Standing over obstacles

[phanomenal07]

So people say stand up when you go over obstacles but am I suppose to have only weight on the footpegs and no weight on the handle bars or is the weight suppose to be evenly distributed over the pegs and the handle bars? 

[rider]

If it's just something small like a 2x4 or rough train tracks, I just kind of raise up in a crouch to get my butt off of the seat.  I don't put any weight on the bars, I may goose thr throttle and pull on them a little to lighten the front end.

If is something big like a ladder or a curb, I'll stand up more and grip the bike with my knees, again keeping the front end light.

Kind of like doing a non-agressive mini-wheelie.

Don't weight your bars - you want a light front end to get your front tire over it, not a heavy one to plow into it (been there, done that), your rear tire will follow it.

You can take a piece of 2x4 maybe a foot or so long and practice in a parking lot.  That's what they do in the MSF course.  They teach to get your butt off of the seat a bit then lean back, pulling back on the bars slightly and goose the throttle a little just as you are about to hit the obstacle with your front tire.

[bornagainbiker]

For obstacles like a strip of pavement that has been removed and replaced with loose gravel--maybe a pot hole or ten thrown in for good measure--a low crouch with a slight throttle on attitude works well.  Try to hit such obstacles with the bike as close to vertical as possible and use your legs as suspension supplements, keeping that slight throttle on to take advantage of all available front fork travel.

[rider]

A VERY important point I forgot to add:  As always, keep your eyes up - identify the obstacle, then look down the road.  You can still see the obstacle in your peripheral vision and react to it without looking directly at it.

This is the hardest part for most people as you instinctively want to keep your eyes on the threat.

[r1limited]

As mentioned the last thing to do is fixate on that obstacle, ya hard to do your, but it is simply about learning and technique.  Weight on the pegs and lighten the front, be like spaghetti with your body, it is a matter of keeping the straightest line over that obstacle, keeping weight behind bike center you do not need to be fully standing, you need to get the weight off that front end.  A very steady throttle hand ensures you will not load the front, will keep weight transfer to the rear.  You want to really learn this, find a MSF Dirt corse

[crsnhppr]

Ride the bike like a horse and get loose and let the bike work. It wants to be stable and straight up. Sometimes the less you do the better. 

[rider]

14 minutes ago, crsnhppr said:

Ride the bike like a horse and get loose and let the bike work. It wants to be stable and straight up. Sometimes the less you do the better. 

 

[faffi]

If you have to run over a 2x4 you either were dozing or not keeping enough distance to the vehicle in front. Not having enough distance seems to be the norm on many American highways, though, as the traffic is dense and any gap will be immediately taken. 

 

For me personally, it is mostly speed bumps and broken tarmac and such that cannot be avoided I need to adhere to, and standing up lightens the shock for both me and the bike.

[phanomenal07]

I ask because a couple days ago there were a bunch of random rocks on the road and I couldn't avoid all of them. I didn't stand up but I did keep a constant throttle and my eyes forward

[bornagainbiker]

59 minutes ago, phanomenal07 said:

I ask because a couple days ago there were a bunch of random rocks on the road and I couldn't avoid all of them. I didn't stand up but I did keep a constant throttle and my eyes forward

How big were the rocks?

[phanomenal07]

From like pebbles to about the size of a baseball?

[tavisb]

This bike wheelies so easy, you can ride it like a dirtbike. Get up on the pegs and get the front wheel off the ground :). For loose rocks, you shouldn't have to do anything except make sure you are going straight and try not to tense up. If it's a long section of loose rock, go ahead and get on the pegs and get your butt back and the weight off the front and give her some throttle. 

[bornagainbiker]

1 hour ago, phanomenal07 said:

From like pebbles to about the size of a baseball?

If you got through a mess like that without mishap, you're doing all right. 

[phanomenal07]

39 minutes ago, bornagainbiker said:

If you got through a mess like that without mishap, you're doing all right. 

Yeah it was pretty weird. It almost looked like a pick up truck full rocks drove down the street with the tailgate open.

[bornagainbiker]

10 minutes ago, phanomenal07 said:

Yeah it was pretty weird. It almost looked like a pick up truck full rocks drove down the street with the tailgate open.

