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One of the many elements that can face a motocrosser is mud. Now I
would guess most people would rather stay home and remain clean, rather than go out and practice on a mud day. Now there are
many riders with the attitude that either think, I really don’t want to practice in the mud, so I will just deal with
it if I am forced to race in it. Or, I won’t practice in the mud because I won’t race in the mud, period. But
for the hardcore racer that is looking to win titles, or nationals or wants to be a complete racer, practicing in the mud
is essential. For amateur racers, consider how often the GNC Finals, The Whitney Spring National, Ponca, Loretta Lynn’s,
and the Mini O’s, have mud moto’s. The
strongest performances you may ever have can be during a mud race. The
playing field is more level during a mud race, getting out of the start gate and through the first turn is more difficult,
riders falling, bikes breaking, goggles running out of tearoff’s, riders tiring out due to the weight of the bikes,
and if you take the wrong line, you can end up stuck in the mud. Even Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart aren’t real
good in the mud. So consider the following tips.
It starts with preparation.
I’ll be the first to agree that riding in the mud
is hard on the bikes, especially bikes under 80cc, but there are a few things that can minimize the wear and tear. I would
recommend a few more pounds of air in the rear tire so you won’t flat by spinning the tube from all the wheel spin you’re
about to have. Also, don’t forget to click your compression adjusters a bit firmer due to all the weight you’re
about to add.
Head over to the grocery store and pick up some “Pam” cooking spray. Before
you head out, liberally spray down your bike, except the grips, levers, and the seat and tank area that you squeeze with the
knees. Spray heavy underneath the fenders, the number plates, and all around the motor. This helps resist the mud from sticking,
and really helps keep some of the weight off. This also allows the scorers to see your numbers in a race. After you spray
down the bike, clean your brake rotors with some “Maxima” contact cleaner so your brakes will work. You can “Pam”
your boots as well.
Cut pieces of foam to stuff any place you can to keep the mud from collecting. Do not
block the air flow to the radiators. Hand guards will help keep some of the mud off your grips. And certainly probably the
most important thing is to loosen up the chain quite a bit. Once the sprockets collect mud, your chain becomes very tight,
and landing from jumps with the chain to tight can snap it, or be very hard on your tranny. Lube it up good, too.
When I ride, I try not to hit the deep areas or really muddy sections as much as possible,
but you do soon realize that no matter how much you try to miss stuff, your getting muddier all the time regardless. Just
concentrate more on the delivery of the motor for the best traction. Think about line selection, the lines that usually look
the most used do not mean they are the best lines, they may have the deepest ruts. Try to keep your feet on the pegs as much
as possible, try your best not to “paddle” through the ruts or corners. By having both feet on the pegs, you will
be more balanced, with one leg out , you will lean
to that side and “bounce” off one side of the rut, right
back over to the other side. Also with both feet on the pegs, you can shift and use the rear brake as needed. Keep your elbows
out and away from your sides, so you can row back and forth, and move from side to side. Look well out ahead of you, scan
your vision through the ruts, stay focused and pretend your vision is a rabbit, and you are the Greyhound that is chasing
it. If the rabbit moves fast, the Greyhound will move fast! Don’t over analyze everything, you will be out of shape
all day, loosen up, keep your momentum up, and enjoy. Remember, this is costing you money to be out there.
Squeeze your knees to take the weight off the bars and to help control the bike
with your stronger muscle groups. The more tension and nervousness you carry, the tighter you will ride, and then you will
crash or tire out. Go with the flow, feel the track so you know when to deliver the power and know where and when to brake.
If you are practicing, ride shorter moto’s so your bike won’t overheat if it gets clogged with mud. When you come
in ,pay special attention around the radiators, and make sure there is sufficient air flow. Clean them if necessary. Also
clean around the chain and sprockets. We toss the plastic countershaft sprocket guard, they only clog up
with mud,
just keep the metal case guard and remount with shorter bolts. Definitely spray wash your bike any chance you get. Another
important part of this is, gear and goggle preparation. Goggles will be one of the very biggest factors. Don’t just
put on a few tearoff’s and plan on taking your goggles off,
bad idea. Roll off’s are best when it is really
muddy, and some companies like Scott make tearoff’s so thin, that you can stack 14 versus the regular tearoff’s
3. You may need all 14. If you use roll off’s, make sure you have a full canister so you don’t run out, or have
a 20 foot tearoff chasing you. Use anti fog spray or cloths on the insides of your lenses, you need to see. Clear and amber
lenses are best when overcast. Take your goggles to the line in a large ziplock bag, bring more than 1 pair. Have a small
towel tucked in your pants, if you fall, you can wipe your hand on the towel and wipe your grips off if needed. It’s
so hard to ride with muddy grips and gloves. You can put a piece of foam on your helmet and visor if you’d like. So
to review, prep the bike properly, use good technique while riding, have a “feel” for the track, and prep your
gear and goggles well. And don’t take your goggles off! Riding mud good is like anything else you want to get good at,
practice. Now if we could just find someone that will let us tear up their track!
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