Sometimes, one of the most important parts of a bike’s maintenance is passed over – checking tire pressure. But it shouldn’t be; this is one of the things that can make it or break it in a race. If it’s off, it will also make you work harder to maintain control. This should be part of your pre-ride ritual. Read on for the details on how to make this as painless as possible.

What purpose do the tires have? For one thing, they’re an integral part of the suspension. If you were riding on solid rubber tires, believe me, it would be haemorrhoid time. Also, just think about how important traction is to your performance. This is the job of your tires.

Why do you check the tire pressure before the ride? Because air expands when it warms up. The tire’s pressure rating is specified for cool air. Also, keep in mind that your bike is not like your car. The mission and environment are different and so is the air pressure. For optimal performance, your front tire should hold about one PSI less than the back.

Do you need to check your pressure more than once during an event? Absolutely! As stated above, the actual pressure is dependant on the temperature of the air. Check it before each rest period or when the day gets progressively hotter or cooler. At some events, the racing will extend into the night under the big lights. The temperature can drop considerably once the sun goes down.

The type of terrain you’re riding on can affect the air pressure you need to maintain for effective riding. Remember, fine tuning to specific conditions is one of the keys to success. Following are some recommendations:

Sand or mud – 10 PSI in the rear tire and 12 in the front. These conditions get a better bite with a lower pressure, flatter geometry on the rear but the higher pressure in the front accents tracking.

Hard pack surfaces – This is a bit more equalized, only 11 PSI in the rear and 11.5 in the front. This is average supercross conditions.

Intermediate surfaces – This is the average type of condition we referenced above. A good way to go is 13 PSI in the rear tire, 12 in the front.

These guidelines are for a known MX track. That’s where you know before hand what to expect. If you go riding on trails you might encounter any number of different conditions. In this case you should go for more pressure for optimized performance. I’d suggest 14 PSI rear and 13 PSI front. This is a bit higher than for racing conditions but remember that the speed will be greatly reduced and the chance of that dreaded flat tire is much higher. So, take care of your tires and they’ll take care of you.

Article by John Melin at www.MxTrainingJournal.com

Technorati Tags: motorcycle tires, motocross tires, motocross, supercross

You may be feeling pretty proud of yourself since you’ve got your riding technique down pat. You can fly around the track like superman, through deadly turns and the muddy bogs. The embarrassing crash and burn episodes are almost non-existent. But just because your physical therapist has forgotten your name, it just means that the learning curve isn’t quite as steep as it was.

You must now delve in a bit deeper to keep putting the razor to lap times. Read on and improve your game!

Fine Tune your Body English

Body English – it’s not just for playing pool. Your riding form absolutely demands it. For instance, imagine that you’re approaching the top of a hill and preparing to go airborne. What’s your body English? Do you tend to lean back a bit? If so, wrong move! It’s very important to assume a forward position; focus on putting your weight over your bike’s handlebars.

To prepare for touchdown, every jump is configured a bit differently, of course. But there is one general concept to keep in mind here: your side to side position has a great effect on your stability when you hit the dirt. Keep your weight on the outside of both your saddle and peg. This will set you up for a major traction bite and this is what you want to get your forward momentum going. This is a prime spot to go on the attack and you need every advantage.

The Take on Brakes

One mistake that rookies tend to make as they ride up a jump is release their brakes too late. What’s wrong with this approach? Your suspension will rebound when you let up on your brakes and you don’t want this to happen at lift off. Instead, concentrate on doing your braking before you start up the hill and have almost all of it done at the halfway point. Finish off with a feathering at the crest. This takes a bit of practice to perfect because it takes so much forethought. But if you focus on it, every hill, every time, until you get it down pat. Then it will come naturally and you can put the focus on other aspects of your technique.

Dealing with Mid-Corner Jumps

Mid-corner jumps or bumps are a special challenge when it comes to keeping your momentum going. Air time will cost you plenty here and it raises the possibility of taking a spill. You can minimize air time by getting your butt off the seat right before the jump; think of how a jockey posts in the saddle. Just say no to seat bounce effect!

Article by John Melin at www.MxTrainingJournal.com

Technorati Tags: motocross, dirt bikes

If you were asked which motocross bikes were the most popular, how would you answer? You would probably reel off, “Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda, KTM, and Suzuki,” not necessarily in that order depending on your personal preference.

The reason for the popularity of these brands is directly related to the quality of the bike. And as you know, quality = high price.

