118 |MAY 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au
HOWTORIDE/ADBGARAGE/WERECOMMEND/TECH/KIDZKORNER/USEDRIDE/
AFTER THE LAST two months’ How to
Rides you should be able to nail starts on
a two-stroke and how to rail the corners
but now you’re coming up to a jump and
you have no idea what to do. Launching a
two-stroke into space takes some guts
and a large amount of skill, which is why
NASA doesn’t use them in its rockets.
It’s certainly a feat that gets heads
turning and will earn you huge bragging
rights but there are some subtle
differences between jumping a four-
banger and a smoker. For instance the
greater weight and rotating mass
(crankshaft and fl ywheel) of a four-stroke
engine changes the way the bike is
balanced in the air, meaning the
technique needs to be slightly different.
Now pay attention.
1 GAS IT UP
The approach is important. Pick a straight
line into the jump where you can carry
plenty of momentum. You want to pick a
line that is smooth and doesn’t have any
edges or ruts in the up-ramp that can kick
you sideways or over the handlebar.
Select a gear that will carry you all the
way off the ramp without revving out. A
2T doesn’t produce as much torque as a
four-stroke does hard on the gas so if you
rev the two-stroke out too far the power
will drop off and can cause the bike to
nose dive. Avoid changing gears on the
up-ramp, missing a gear at this point has
the potential to end in tears.2 TAKE OFF
As the bike hits the up-ramp be standing
on the ’pegs, gripping the bike tightly with
your knees and ankles. Have your knees
bent, your bum pushed back and your
chin over the handlebar with your elbows
up high.
This will allow the bike to pivot
underneath you while your body stays
still. Your legs should be doing most of
the work gripping the bike, not your arms.
Keep the throttle smooth. If you chop the
throttle then the bike will nose dive. If you
grab a fi st full on the up-ramp then you
may jump nose high.3 LEVEL OUT
As the bike hits the apex allow it to level out
in the air. A four-stroke does this more
naturally as the engine revs drop whereas,
on a two-stroke, you need to shift you body
weight further forward to get this to
happen. Someone who has been riding a
four-stroke for a long period will fi nd
themselves jumping nose high on a 2T until
they get used to this and start to adjust
their body position to compensate.4 SPOT THE LANDING
Once you are in the air and have levelled
the bike out, spot your landing and focus
on it. Where you look is where you’ll go.
You want to land with both wheels
touching down at the same time with the
bike at the same angle as the down-ramp
for the smoothest possible landing. This
is where you also want to get your revs up
ready to touch down. If you land and try
to accelerate at the same time on a
two-stroke, it can bog. For this reason you
often see riders revving a two-stroke in
the air to get ready for touch down.REAR GUARD
FLY LIKE
A BIRD
NOTHING BEATS A SMOKE TRAIL ACROSS THE SKY
RACING A
TWO-STROKEPART THREE:
JUMPS