How To

Off Camber Dirt Bike Riding Technique - Dirt Rider Magazine

February 24, 2009

Off-cambers are tricky enough, but add an ascending slope to the equation and it's easy to get messed up and in a situation in which you are going nowhere fast. Nathan Woods shows us how to avoid getting into trouble by following a few simple rules when tackling obstacles like this.

In setting up for a hill, the most important thing is to look ahead. From the bottom of the uphill, pick a point at the top to look at and position your body for the climb. This hill doesn't have much of a run, so steady throttle control, to avoid breaking loose the rear tire, is extremely important.

Weight the downhill side of the bike heavily and stay seated to keep the center of gravity low and help maintain traction. (Notice that Woods is sitting with all of his weight on the downhill side of the seat and his uphill leg is not on the peg).

To minimize the chance of the rear wheel spinning or sliding off the trail, keep the front end light and place it just to the uphill side of the main line. This keeps the rear wheel hooking up and out of the sluff on the downhill side of the trail.

The most critical part of attacking this uphill is in the setup and keeping the rear wheel tracking; without focusing your sight on the top of the hill and careful throttle and body positioning, you will end up with your rear end dangling off the trail and having to lift your bike back up, which wastes a lot of time and energy.