The Total Dirt Rider Manual

The Total Dirt Rider Manual
THE TOTAL
DIRT RIDER
MANUAL
SET UP SUSPENSION
Of all the bike mods, this is the most important one. By
far. There are a lot of suspension shops out there that
custom tune your suspension to work best for your
speed, style, weight, height, and the type of riding you
do (MX, technical trails, fast trails, etc.). The shops have
slightly different philosophies on what makes for good
suspension, so you should try a few over the years and
find one that feels, and works, best for you.
The shops perform a re-valve; this is where they rearrange and swap out thin discs called shims that
determine the flow rate of the oil in your fork and shock.
They often also change the springs for a better spring
rate for you. Many also offer internal parts changes that
can help, but not to the same degree as the right spring
and valving settings. Most shops will work with you to
keep adjusting the valving until you are happy – you just
pay for materials (oil) and shipping. Don’t be shy about
asking for a change, most shops work very hard and are
very proud of their work, and they want you satisfied.
Unfortunately you can’t ride someone else’s
suspension and evaluate a company’s performance.
Strike that – if you have an identical twin with an
identical riding style, you are in luck. Short of that, you
need to let the shop do its thing for you.
You will get better results if you can better tell the
suspension tuner what you want. Before you send your
suspension off for a revalve, try some different settings
on your stock bike. Experiment with sag settings, clicker
settings, and fork height; make the changes one at a
time and keep notes. Then you can better communicate
to the tuner what you like about your bike’s stock
suspension and what you want to improve.
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UPGRADE YOUR
BRAKES
Oversized rotors increase braking power, but are more
prone to damage off-road. Upgrading to braided-steel
brake lines improves feel at the lever by eliminating
the slight bulging of a stock nylon-covered line. Brake
pads come in different compound variations to tune
feel—you can have an immediate and strong bite, a
smoother transition to max braking power, pads
designed to perform consistently at higher heat (if you
are a brake dragger) or pads designed for longer wear.
This new manual in Weldon Owen’s top-selling series is
created in conjunction with Dirt Rider magazine, the go-to
publication for anyone interested in riding on off-road
trails or experiencing the competitive and challenging
world of motocross. Packed with hands-on riding and
wrenching hints from the sport’s top experts, this is an
essential resource for every off-road rider, whether they’re
looking to hit the trails with the kids for an afternoon or
hit the racing circuit for fun and profit. Chapters include:
Basics & Gear An introduction to the sport of off-road
riding, with hints on gear, bike-shopping, and basic training
that even the pros will welcome.
Riding Skills Detailed step-by-step tutorials show how
to get through obstacles like sand, mud, ice, and water, as
well as how to land those spectacular jumps in one piece.
DIY Repair Off-road riding is hard on a bike . . . but
it doesn’t have to be hard on your wallet. This book
includes dozens of mechanic-tested maintenance and
repair routines, including a special section packed with
comprehensive suspension tips from the top pro shops.
BASICS
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MODIFY THE ENGINE
Motor mods should target better power, not more
power. You can shift and stretch the power’s sweet
spot up or down in the rpm range, make the hit
stronger or softer, liven or mellow the responsiveness,
and make the bike rev more quickly or more slowly.
On two-strokes, exhaust pipes, silencers, and new
reed blocks change power delivery. Head and porting
work (definitely best left to an expert) can further
adjust and amplify the ponies. Adding a flywheel
weight will slow and smooth the rev.
On fuel-injected four strokes, tuning through the EFI
is very effective and free to experiment with once the
tuning device is purchased.
Exhausts have a big effect, as do different cams and
high compression pistons. Moto Tassinari makes a
different intake that works much like an exhaust swap.
Increasing displacement (a new piston and cylinder)
for either type of motor sounds great in theory, but can
make two-strokes hard to jet and four-strokes slow to
rev and less responsive to the throttle.
SPECIFICATIONS
256 pages
240 x 190 mm
9.5 x 7.5 inches
60,000 words
700 photographs and illustrations
Flexicover
Summer 2015
WORLDWIDE/NORTH AMERICA
SALES OFFICE
Sarah Mattern
Weldon Owen Inc.
1045 Sansome Street, Suite 100
San Francisco, CA 94111
USA
Tel (415) 291-0100
sarah.mattern@bonniercorp.com
www.weldonowen.com
CONFIDENTIAL © JUNE 2015 WELDON OWEN INC.
FAMILY REFERENCE