like so many others have said it just takes time...I have had my bike for three years now and i am way better than the first time I took it out! But I am still learning also...If you are always worried about not going fast enough than its not fun anymore!!! Untill a few weeks ago I was the only dual sport rider in my group of friends that I ride with...the rest of them have four wheelers...Try keeping up with them when they can just drift around a corner like its not even there. Yes I push myself to keep up with them all the time but I don't stress about...we have a saying among us...YOU CAN ONLY GO AS FAST AS THE SLOWEST PERSON...If someone is the first down the trail and has to wait...then the slowest guy got more riding time in than he did!!! Just relax and have fun dude you will learn as you go!!!

 

Where's that video of the guy on the DR650 thrashing a dude on a MX bike on a track?

It's all technique and rider skill.

 

Video? I would love to see that video as I have a dr650 that I take in some ruff stuff sometimes. Sometimes I make it and sometimes I don't. That is a heavy bike off road.

 

I saw video of a guy on a Honda dualsport racing a guy on the CR450, honking the horn as he passed guys up... that was hilarious.

 

That's the one I'm thinking of...

 

Well I rotated the bars back a bit this afternoon and then adjusted the handguards and controls to match... it definately helped out, just from riding around the yard I feel more upright / back on the bike... I'll be curious to see how it does on the trails on Saturday.

 

Yeah you have to play with your adjustments, everybody is differant. I'm an ex trials rider so standing on a bike is natural, I have to watch around town because I always want to stand up. I dont think its technically against the law but it will attract the attention of the boys in blue. When I first got my KLX it felt weird to me it was like you were on the bike not in it, if you get my drift. But that was because my last bush bike was a 1977 175 Can-Am Qualifier. So play with your adjustments get decent tires on it, once you have lost confidence in something your mind is always thinking your going to wipe out and you will. And try and get a better set of footpegs on it those stock ones are like standing on razor blades after a while.

 

Get some books and/or a few videos from some professionals and learn proper technique. Don't worry about going fast, that's not the point. Learn to become "better" and use proper technique. If you do that, the speed will come naturally, and you will be safe doing it. If you push yourself to go much faster than you actually can, you're just going to eat it, and you're not going to learn anything in the process, instead you'll be riding wildly and out of control, you'll be all out of shape and if you ride like that all the time thinking you're "pushing your limits" and thus improving, you're really just reinforcing bad habits and may get yourself hurt in the process.

Here's a great place to start:

http://www.gsmxs.com/

If you're just going to buy 1 video, I recommend this one, "2 Day School" at $40:

http://www.gsmxs.com/catalog/catalog...=2915&PI=25685

The focus is on the basics, which are so important - body position, braking, turning, transitions, etc. And several repetitive drills to help practice them and commit to muscle memory. Better to learn the right way and reinforce good habits than to try and reinvent the wheel and learn by trial and error and maybe never get it right. Once you can do the proper techniques correctly and without thinking about it, you'll naturally be able to go faster and be comfortable doing it. It won't even seem like you're going that fast to you, you'll just be "riding." But soon you'll be hanging right with your faster friends and it will just feel natural to you.

It really wasn't until I learned some of this stuff that I was actually able to set my bike up properly for me. You'll know it's not right if you feel like a contortionist trying to get into proper position for a turn, etc. When it feels comfortable and natural, you'll know you got it right. But you won't know that until you know what the proper technique is in the first place.

So, for only $40, it's cheaper than any mod you can do to your bike and it will make you go faster than a $500 big bore, I guarantee it.