Bike riding is fun and exciting but it takes few weeks even months to gain complete mastery. Every bike rider will tell you some embarrassing stories about his initial days. As a beginner, you will fall over, crash and even hit a tree but that should not deter you from trying. Don’t ever assume that you will be blazing away on a highway into the sunset on your first few rides. Learning dirt bike riding is tough and first-time riders often add insult to injury by making some common mistakes. You must remember your first bicycle ride and how many times you fell over. Let me tell you that dirt bike riding is a lot tougher than a bicycle. It is heavier and faster. Your parents must have guided you while riding a bicycle based on their experience. Similarly, we are sharing with you five common mistakes that dirt bike beginners make and how to avoid them.
Not wearing a helmet:
In you’re over-enthusiasm and showing off you often ignore a helmet. Bike riding through safe initially you will crash, stall. A helmet will save you from serious head injuries which may even be life-threatening You may try out dangerous moves and jumps with your friends but unless you have good control over your bike they should be avoided. You don’t want to spend weeks in the bed after getting severely injured. Besides riding without a helmet is illegal and you surely don’t want to do anything to attract the unwarranted attention of the law.
Not Maintaining Clear Vision:
It is very important for you to keep looking ahead. As a beginner, you may tend to look down in front of you but it is completely wrong. Looking down doesn’t allow you to know what’s ahead. You may fix your eyes on an object on the ground to avoid it but by looking down you will eventually run into it. By looking ahead you will be able to adjust your throttle and brake controls. It is easy for a beginner to look down and get distracted but with practice, you will gradually learn to look ahead as bike riding requires you to always anticipate what is coming in front of you.
Incorrect body balance:
It is the most important skill which will help you to learn bike riding quickly. Of course, if you have been on bicycles then getting your balance right will be much easier since in some ways riding the two is similar but motorcycles are faster, heavier and bigger. Beginners tend to sit but you should always stand to balance your bike. Controlling it becomes much easier as you stand and drive it. You hand over some control to the dirt bike while standing.
Incorrect Throttle and clutch control:
First-time riders often make the big mistake of thinking that they have mastered throttle and clutch control when they haven’t. Knowing how far to roll up the throttle and when to release it requires extensive practice as it is all about timing. It takes months of practice to figure out the clutch control. Any mistake there will cause your dirt bike to crash and leave you injured. You must practice your technique meticulously till you are perfect. At different speed levels of the throttle, you should practice until you are comfortable. Then again try at different clutch levels and finally play around with both. Use a Rekluse clutch kit specially designed for the beginners. It will eliminate the need to juggle between the throttle and the clutch but to get the controls right you will have to practice assiduously and come back the next day to repeat.
Inattentiveness:
To a layman, it may appear that bike riding is all about brawn but let me tell you it is also about your brain. You need strength training but memory is equally important. When facing obstacles you have to be on your feet and agile. Use your memory to remember the tracks and even if you are slower you can beat the fastest rider who believes he can win just by speeding. Even a beginner tends to get a bit lazy and that causes mistakes. While on your bike you always need to be alert as any mistake will lead to an accident which will eventually make you spend several weeks off the bike.
Bike riding is enjoyable but as a beginner, you must first overcome fear. A 300 pounder bike and the ability to rip through the whoops is luring as long as you ride safely. Learning from the mistakes of those who have been there is important and will help you to prevent injuries and crashes during the training phase.
