Hill Climbing Technique

Stand or Sit?

I took an extremely steep hill climb today standing on pegs and the rear tire spun on me. Nearly got killed.

Tried it again sitting down and the front end came up on me. Nearly got killed.

Is there a "correct" technique for steep hill climbs?

LOL  @  "NGK".....   Maybe try again mate = might be a case of 3rd time lucky hey !   

     

It is all about traction. You have not given a lot of information as to the conditions of the surface, steepness of the hill, tire pressure, gear you were in. All of these will factor into the equation. Air down, stand up, commit to the climb, try a higher gear to prevent spinning out, and giv'er another try.  

If all else fails get a bigger run on  

J/K but hitting the hills with some speed does make it easier.
Standing is best you want your weight on the pegs and your head up over the front then practice to get a feel for when the bikes gonna spin or loop out. Cover the clutch and pull it if you feel the front end getting too high then stop and do a K turn to go back down the hill to get a bigger run on lol.

I went and did a bunch of nasty steep hill climbs today starting at the bottom of them in preperation for a race I have in 2 weeks thats all corners and steep hill climbs.
I had to do 1/2 a dozen K turns and bull dog the bike back down the hills lol I can make it up those hills with ease if I hit them a little faster tho.

saddletramp wrote:

 You have not given a lot of information as to the conditions of the surface, steepness of the hill, tire pressure, gear you were in.   

Tire pressure was low ... 12psi. Surface was hard packed dirt with some mild ruts. No major roots or rocks. Hill was extremely steep, as in ... "holy crap I can't believe I'm gonna try this - holy crap there's no turning back - holy crap you're in big trouble now". Not a terribly long climb - 40 yards maybe. I took whatever momentum first gear could give me going in. I think first gear was my mistake.

Here's what I'm thinking: I would rather spin the rear tire and risk losing momentum and stall then have the bike flip over backwards. I am gonna have another go at that sucker next week. Second gear, standing and leaning forward enough to make sure front end doesn't come up. If I trust the front end won't pull up I'll keep that throttle open.

Biglake wrote:

if you feel the front end getting too high then stop and do a K turn to go back down the hill

LOL. There was no doing a K turn on this hill. You either made it to the top or you were sliding/rolling back to the bottom.

Let us know how you make out with it. Sounds like you have it figured out. Be safe!

I wouldn't feel good about using 1st gear on a "holy-shit-this-is-steep" type of hill, unless it was short in length.
Get some kind of speed going at the approach and try to maintain the momentum.
You don't necessarily have to be going at warp speed, but 1st gear is usually too slow for a major hill.
The typical routine is that you are moving at a slower speed at the top of the hill than you were at the bottom, so keep that in mind when estimating your required speed.
 
Like anything else, practice makes perfect.
 
If you realize you're not going to make it while part way up, just lay the bike over (gently) on the uphill side and then work the front wheel downhill and hop back on for the ride back down.
 
Personally, if the hill was so threatening that it truly was a do-or-die venture, I'd think twice about it, unless, of course, there were no other way out.

Pics of said hill are always welcome for discussion's sake.

gatorfan wrote:

Biglake wrote:

if you feel the front end getting too high then stop and do a K turn to go back down the hill

LOL. There was no doing a K turn on this hill. You either made it to the top or you were sliding/rolling back to the bottom.

Thats why you need to practice!
I doubt the hill was any steeper than what i was riding up and I can do K turns on them I call it a K turn as I dont know if theres a name for this its a little different than a proper K turn. You need to stall the bike/shut it off in gear and hold the front brake on while doing this or the bike will slide down the hill, stand on the uphill side of the bike to get the front tire pointed down hill release the front brake and turn the bars up the hill while pulling the clutch and back the bike up sideways on the hill, the whole bike will slide down the hill a bit while doing this just lay the bike into the hill to stop that if it starts to get away from you.

If you can get enough run on use 2nd first is too slow unless the hills are short or not too steep.
The hills I didnt make it up in first were easy in second but I wanted to find out exactly what I could ride up in first  

Watch some vids of the red bull romantics and the ezborg (sp) rodeo you will see pros doing this turn around technique and standing on the pegs for everything, I learnt alot of little techniques watching pros ride.

