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3/26/2019
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Beverly Hills, CA, USA
Out west we've had no rain for a little while now and the tracks im riding are like concrete and super dry and slick. Ive been trying to work in bike control and specifically cornering but im struggling with traction and already washed the front end once and had some other close calls. Is there a way to ride these conditions faster or is it better to just accept that traction sucks and to slow down?
lower tire pressure, higher gear for less wheel spin, smoother throttle on
What are you using for tires?
Sounds like my local track. Concrete hard but has a powdered silt on top. Some corners r hard balls of clay everywhere. I hate that the front wheel kicks off of them. I like to shift on the bubble in the mid range. But I think upper mid into the flatter top end is smoother. I run less sag to get some weight on the front wheel. I put old beater tires on, 2 laps will ruin a tire here. It’s similar to riding on ice Great for bike control & perfecting body position. I only do 4-5 laps because it’s intense sliding everywhere. But a lot of fun. You can try brake sliding the rear end into a corner down shift then screem
out of the corner & try To keep a flow flat sweepers stand & ride the rear brake to get the front to bite. Or just slide both wheels . Sliding the rear end out of a corner get her straight on the up hill ramp still spinning to hit a floater jump is fun. I Love the sound of the 04 cr125 hitting square holes out of a corner. I used to watch a lot of 90,s 125 gp,s. There awesome hard pack riders.
Mx33 at 14psi
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The dirt out west is just slick when it’s this dry. Soften up your compression front and rear a couple clicks to allow the bike to settle a bit more. You could also try going down to 12.5-13 psi and that will help a bit too.
Try 11-1/2 - 12
Those tires are a compromise on real hard back. The intermediate compound will only work okay at best. Hard terrain tires would be better the softer compound flexes more offering better grip.
You can lower your psi but it will probably shred the knobbies off faster. Don't expect them mx33's to last long. You should have been running 12.5 - 13 psi on them from the start.
patience
Stand up more. Those conditions can produce a lot of square edges and pot holes, plus you get two wheel drifts more often. Standing keeps your body from getting beat up on the harsh stuff and you’ll develop a better sense of balance to deal with the ice-skating sensation.
Like some other said Maybe try harder terrain tires, soften suspensions a couple clicks, ride a gear higher where the bike can allow it, be smooth your shifting and throttle, but really squeeze your bike with your boots/knees, elbows up/ good form while braking will give you more control, push on your outside peg hard in the turn (pretty much until it gets tiring to do it, you will see that it will increase your flat corner speed), bring back your inside leg on your peg asap. I will say be gentle with your brakes too! I would barely use the rear brake, just to slow down the wheel but then release it as soon as you get in the turn.
try to apply this at your regular pace, focus on your technique and when you get more comfortable the speed will come naturally
there are probably more advices but it’s a start. Maybe you could look at videos of Europeans riding really blue groove tracks and watch their technique if you’re good at analyzing.
MX53's are much more predictable for these conditions, but don't forget the importance of smooth braking and accelerating, along with proper body position and patience...
Also, an MX34 or MX53 front should help minimize those MX33 oh crap moments: "already washed the front end once and had some other close calls"! The rear is good with the right pressures, but man do those MX33 fronts scare me more often than not.
Use the traction control button! Shinko 216 cheater fat tyre on front 505 on rear, we get no rain here for months it seems.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast..
Use sweeping lines, smooth approach with throttle, brake and steering inputs and mostly keep your weight in the front center of the bike. Relax a little, you’ll find that you can ride a long time in slick conditions once you smooth out. Aggressive riding on hard pack just looks different than it does on deep dirt.
Bridgestone M33 / M34s........
This. Avoid inside/sharp turns as much as possible... find some "flow" and keep up your momentum. This is also when you "steer with the rear wheel" as has been mentioned on this site many times. Hard, slick conditions are all about throttle control and avoiding "stops".
Learn how to flat track that MFer
That will be a big part of the problem. The MX33 is a soft-intermediate terrain tire. Swap them out for some MX53's (hard pack-intermediate). Try around 12.5 psi in the front (MX53) and 10-11.5 psi in the rear. My main track is like you described, and I wouldn't even consider running anything but a hard pack tire.
Concentrate of body position in the slicker corners, get some weight on the front.
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