Good Motorcycle RiderWhat Makes A GoodDirt Bike Rider?Andrew GreenThere are a great many attributes that make for a gooddirtbike rider and the best dirt bike riders are those who cancombine the skills it takes. One of the most important thingsyou need to become one of the few good dirt bike riders is theright temperament. You need to combine confidence withhumility. That is, you need the confidence to be brave and takea different line; otherwise you won’t be overtaking the leadingriders but you also need to be careful not to become overconfident. Over confidence invariably leads to rash decisionsand reckless riding and eventually dirt bike accidents. It’s afine line, but it’s a line you need to riding on to besuccessful.Skills dirt bikers need to master.Apart from having the right attitude to racing you obviouslyneed the riding skills that set you apart from the rest of thepack. Balance, agility and a very good knowledge of racinglines. A very good tip is to walk the track before you race it;this will give you a valuable insight into the racing line andthe jumps on the track. As an extension of this, it is alsovery helpful if you can see a couple of riders on the track soyou can learn from their mistakes and also learn from what theydo well. Combine all of this and you will have gained a goodtrack knowledge and an insight into what will serve you wellwhen you’re racing.Practice sessions provide you with an exceptional opportunityto learn a few more tips and tricks of the course. Not everycourse is the same and not every starting gate is the same.Wait for the other racers to start so you have a little roomand have a couple of practice goes at the start. Work out thegear and line you need to take out of the gates. It might justgive you that all important lead from the very start.Use the first lap of your practice session to ride around at areasonable pace, but not too fast; everything will look a lotdifferent from the back of your bike that it did when you werewalked the track earlier. Don’t just look at the line you areriding, have a good look around, see if there are better linesto follow and work out the best lines for the jumps.Hit the first corner well and you can set yourself up for therest of the race. Getting a good kick from the gates can putyou in a strong position that will see you near the front fewriders. Once you’ve beaten the start, you need to make sure youcan hold on to your strong position and don’t throw it away bygetting caught up in the fray that always surrounds.About The Author: Dirt Bikes HQ, http://www.dirtbikeshq.com/,for lots of information about dirt biking.If you liked what Steel Horse News has to say pass it on Clickhere to email this to a friend.Amazon.com WidgetsCopyright© Steel Horse MotorcycleNews. May 15, 2012.