Moto Tip | Steer With The Rear
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Welcome to the new Answer Racing Moto Tips feature! Answer Racing has been producing the highest-quality motocross and off-road gear since 1976, and this month launched its new line of 2020 apparel. With riders like Alex Martin, Ryan Villopoto, Nick Wey, and Mike Sleeter flying the Answer flag, there is a wealth of knowledge and know-how when it comes to riding a dirt bike efficiently and effectively in the Answer camp. Each week, Answer will bring you some riding tips to help you become better at the sport you love! Have a specific skill you’d like to improve? Comment below and we will cover it in a future post!
One of the things we remember most about Ryan Villopoto’s riding style was the way he would steer his bike through corners with more emphasis on the rear-end than others on the track. It didn’t matter if it was a flat, sweeping curve or a massive bowl berm; RV was going to change directions with the throttle. Although Villopoto has retired, he still makes use of the technique, which we saw during his laps at the Moto Fite Klub. After the race was over, we asked him to explain how he works the throttle and positions himself on the bike. Take it away, RV…
Everybody knows the brake sliding you could do on a two-stroke, but that changed when they went away. The way I would do it is that I would come into the corner with a little flat track style, with the bike leaned over and the rear tire kicked out a little more than the front.
You initiate the slide with the rear brake, a little bit of a lock-up. After that I don’t exactly roll the throttle on, but do enough to get the rear tire to break loose initially and then finesse the throttle and clutch all the way through so it’s spinning “controllably” if that makes sense. You don’t just light it up and get the thing sideways.
There’s some dirt that’s a little harder to do it on, like the loam we had at Moto Fite Klub. That track was a little difficult, because when I would start to do it, sometimes it could go a little too far meaning that I was too aggressive. In my prime, I could keep the slide going and in control with just the rear tire.
If you watch MotoGP and see the slow motion, you can see in slow motion that those guys come out of the turn with the tire spinning a little bit. That’s essentially the same thing.
There’s no real bike setup involved, and I think I could do it on any bike. Every bike has its strong points and weak points and for myself, I was able to hone in on the setup I had during the entire time I was at factory Kawasaki.
