If you ride in the woods or on single-track trails like me, then you MUST be able to confidently turn your dirt bike when you come up to a sharp corner.
How do you know if you can improve right now?
Here are 5 common symptoms that you’re still struggling with tight, sharp turns:
- You have to put a foot down at least 50% of the time when making a sharp turn
- You fall over on tight turns when you slow down or stop and can’t put a foot down because your bike is too tall or the ground is uneven
- You overshoot turns when they’re too tight (ride off the trail)
- You have to get off and turn the bike when other riders don’t
- You’re afraid of the bike because it feels tall and heavy
Do any of these sound like you?
If so, you haven’t mastered the basic technique of turning a dirt bike at low speeds.
And guess what?
You can learn how to do it with confidence in just a few minutes!
First, I need to cover the top mistakes I made and why I see other casual trail riders struggling with tight or sharp turns, whether it be on the trail or in the open (these might be holding you back from having more confidence!)
Top Mistakes Trail Riders Make When Making Sharp Turns
Making a sharp turn on a dirt bike can be a challenge because it feels heavy and wants to fall over or slide out, but it’s easier than you might think - even if you have short legs and aren't strong (like me!)
When I see or help trail riders who are struggling to make a tight turn in the woods or out in the open, they’re usually making at least one of these common mistakes:
- Sitting in the same spot - Shifting your body position very little or not at all when turning
- Trying to keep up with faster riders - Riding over your comfort/skill level (too fast to stay in control)
- Stabbing at the brake - tire washes out (especially the front)
- Riding in the middle of the trail - Maybe scared to get out of the main line because you might crash off the trail
- Leaning with the bike when turning - When the bike leans left, your body leans left with the bike, causing you to drop the bike or put a foot down to prevent falling
If you’ve made one of these, you’re at the “Nervous Trail Rider” stage because you haven't mastered the basic turning techniques at slow speeds.
But don’t worry because that’s where I started too!
When I rode some technical trails for the first time on my 2000 Honda CR80, I got intimidated by tight sections with lots of trees, especially when the turn was sloping up or down because I couldn’t easily reach the ground with my foot!
I didn’t want the bike to land on me, and picking the bike up after falling was exhausting!
Plus, I felt embarrassed when all my friends had to wait for me…
If that sounds anything like you, then I have some good news!
Making a sharp turn doesn’t have to be challenging or scary, even if the bike weighs twice as much as you!
After riding for 8 years only to find out that I wasn't a confident rider on single-track trails, I realized that just getting more seat time wasn’t making me a much better rider.
It helped, but it was taking WAY longer than I hoped.
After years of reading books, magazines, and articles, as well as watching countless videos (because I had more time than money), I discovered my riding technique was holding me back.
This has to do with your body position when turning, and I want to help you improve that this week!
How Trail Riders Can Take Sharp Turns Without Falling
Now I'm going to reveal what I believe is the #1 technique when making a tight turn so that you don’t fall over, even if you’re over 60 years old and don’t have the same balance as you used to!
One of the BIGGEST mistakes that I made on tight turns in the woods was leaning with the bike.
For example, let’s say you’re trying to make a tight left turn, so you turn and lean the bike left, but you also lean your body left WITH the bike.
This usually ends up with one of two results:
- You lay the bike over and hit the ground or you catch yourself with your foot (if you can reach in time - hopefully you don’t hurt your knee from all the weight!)
- One or both of your tires wash out and you either slam into the ground or overshoot the corner if you catch yourself in time
These happen because the direction of load on the tire changes when you start turning, which is extremely important when trail riding a dirt bike.
If you’re used to riding a street bike, they are more forgiving because you have virtually 100% traction on the pavement.
When riding in the dirt, your tires want to push and slide out the more you lean the bike.
And when you lean WITH the bike (your body is at the same angle as the bike), this makes your tires want to slide out even more, especially if the turn is flat or slippery.
It’s like hammering a nail into a piece of wood.
When you pound it straight into the wood, it’s pretty easy.
But when you try hammering the nail into the wood at an angle, even just a few degrees, it wants to slide out.
As a general rule, the same goes for riding a dirt bike as you lean it over.
So, what do you have to do instead?
The "Counterbalance" cornering technique for tight turns
I’ve found that counterbalancing my weight to be most effective on virtually any tight turn.
Honestly, I’m still testing and perfecting this technique, but it’s allowed me to ride faster in the woods because balancing is SO much easier, even when I’m 143 lbs and the bike weighs nearly 270 lbs!
What is this counterbalance technique?
When you turn and lean the bike left, you must keep your body upright (it will feel like you’re leaning the opposite direction at first).
This “counterbalances” the weight of the bike, making it easy to turn sharply without losing your balance, whether you’re riding a pit bike or a 500+ lb ADV bike.
This is just one of the many ways to improve your confidence and control when taking a sharp turn.
If you want to get my complete guide to master these techniques 5X faster than trying to figure it all out on your own, check out my Tight Turns Made Easy Troubleshooting Guide.