Just one of the many reasons why super aggressive MotoGP style riding is not recommended on public roads.  

[bornagainbiker]

4 hours ago, phanomenal07 said:

I ask because a couple days ago there were a bunch of random rocks on the road and I couldn't avoid all of them. I didn't stand up but I did keep a constant throttle and my eyes forward

You did the right thing by staying in the saddle in this instance, as hitting rocks and/or gravel can cause the bike to suddenly kick to the side.  From a seated position it's much easier to get a foot down and save yourself from a slide--well done. 

[Beemer]

Depends on the obstacles you're going to hit. Hitting big rocks, (baseball size) one after another has the tendency to make your handlebars jerk left and right suddenly so you don't want to allow the bars to turn all the way in one direction and lock up so you want to keep your butt planted. You should keep a little tension in your arms to prevent that from happening and don't keep too loose a grip either. The shocks are going to do their job as far as absorbing the impact when you hit each rock but you want to keep your butt planted so that you can brace against the forks/handlebars jerking left and right and be ready to throw a foot down to keep the bike from going down. 

If you're going over a single large object that isn't going to kick your tires to the side then stand up some, stay loose, butt back, legs slightly bent and let the shocks do their job. I'm not telling you to do this, it takes more skill but it's something to aspire to, maybe. I always do the aforementioned above but I also let off the throttle and immediately crack it back open and a quick pull back on the handlebars just a fraction of a second before the point of impact to make the front end even lighter when I go over something. Sometimes I get lucky if I'm going slow enough and can do a standing wheelie over it. Less jarring when your front tire doesn't make contact with the obstacle and one of the few times looking cool actually helps out. Yeah, it's one of those terrible dirt techniques but it's safe to do on the road. (if you know what you're doing and know how to do it right) 

[phanomenal07]

23 minutes ago, Beemer said:

Depends on the obstacles you're going to hit. Hitting big rocks, (baseball size) one after another has the tendency to make your handlebars jerk left and right suddenly so you don't want to allow the bars to turn all the way in one direction and lock up so you want to keep your butt planted. You should keep a little tension in your arms to prevent that from happening and don't keep too loose a grip either. The shocks are going to do their job as far as absorbing the impact when you hit each rock but you want to keep your butt planted so that you can brace against the forks/handlebars jerking left and right and be ready to throw a foot down to keep the bike from going down. 

If you're going over a single large object that isn't going to kick your tires to the side then stand up some, stay loose, butt back, legs slightly bent and let the shocks do their job. I'm not telling you to do this, it takes more skill but it's something to aspire to, maybe. I always do the aforementioned above but I also let off the throttle and immediately crack it back open and a quick pull back on the handlebars just a fraction of a second before the point of impact to make the front end even lighter when I go over something. Sometimes I get lucky if I'm going slow enough and can do a standing wheelie over it. Less jarring when your front tire doesn't make contact with the obstacle and one of the few times looking cool actually helps out. Yeah, it's one of those terrible dirt techniques but it's safe to do on the road. (if you know what you're doing and know how to do it right) 

A little to advance for me at the moment lol

[bornagainbiker]

13 hours ago, rider said:

 

And she's doing this while riding side-saddle no less. 

[r1limited]

Always Close your eyes and WHEELY FOR SAFETY

[tavisb]

Spend some time on a dirtbike and you won't even sweat stuff like this.

[gregjet]

You weight should be on the footpegs and the bars most of the time NOT your arse.  This keeps the reaction points of your weight near the steering axis ( hands) and down near the pendulum axis ( feet) to give you the greatest control. Unless you are a pole dancer, trying to control anything with your butt isn't not going to work real well.

When you go over a lump you unweight your hands so the transient doesn't jar you and your body ( you do have your arms bent, don't you...). You need to get you rear OFF the seat by at least the height of the lump and let the bike ride up and over while maintaining you centre of gravity at a constant level. ie bend you legs then straighten them as the bike ride up then down. IF you stay seated you get chucked upward, your unweighted feet will come off the pegs  and loose control to at least some extent, as you have no way of rising and pushing back down. As stated, if you ride a dirt bike ( or mountain bike), it will be second nature. If you don't ...well they are your kidneys...