Riding in the mud with dirt bikes is undoubtedly a very challenging thing that requires a lot of experience and different abilities. If you cannot properly ride in the mud, don’t risk yourself because riding in the mud is not easy and it is a thing that requires lots of abilities and skills, and that is why I made this guide, to show you step by step all the things you should know and do before you start riding your dirt bike in the mud.
Here are all the things I will show you in this guide.
| Is riding a dirt bike in the mud for me? |
| How to prepare your dirt bike for mud riding? |
| Basic tips for riding a dirt bike in the mud. |
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Is riding a dirt bike in the mud for me?
Before you start reading this guide and start learning all the tips about mud riding, you have to understand if mud riding is for you. Mud riding cannot suit everyone and you should have a good enough level of experience because it can be very dangerous for beginners to start trying to ride in the mud, and therefore, mud riding is only intended for medium or advanced riders.
You also have to understand that mud riding is much more difficult than just regular riding, it will require you to be much more alert, with skills and abilities, and a lot of physical balance. That way, if you don’t have all these capabilities, Mud riding can even be very risky for you, so it’s important that you know your level.
How to prepare your dirt bike for mud riding?
Before you start riding with your dirt bike in the mud, or in general, on hard surfaces in winter, you will have to prepare your dirt bike for mud riding which is a very necessary thing because if you do not prepare your dirt bike for mud riding, you can even ruin the bike and its parts without you intending to do so.
So, to prepare your dirt bike for mud ride, it is very simple and can take less than an hour. Below are all the things you have to do and change in your bike to make it perfect for mud riding:
- Check Your Wheels and Tires- The first and most important thing you need to do is to make sure your wheels and tires work well and have enough air inside them. If you are not sure if your wheels will be able to withstand mud, I would recommend replacing them to more durable ones that are designed for winter riding.
- Heat the Dirt Bike – The engine’s heating is something you should do in general so as not to damage its life, but with that, heating the engine before riding in the mud and winter is more than twice as important for the gas to run smoothly and to avoid unstable fuel in the bike’s parts. So, make sure you start the bike for at least 2 minutes.
- Change the oil and the oil filter – It’s super important to change the oil and the oil filter in winter. To do this, I recommend you go and read the guide I wrote to show you in detail how to change the oil in your dirt bike (Click here to view)
- Wash your bike – Washing your dirt bike is super important when riding in mud to avoid rusting, so you have to invest a lot in cleaning your bike. I even recommend that you oil your bike and even smear mudguards so that the mud does not stick to the bike parts. If you want to know about how to clean your dirt bike without doing any damage to it, it is very important that you read this guide I wrote on how to clean your bike (click here to view)
- Turn off the fuel tank – Shutting off the fuel tank is very important before riding in the mud. You can turn off the fuel tank with the switch that is located on the left of the bike. Turning off the fuel tank will prevent leaking or fading of gas while riding in the mud.
Basic tips for riding dirt bikes in the mud
When braking, focus most on your focus and rear brake
Lots of riders think when riding in the mud, they can just brake as precisely as they always do without slipping and damage. You have to understand that while riding in the mud especially in mud slips, you have to brake super slow and gradually and put most of the focus on the back brake and not the front because you have a much lower chance of falling off the dirt bike by putting more focus on the back brake, and I would even recommend that you put your feet on the ground for more stability when braking.
Stand on your dirt bike
The tip that will give you the most ease and stability when riding in mud is to simply stand on your dirt bike instead of sitting because standing on your dirt bike lowers the load you put on the dirt bike’s center of gravity. In general, standing on the dirt bike will not only give you more ease but also makes you more stable and confident when riding and even giving you a wider range of vision which will allow you to plan the route, braking points and obstacles you have along the way in a much better way.
Tips for correct and effective standing on dirt bikes
- 80% standing, 20% rest- Sometimes, standing for a long time on the dirt bike pegs can be tiring, so it’s important to give you occasional break because if you decided not to give your leg and muscles break, they will get tired and will make riding less effective, so the 80/20 technique will be perfect for you.
- Get elbows when standing – Getting your elbows will give you a lot of stability, comfort, and freedom when riding and will help you gain more control over the bike when riding in mud because your abdominal muscles work more powerfully here compared to when sitting that you are very unstable and will experience much more irritating tremors.
- Far-sighted look – It’s very important that you look far away while riding in the mud and not at the nearest track because you’ll have a lot of different failures if you are looking at the nearest track and at all times, you are much more likely to make an accident and slip off the bike.
- Stand on the balls of the feet and not on the heels to have much stability.
