Peering over the edge of what seems to be a sheer drop-off is either a good reminder to review your health-insurance coverage or a fun squirt of adrenaline. If you're a two-time AMA National enduro champion like Ty Davis, it's something to enjoy.
Most dirt riders don't have his credentials, though, and when it comes to a steep, straight, soft downhill such as this, bulldogging the bike down would seem to be the only reasonable course.
Read onbecause if you follow the tips Davis provides here, not only will you have the knowledge but if you put his advice into practice, soon you, too, could be amazing your riding buddies as they struggle or look for alternate ways down.
A. "You have to be really careful at the top because it's so steep you'll pick up speed," Davis warns. "I always like to keep both feet on the pegs. I [keep the bike] in gear with the motor off and the clutch in; if I start picking up speed, I can let the clutch out and that'll help hold the rear wheel [back]. In a race, I would keep the motor on as long as possible."
B. "Once I start [down, I use] a lot of rear brake and a lot of front brake," he continues. "[I put my] weight really far back and use more rear brake than front brake on something like this because it is so steep that if you use a lot of front brake, the front end's going to dive and throw your weight over the bar." You want to keep from speeding out of control or hitting the bottom too fast; this particular hill has an abrupt transition to a flat road at the bottom, plus you have to make a sharp turn, so keeping your speed in check is of paramount importance.
C. As you can see, Davis tries to keep his bike perpendicular to the surface and moves his body around during the descent, letting the bike move around underneath him.
D. "At the bottom I want to make a sharp left-hander ... so I lean into the hill, release the front brake and let the back end start sliding. When I hit the bottom, I can slide it into a 90-degree turn [with the rear brake]. If I'm going to the left [at the bottom], I'll lean to the left. If I'm going to the right, I'll lean to the right."