Like anything else in life, the more you practice the better you get. And just like anything in life if you go too long without you do lose the skill set you built up to that high point. Just ride within your skill level, and if it looks unsafe to ride across or into, then don't do it until you get more experience. I tend to ride close to the tank, and keep my knees tight against it. I also ride pretty stiff armed which can be good or bad. Good in case you hit a rock or rut, but bad because you can wear yourself out after a couple of hours. So I would suggest something in the middle of those two.

There are also classes that can teach you off road skills, but are not as available as the street safety courses. Again don't push yourself too hard until you feel more comfortable with how you are doing. If you were to put together a sliding scale of all the riders on this site, it would go from 1-1000, and that's ok, we will all fit in there somewhere, and improve from there.

 

Wow, Dick Burleson. Haven't heard that name in a while.....

(Go Husky...)

 

Go Husky???...What a bunch of POS bikes back in the day. If Dick had been on a better bike, he might have made something of himself. I wouldn't own one of those old Husky's if my life had depended on it.

 

When we going riding?? See, I'm doing this for YOU.

 

Keeping my head roughly over the handlebars has worked pretty well for me in the past, at least while riding in a standinf position. It seems to allow quicker reaction to unexpected events.

 

+1 on the riding position written just before me.
In corners keep most of weight (60-90%) on the outer peg, not on the seat.
Put the inner leg out almost next to OR past the front axle, depends how low you can go -
it helps to weight the front wheel more. Let the back slip how it wants in the beginning
but try not to wash out.

Most importantly - WHEN IN DOUBT, GIVE IT FULL GAS!
Together with above recommendations it is going to work allright and you get your fun

And even more importantly - WEAR GEAR!
We fall, we all did and will in the future. After all, you want to improve your riding skills -
push that damn envelope and see where the demon lives but you will fall.
WEAR YOUR GEAR

Edit: That concerns off-road only, we don't counter steer like the black carpet fellows which is a different game, full gas when in doubt will bring you nothing but trouble on asphalt.

 

This is some of the best advice ever.. I always see noob's falling in situations where giving more throttle would have pulled them through. The faster you're going, the more your wheels are gyroscoping = the more stable you are. Putting around at the bottom of first makes you fairly unstable - plus you have very little inertia to get over obstacles easily.

Another thing - keep your feet on the pegs, not on the ground. I see a lot of people as soon as they get to a rough area - it's feet down and walking over the obstacles.

Don't ever take your feet off the pegs - except to stop, or fall.. If your feet are dragging, you're doing it wrong. You're only going to break your foot - not ride better.

Also stand up. A lot of people sit on the seat and bounce through the woods. You can ride much better standing up and shifting the bike underneath you.

 

Tried riding standing on very rough roads but my problem is I'm unknowingly engaging the rear brakes and sometimes I accidentally engage the shifter. what could I her doing wrong. I know I need to practice and ride more.

 

For the shifter - remove it and rotate it CCW a bit so it's not so flat.

For the brake, a lot of people have that complaint.. Mod it so it's pointing downwards some more, or slide your foot back just a little.

 

Do you have good stiff boots that allow you to shift back on the pegs away from the levers? I got a longer shift lever, mostly for easier shifting for my size 12 feet in m/c boots, but it also helped to prevent mis-shift.

Practice...practice...practice...


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