Lean back more than forward
When riding in the mud, you must put most of your bodyweight back and not forth, because this way, you prevent the front wheel from digging and getting stuck in the mud. When I say lean back while riding, it also means that you need to lean back while riding in a standing position too, so be careful to sit back and try as much as possible. It is better not to lean on the wheel.
However, if you accidentally got stuck in the deep mud with the front wheel, leaning forward and pushing the dirt bike forward is a necessity to extract the wheel from the mud while not digging more mud because the more you stuck the wheel in the mud, the tougher it becomes.
Remember to be calm and relieved
Lots of riders think that they need to be very stiff and be most stable while riding in mud or even sand, but with this, it is really wrong to be rigid because you have loads of obstacles, tremors, and vibrations during riding, so it is important that you release when riding and be ready for all failure. Although I said it is important to stand while riding, it still does not mean that you are supposed to be stiff, so it is important that you are free, and you will see that it is more easy for you to ride in mud and you will also enjoy more.
Keep it safe
The most important thing you need to keep in mind is, of course, your safety. If you are careful about your safety while riding on a normal or light surface with your dirt bike, be sure to keep twice your safety while riding in mud or even sand where you have a lot more chances of crashing. So, you must adhere to all of the following safety rules.
- Do not take feet when riding – If you ask me about putting feet on the ground when riding on a regular surface, I would tell you it is even better and will help you to be more stable, but when it comes to riding in mud, you should not take your feet outside when riding especially where you ride quickly because you have a chance to poke your legs in the hole of the deep mud which can cause a very serious damage to your leg up to a dislocation or even fracture, so it is very important that you keep your feet on the pegs and not throw them out and also wear durable dirt bike boots to protect your legs (I strongly encourage you to look at My boots sales page to show you the best boots for mud riding).
- Don’t try to go through every possible mudhole – As long as you don’t have an amazing dirt bike with crazy wheels that can pass through mud, don’t try to go through every possible mudhole because it can be very dangerous and as long as you have a certain fear that you won’t be able to go through the surface of the deep mud, it is best not to risk yourself and give up.
- Do not make sharp turns – It is super dangerous to make sharp inquiries with your dirt bike, not to mention that this dangerous rule is as twice as dangerous when riding in the mud because the mud is very slippery and will increase your chance of falling off the dirt bike when turning. So, it is very important that you make a turn at a slow and safe speed.
- Slow speed - When riding in the mud, it doesn’t matter what happens, but you shouldn’t ride at a very fast speed so as not to endanger your safety much more. So, it’s important that you ride at average speeds and, most importantly, don’t accelerate at very high speeds.
- Safety equipment – This might be a very obvious tip, but with that, I just have to point it out. It is important to wear safety gear suitable for riding in mud — boots, helmet, riding suit, long pants, and a long shirt.
Know how to be balanced when riding in the mud
The most important technique you will need to make sure you know how to do perfectly is to know how to be balanced while riding, which is supercritical when riding in mud for not only having easier and fun riding but also for your safety.
So, here are some tips to help you be more stable when riding in mud
- Sit back – I am saying this again because it is super important to lean back while riding in mud so as not to have much weight on the front wheel to avoid being stick to the ground. Choose that you wish it could move freely.
- Choose the right gear – Between lifting and descending, it is very important that you choose the right gear that fits for the type of terrain you ride. Although you cannot know for sure the right gear to use, it is important to rely on your gut feelings.
- Ride in the right speed – When it comes to speeding that will surprise you, but has a very significant factor for your stability when riding because the more rotating your wheels, the more stability you have, but with this, if you assemble at a slow speed, it is very easy to fall and too fast speed, it is very easy for you to lose control, so the best speed is average speed so that you can be steady throughout the ride.
- Feet on the ground – Well, as I have said earlier, do not lower your feet while riding in the mud, but every time you feel you are losing balance and control of dirt bikes, it is great and could even save you putting one foot on the ground to balance, but it is very important to make sure there are no dangerous mud holes that can damage your leg. So, remember that putting a foot on the floor should only happen in an emergency that you really feel you are losing control of because it is not the safest thing anyway.
- Be strong with your arms and legs – When riding in mud, you have to hold the bike firmly and steadily and be firm enough with your feet because you are going to experience a lot of tremors along the way, so you have to be strong enough for your whole body and it is not meant to be all stresses but to be more alert and ready for any blockage.
Need dirt bike safety gear? Click here to buy safety gear for dirt bike riding on amazon , or go check my sales pages of recommended safety gear page click here to view.
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