Start At an Early Age

If you are to excel at any kind of sport, practice and confidence come above all other qualities. So, if you are someone who is thinking of dirt bikes for kids, then the best thing to do is start them off at an early age and watch over them carefully.

These days, many dirt bike manufacturers offer suitable bike models for kids. The 47 cc bikes are much preferred, mainly because of the engines are smaller and the overall frame is lower. While looking like the real thing, they can easily take up to a weight of 10 stone.

Essentials Of Dirt Bike Racing For Kids

Mentoring: Many people wonder whether it is safe to let kids get into dirt bike racing. Kids have to be taught to treat the bike with respect. They need to have someone watch over them responsibly. In such a situation, kids can be just as safe as any adult involved in dirt biking. Proper attention must be paid to wearing the right gear. The bike must be maintained in good condition.

Track: Kids must always practice on a well-maintained track. This will not only bring down the chances of accidents, it will also vital that kids don't practice on a track where older riders are speeding around.

Costs Involved

The good part is, dirt biking is not as expensive as it used to be. While the bike itself can cost up to $350 – $400 plus another $ 400 for the necessary gear to go with the bike, a 5-liter tank of fuel on a kid's dirt bike can go for several miles before you need to refill the gas. Another cost involved is the payment for the use of the track.

Talking to experienced riders for useful tips can increase the confidence-level of beginner. It is also the right time to start learning about proper maintenance of their gears and the bike.

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Courses on Safety

Thanks to the ever-increasing number of people getting into dirt biking, these days it is even possible to enroll for courses in dirt bike safety. For a new rider who is planning to take up dirt biking, these courses would prove invaluable. For someone who is not well prepared and does not take safety seriously, dirt biking can be quite dangerous simply because not only is your own safety at stake, but you are also putting every other rider around you at risk.

Wear the Necessary Safety Accessories

Dirt bikes can be quite powerful. Imagine leaping several feet into the air and not wearing the proper kind of helmet! If you bike kicks out, you can have an accident that can be near fatal because your head will have little or no protection.

Most experienced riders advise getting the correct kind of equipment. You should make sure that you wear all the essential accessories, such as a helmet, right kind of clothes to protect your upper body, trousers clothing the legs and riding boots to guard the feet and ankles. These have to be padded at the appropriate places. Gears of inferior quality material make you run the risk of serious injury in case of an accident.

Well fitting clothes ensure safety. Loose fitting clothes tend to flap around or get caught in the wheels and the bike's engine parts or may tug at the handlebars. The helmet must sit right on your head so that it does not roll off.

Keep Your Bike in Good Condition

Other than clothing, your bike must be constantly checked to ensure that it is in good condition. All parts must be well oiled and replaced in all weather conditions. A faulty part can make the difference between life and death, especially at high speeds. Brakes, steering and suspension must be in perfect working condition. Dirt biking involves steep drops that can make you crumble on impact.

The bike must be thoroughly tested and checked every time you go out dirt biking or dirt bike racing. A test ride is absolutely mandatory to ensure comfort while riding at high speeds and sudden braking. Experienced bikers instinctively know exactly what to do in special situations.

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Confidence

The right attitude is essential when it comes to limiting the number of accidents that you can have when you are dirt bike racing. You have to be very conscious about your stance on the bike. Substantial amount of confidence is a major prerequisite. If you are low on confidence there is a good chance of crashing. It is not a question of how slow or how fast you are racing, an accident may occur even if you are riding slow when you are hit by someone going at a high speed. Generally, lack of confidence arises from lack of enough practice. As with any other sport, dirt bike racing needs a lot of practice to get used to yourself as a rider as well as the nuances of the bike.

Although significant confidence is a must, too much of it can be dangerous in dirt bike racing. Some people tend to get reckless and this can turn out to be fatal sometimes. Being overconfident can be a hazard for not only yourself, but also for other riders around you. The right thing here is to take enough care.

Know the Capabilities Of Your Bike And You

It is worthwhile to get good first hand knowledge about the essentials involved in dirt bike racing. This can make it a lot of fun and also much safer. One of the first things to do is to get familiar with your bike's capabilities as well as your own. You must also get acclimatized to the kind of racing trail or track you are going to be on, before you are actually on it.

Learn From Other Racers

High speed riding requires a lot of observation. Go out and see your fellow-riders on the track. It can be very educative in terms of what they are doing, so that you can bear that in mind. If they are going wrong, you can avoid those moves.

It is no fun being in a dirt bike accident. Both you and your bike can get damaged. While breaking records and winning races can really keep your adrenalin high and going for more, you have to be cautious enough to react in an appropriate manner on the track.

All said and done, accidents are an integral part of any sport, and dirt bike racing is no exception. But with the right amount of dedication, practice and knowledge, you can race for many years with few accidents.

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Finishing Touch

Make sure that you tighten the sprocket bolts, motor mounts, axle and pinch bolts in your dirt bike. The rim locks must be inspected and tightened. The brake lines must never have any moisture around the hydraulic fittings; if they do, the hose must be replaced. Tighten the brake reservoir cap as well. Some bikes have a part that locks the reservoir cap down and this prevents the rider's leg from loosening it.