One of Honda’s hottest offering is the Honda CRF450R, which is highly rated for its sheer power and the speed that it delivers. It actually is powered by a 249cc engine that keeps running cool as a cucumber since it’s liquid cooled. You can expect to expend about $6,500 for one. Too rich for your blood? Step down to the HONDA CR 250 Motocross Dirt Bike for about $3,000.

Shopping for a KTM? The KTM 200 EXC is their most popular model. It’s loaded with 200cc but the whole package weighs in at what a 125cc bike would. At $6,000 you get a lot of bang for your buck. If they happen to be sold out (which they might be), consider one of the bikes in their SX series. They’re not too different from the EXC.

Are you a Kawasaki aficionato? The most popular model has been the powerful KAWASAKI KX250. With its release in 1990, came the hefty price tag of $6,000! But if you have your heart set on a Kawa but can’t come up with these clams, why not pick up a used one for about $2,000? If the prior owner is conscientious, you should get a good deal. For a smaller calibre machine, check out the KX125.

Long time manufacturer Suzuki remains in the game as a major player. For about $3,000 you can be riding a choice bike in the $3,000 range. For example, the DR-Z125 and DR-Z125L models will kick butt with a 4-stroke engine and a 5 speed transmission.

If you’re a Yamaha fan, check out the YZ series of bikes. They have come a long way since the Enduro days of ther 1970’s! The least expensive will only run you about 3 to 7 grand. But if you want to spend a bit more, step up to the the 4-stroke, DOHC, 5-valve titanium, liquid-cooled powerhouse YZ450F for about 6,900 dollars.

Article by John Melin at www.MxTrainingJournal.com

Technorati Tags: motocross, dirt bikes

John M Software launches its unique software MX Training Journal for Motocross Racers.

John M Software is a software company that offers world class software applications for the motocross industry and motocross racers. Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, the company takes pride in being a premier provider of software applications for the Motocross industry. Apart from creating software application tools, the company is also involved in executing extensive awareness campaigns to promote Motocross as a sport.

John M Software has its future goal set to be the best in developing, implementing and maintaining motocross software tools for many years to come.

John M Software has carved a niche by offering the best and unique software application for motocross racers and thereby helping out the motocross community in the process of enhancing motocross training productivity.

By making a great success out of launching great application service for motocross racers, John M Software has earned an impressive portfolio through its innovative methods and outstanding services.

The trend of keeping a training diary has been increasing day by day and there are thousands of racers using a training diary to get maximum productivity and results. Identifying the importance of this need of motocross racers, John M Software performed its research and implemented MX Training Journal for the same.

The training journal offered by the company is only available on their website – www.MxTrainingJournal.com and cannot be found on any other website or providers. The software comprises of various modules categorised according to the sub-processes of the motocross training process as a whole.

First is the MX Training Diary which deals with your track practice and bike setup. It allows you to enter/update/remove and search all relevant info about your bike setup and track performance. The Diet diary allows you to make/save/update/remove and search a diet schedule. Diet being a very important aspect for any sportsman it is taken special care in the MX Training Journal.

In the Schedule section you are allowed to make your own training schedule. You can add different activities to the training schedule, like cardio- and weight training and more. It is a module to maintain the schedule and of how and when to train.

The Diagram provides you with the analysis of your lap times. You are allowed to add lap times and read the diagrammatical view of your performances. This is a very important module for the analysis of the performance.

MX Training Journal also includes a Guide which provides you necessary help and instructions to use different sections on the software.

MX Training Journal is complete, revolutionary, unique system that will give you better training, better lap times, and better races. It allows you to make a training schedule so you can keep track of every workout and practice you have each day,

Keep track of where you practiced and how you practiced so you can repeat it over again, maintain the same equipment that fostered in you winning races every time, Keep track of your progress as you train so you can increase your output per session, Search your previous workouts to find the maximum workout sessions you had and repeat them everyday, Keep track of what you eat so you stay on course with your diet and nutritional intake. This way you stay at peak potential at all times, See the results of everything you do in graphic layout in front of you within seconds.

A comprehensive Instruction video is available on the website www.MxTrainingJournal.com which facilitates the process of understanding the software, understanding the usage of the software and its implementation and learns to make the most of the software. You can find numerous instruction videos for different processes for different modules.

In the process of awareness campaign for motocross as a sport, John M Software has implemented a newsletter on www.MxTrainingJournal.com, users are also allowed to sign up for a newsletter on www.MxTrainingJournal.com and get 1 free e-book about riding and setup tips and 1 free e-book about strength and fitness training helping you to build a strong body. The newsletter provides weekly articles about racing psychology, industry news and other useful stuff for a motocross racer.

Technorati Tags: motocross, mx, motorcycles, motorcycling