TEACHING MOTOKIDS: MR KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All,

I have two young sons, and we’re in the early stages of riding dirt bikes. My boys love watching SX and MX, and in their minds, I’m sure they believe they are Hunter and Jett. I want to teach them proper skills and fundamentals, and I was thinking riding off-road first would be the best way to do this. If they can learn to handle sand, hardpack and rocks, as well as technical uphill and downhills, then the MX track will come much easier. What are your thoughts?

Bill Bledsoe

via [email protected]

Well, Billy boy, you’ll have some crazed Little League minidads claiming that you’re daft, but the reality is that, for the majority, you have hit the proverbial finishing nail with a sledgehammer. Riding a dirt bike is problem-solving, and what better lesson than embracing off-road? There’s far less pressure, and you and your brood can let the passion for the sport blossom. When your fenced monkeys get comfortable with all the evolving obstacles of off-road and really learn how their motorcycles behave, then mastering double jumps will be much easier to tame.

SAGGY AND CONFUSED

Dear Mr. Know-It-All,

Everyone preaches the importance of suspension setup, but the amount of advice for dialing in the rear shock is flat confusing. What’s more important: free sag or dialed-in rider sag? What’s the difference, and why is it so critical?

Jimmy Trifiro

via [email protected]

Great query, Mr. Trifiro. I forwarded this to Dick Wilk from Dicks Racing, a friend and an incredible suspension specialist. Here’s his sage advice:

“Static sag is the most important and should be set first (25–35mm). After that, you can check rider sag, but this is really more of a test to see if you’re using the correct spring. If the sag with the rider aboard is between 100–110mm, then you’re good to go. If the machine sags less than 100mm, your rear spring is too stiff; if the droop is more than 110mm, your spring is too soft.

Let’s say you weigh 220 pounds plus gear (15 pounds), and you set the rider sag on your new bike to 105mm, because that’s what ‘they’ say it should be. At that point, there is an entire culture of people who think it’s good to go. The problem is that your machine’s static sag will be near 0, meaning there is too much preload on the spring. The issue here is that with a 235-pound rider, the machine requires a stiffer rear coil. Knowing the static sag first will show you whether the rear spring is proper for the pilot’s size once you follow up with a ‘rider sag’ measurement.

Here’s how you measure static sag: With the bike on a stand, make a mark on the side of the rear fender straight up from the axle. Measure from axle to the mark. Take that same measurement with the bike off the stand sitting on its own weight. The difference should be 25–35mm depending on the bike and what characteristics you’re looking for—25mm for better turning, 35mm for more stability.”

WEEPING SILVERWARE

Dear Mr. Know-It-All,

While my machine was simply sitting in the garage minding its own business, the forks decided to start leaking. It ruined my weekend when I couldn’t go to the track. I’ve heard of quick hacks that can fix this; can you clue me in?

“Larry the Leaker”

via [email protected]

Well, Mr. Leaker, there is usually a stimulant to an inanimate object that simply starts vomiting its blood. The lower fork tube is directly in the path of roost (from machines you are chasing) and your own front tire’s roost (that gets flipped forward from the front wheel as it rotates). The best quick fix is the Seal Mate (available at www.motionpro.com). Pop off the seal cover, insert the Seal Mate under the fork seal, and with contact cleaner (or any suitable pressurized lubricant), blast the gap between the seal and the lower tube. Rotate and shoot the aerosol a full 360 degrees. Then, clean the fork tube, refit the seal cover, and there’s a decent chance that it was a rogue chunk of dirt or sand that ignited the leakage. One other bit of advice here: get some lower fork guards that wrap around the back of the fork tube. Front-tire roost can easily ding the fork tube and start the fork-seal floodgates. The boys at N2Dirt offer an excellent product in the ProTech fork guard (www.n2dirt.com).

email: [email protected] | mail: Dirt Bike Mr. Know-It-All 25233 Anza Dr. Valencia, CA 91355