Clutch adjustment comes next, preferably its cable. If there is plenty of adjustment in the clutch perch, you will have something to adjust during the race.

Next is the handlebar control, which must be tightened. Here it is a good idea to use hand guards because they protect the perches during a fall.

The spark plug wire must be tightened. Now is the time to check the air filter again. Before putting everything together, you can feel the backside of the air filter to see if it is seated properly or not. It may look fine from the outside and still have a big space inside it!

Readjusting the chain becomes easier with an O-ring chain because it does not have to be lubricated. This is logical as lubricants attract grime that can damage the part. Usually a coating of silicone or oil works to keep out rust.

The seat bolts must be tightened. After inspecting the steering head, the front wheel must be lifted off the ground and the handlebar moved from side to side for easy movement. You can now check on the engine oil level. The drain plug must be tight and there must be enough oil on the dipstick.

To make sure that you are not hanging on to your grips, it is better to do safety-wire. You can also ride a lot easier if you safety-wire the swing arm nut, the kick-starter, the chain guide and the pipe mount bolts.

And last, but by no means the least, do not forget to fill the gas tank. Start the bike, ride it around and go racing!

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In the same way, the brake and clutch perches should also be rotated until they are in a position that makes you comfortable. Now check and adjust the rear brake pedal and shift levers to ensure that you can operate them while standing.

The shock and fork preload must be set so that there are at least 100- 150 mm play. But do note that if you are just a beginner, do not go jumping straight for the large obstacles.

The professional racers keep their head over the triple clamps on the bike and position themselves so as to be centered over the bike for mass centralization. They hang on to the bars loosely while gripping the bike with their legs especially on a difficult track, as this will prevent arm pump. Forearm pump occurs due to strain on the muscles of your forearms. These muscles expand due to the rush of blood, causing the blood to flow erratically. The head and bodyweight is centered over the leaning bike.

Amateur riders have boots with soles that are replaceable so that the toes are protected and let the ankles act as extra shock absorbers. Experts ride on the balls of their feet.

You must anticipate the moment when you need to use your brakes and using the throttle by having your body in position in advance. Moving out of position at the wrong time means waste of precious energy in regaining your stance.

Beginners generally jump more than one or two feet off the ground. This is all right, because it is experience that gives you the confidence to rise and jump 10 feet into the air when you hit a jump. Being unsure of what you are doing can hurt you with the impact of the fall. Awareness of track changes through the day is crucial.

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Here are some tips for basic maintenance of your dirt bike:

Keep Your Bike Well Oiled

Spray light oil on those parts that can turn rusty with light oil. Greasing has to be done regularly for smooth movement. Once in a while, it is a good idea to remove all the plastic covering and get a good look under it. This helps get the bike really clean and also to check cracks in the frame, the pipe, or other parts.

Check the Electric Connections

While the electrical connections on most dirt bikes are not that complicated, ensure that the wire and connections are pulled apart and cleaned. A little dielectric grease on them makes all the difference.

Make sure that all the pins and springs in the foot pegs and mounts are in place, as they can get bent on every impact.

Air Box and Air Filter

The next main thing is cleaning the air box and air filter. Wipe the inside of the air box clean and ensure the clamps in the air boot are fine. Dirt has no place inside of an engine. In dusty races, some experts use a foam sock around the outside of the air filter, so that when it gets clogged it can be pulled off easily.

Make sure the chain guide is not bent, broken or worn. Races have been lost by simply not having paid enough attention to this.

Replace Tires And Brake Pads

Inspect the foot controls, silencer and its gaskets. It is almost mandatory to replace the bike's tires and brake pads after every race.

Check that the wheel bearings are in good shape with the all the spokes tight enough. The brake rotors must be flat and tight because they get grooved after muddy races. The axle must be well greased because if you get a flat tire during the race, you definitely don't want to struggle with a dry axle.

Watch out for oil seepage in the fork. Brake fluid can wear off, especially at the rear. Ensure the cables and throttles are lubricated. The fuel tank and fuel system must be flushed to make sure that there is no dirt at the bottom of the tank.

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Stand Up On The Bike

The sensible thing to do when you approach a dirt bike jump is to stand up on the bike with your body at an angle, gripping the bike with your legs. This ensures that the bike stays in line and does not veer off sideways if it hits a hump on the trail. This can be a very scary feeling.

The technique is to pick your line on the up ramp maintaining an even throttle, as you get closer. When you hit the up ramp, if there is a small ledge on the top lip, remember to manage the throttle so that it stops the rear wheel from kicking up as you go over it.

Maintain Appropriate Speed

A certain speed is required to clear certain types of dirt bike jumps, like, tabletops or gap jumps. So you need to make sure that your speed is up before you reach the jump so that you can avoid having to accelerate hard up the up ramp. This causes a problem if the bike impacts with a bump and makes you sail over the lip of the jump making it a very unsettling experience

Once you take off and are in the air, be aware of where to land. It is better to land with the rear wheel down first when you are landing on the flat, pulling up on the handlebars just before you land.