If the tire spun when standing but you looped when sitting, try something in between. You need to move your body forward and backward on the bike to find the point where you have traction but don't loop. It may change as you go up the hill. You might even have to let off the throttle at times.

Personally, I don't try extreme hills on my dualsport bikes because all the lights and mirrors are expensive to replace...

CLUTCH!!! Even when riding the nastiest steep, rocky, rutted up hills in SoCal I'm never in 1st. Keep as much momentum as you can, if it's tight & you can't get much momentum hit it in 2nd & if/when it bogg's keep a finger on the clutch and pull it in slightly to keep enough rpm's. The bike will go nearly anywhere once you master the clutch!

I'll stand on a rough approach and then preload the rear tire at the hill's base. From there it's all about, as others stated, bike setup, clutch, upper body strength, shifting....

One of our lifelong riding buds cannot climb a hill to save his life. Absolutely zero clutch control, timing and he gets so excited that he fails to look ahead. Stares at front fender, forgets to shift, hits bumps. Done. We love watching from atop the next ridge as his never-quit attitude gives us plenty of entertainment.

I've outclimbed him riding a WR250 and he's usually on a 450 MX or 250 two stroke.

Thanks for all the comments.

I just got back from 2 days at Highland Park, GA. Watched "expert" videos and read a lot (including this thread) on hill climbing before going as the hills there are steep (hence the name).

I did hills I never imagined doing. Steep, rocky, wet, rutted and long! Length of hill is a big factor. Some hills give you no chance to start with momentum so you had to find it quick before hitting a big wet boulder.

Everything on this thread is correct:

1) Butt off seat
2) Find the balance between keeping the front wheel down and rear wheel spinning (Chin over triple clamp is good place to start)
3) Look ahead and pick your line
4) Grab your balls and turn that throttle .... momentum is everything. If you're off balance keep turning the throttle, it's your only hope!

I did go down a few times as I climbed to new heights (pun intended). The trails are all one way so I had to put it in first and walk it up a couple of times.

I'm a much better rider than I was just 2 days ago. ASAP I'm going back to the local hill that gave me so much trouble to exact my revenge!!

You will get better every ride, keep it up!

I love gnarly challenging hills. How to hit it depends 100% on the hill. Loose? Hard? Rocky? Turning?

I have a larger rear sprocket and AC10 knobbies. I have yet to find a hill that I can't conquer, and usually it's in 1st gear with the revs way up in the powerband. This thing can keep on revving and revving like you wouldn't believe, and the tire and gearing gives me the torque and grip that gives me the confidence...

GusinCA wrote:

I have yet to find a hill that I can't conquer

Look harder.

I'm always lookin' harder.

with hills I adopt the approach of nail it and hang on, bit of clutch etc its more instinctive than anything else, the steepness and surface and tyres have a big impact on what you do.

Exactly. And some hills are so twisty and rutted and rocky that the only solution is to tractor it up. That's where low gearing really helps on this bike. The standard gearing was always way too tall for most of the challenges I faced...

How many teeth you rocking in the back Gus?

I don't remember, I think 47 or 48? It was the equivalent of losing one tooth on the front, and I had to get a bigger chain to do it.

Looking back I might have just gone with a smaller front, even though it's a tiny bit rougher on the chain, since now the chain cut grooves into the plastic guide more than it would have with a stock sprocket.

of course the downside is that top speed is around 68, and anything over about 40 on the street feels awful, but that's because of the knobbies and tireballs as well. I ride 99.9% off road so it doesn't bother me... :)

GusinCA wrote:

I ride 99.9% off road so it doesn't bother me... :)

That's what I was doing so I just went out and got a full blown off-road bike. The R2 is my first love but a real off-road bike just blows it away. Unless of course you need a tag where you ride.

In California being street legal from the factory is 100% required for the vast majority of off road trails...

gatorfan wrote:

GusinCA wrote:

I ride 99.9% off road so it doesn't bother me... :)

That's what I was doing so I just went out and got a full blown off-road bike. The R2 is my first love but a real off-road bike just blows it away. Unless of course you need a tag where you ride.

Also, no truck/van/trailer/hitch carrier required. My WRR is my daily driver and my weekend trail steed. I'd have no way of getting an unplated dirt bike to the trails.