Let us say you are landing on a down ramp. The bike must land at the same angle as the down ramp. Suppose the front wheel is too high, lower it by pulling in the clutch and using the rear brake. While locking the rear wheel, it also lifts up the rear of the bike. If the front wheel happens to be too low, then release the clutch and rev up the motor – the force of the rear spinning wheel pulls down the rear of the bike. Make sure you pull up the handlebars simultaneously.

Getting on the throttle just before the landing will help the rear suspension to absorb the landing and you can drive away from the jump comfortably and in control. Practice at a pace that will build your confidence and you can become a master in dirt bike jumps.

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The professionals recommend keeping a checklist so that the essentials will not be missed out. Invariably, every ride is a learning experience no matter how often you ride, because you discover something new. The following is a must-have list packed in a fender bag.

The fender bag contains

* A tire patch kit and a front inner tube – this can also be used for the rear tire in an emergency.
* At least four carbon dioxide cartridges.
* One pair of tire irons.

The rear fender bag should carry the following:

* A multi tool kit
* Magnetic hex extensions, the 2 and 6-inch variety
* Multi pliers
* Vise grips – needle nose – 6-inch
* Crescent wrench 6-8 inch
* Multi wrench that should fit the axle bolts in the front and rear
* Spark plug wrench
* Two extra links of chain and two extra master links
* An old toothbrush that will help clean parts on the trail
* To remove a hot spark plug, a small piece of half inch fuel line
* Sandpaper or emery cloth to clean dirty plugs
* A few feet of hose to siphon gas off or into the tank
* Extra clutch lever for long rides
* A tow
* Some duct tape that can be wrapped around an oil can
* Some bolts and nuts of assorted sizes

An experienced rider cuts the top of two used oil bottles and fills one with all the tools. Then he stuffs some rag inside after which he slips the second bottle over the top. The idea behind this is to keep the tools from rattling inside the bag. The duct tape fixed around the oil bottles can prove useful for a lot of fixes. The bottles are useful to hold small parts, fill the radiator and transfer gas, etc.

Additional things to carry, which can be accommodated in a small backpack are, snack bars, first aid kits, iodine tablets which are used for water purification. A camera, maps, extra spark plugs, flashlight and probably a lightweight blanket also prove to be very useful on long rides.

And finally, cash!

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Choose The Appropriate Trail

Dirt bike trails can be found with various difficulty levels depending on the experience of the rider. This varies from beginner trails to tough trails. It is recommended that beginners start at the least difficult trails and ride their way forward as they build confidence, skill and exposure.

Trail Bikes

Let us look at what differentiates trail bikes from the other types of dirt bikes. Trail bikes are built for use on both on and off the road and help you to get from one trail to the other with ease. While it is gratifying that these trail bikes are comfortable both on roads and tracks, they are not unique on either one of them. But because of the freedom that trail bikes and trail racing provide, trail riding is preferred by most bikers so much so that they insist that this is what real dirt biking is.

Just like in dirt bike riding, trail biking also requires the same prerequisites like a license, tax and certificates that standard road bikes require. There are many trails that don't insist on the biker holding these. But most organized trails prefer to consider riders who are experienced. So it is worthwhile to ensure that having the necessary paperwork done before biking.

Trails are of different types all over the world. There are areas where a predefined trail need not be used. Nevertheless, it is safer to be careful when riding, as there will be obstacles just around the corner, or even pedestrians.

Several groups of people across the world actually travel around to identify the best trails to go dirt biking on. These days, there are a lot of websites to see the details of suitable trails with necessary guidelines to make your ride more exciting.

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Choose The Right Bike

Most experienced riders feel that a small dual-sport style bike is ideal for beginners. Four-strokes are considered to be good learning bikes because even though they tend to be heavy, they are easier to ride. The main advantages of four-stroke engines are they can be used on the street, which usually doubles up as practice for the rider. It is important to note the age of the rider here, as road bikes have limitations. Four-stroke bikes are easier to maintain and have lower maintenance costs. They are far more reliable than two stroke engines. Although, when it comes to racing, two-stroke bikes are better.

Used Bikes

If you are a beginner, it is better to buy a used bike. Beginners tend to crash, and it becomes less expensive and less distressing if the bike is an used one. Even though older bikes need high maintenance, they are educative for beginners because they help to learn more about the basics of the bike and trouble-shooting.

While deciding on buying a used bike, check whether the bike was maintained well or not. Try to gauge how old the bike is.

Get Some Guidance before Buying

If you do not have the confidence to inspect and decide on the dirt bike on your own, you may take a friend who is knowledgeable or even your regular mechanic. Make notes on any repairs the bike may require. This would help you to bargain on the price of the bike.

A more relevant reason to invest on a used bike rather than a new one is that if you discover that dirt biking is not really for you, it is a wasted investment in case of a new bike. That said, the heaviest and most powerful dual-purpose bike enables you to gain valuable experience.

We can summarize by saying that it is best to get yourself a bike that fits you and the one that you can afford. Many beginners prefer bikes that are light and small. If you can reach the ground flat footed while astride the bike, then chances are good that it fits you well. Initially you might end up moving over obstacles with both feet on the ground but it is definitely better to do this, than to be stylish while jumping and then end up with a crash.

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