How to Whip a Dirt Bike in 7 Steps 2023
One of the most thrilling things about a dirt bike is its jumping ability. No other vehicle besides a quad or helicopter allows you to jump as far and high as a dirt bike does. So, if you’re looking for a project to do on the weekend, it’s time to get out your tools and teach yourself how to whip a dirt bike.
This article will walk you through all the steps necessary so that by the end of this blog post, you’ll be ready to show off your new motorcycle riding skills. All right, let’s get started!
What Is Whipping?
Whipping is a dirt bike maneuver in which the rider rotates the bike sideways in the air while jumping. It is a popular trick in motocross and freestyle motocross, and it is also used in some enduro and off-road races.
Things To Consider Before Whipping a Dirt Bike:
Here are the few things that you need to considered before dirt bike whipping or dirt bike scrubbing.
1. What is Your Skill Level?
Before learning how to whip a dirt bike, there’s one important thing you need to decide: How good are you at riding a dirt bike? If your skills are pretty limited, don’t try learning how to whip on a large ramp. It will probably end up being a very expensive lesson! Instead, start by practicing what we’re about to show you on smaller walls or even on the side of a big ramp.
2. How Much Space Do You Need?
How much space you need will also depend on your skill level and the size of your dirt bike. If you’re going to be practicing at home, start by picking a roughly one-foot tall wall. Then, if you feel comfortable with that height, move up to two feet or so and practice sitting in the air for longer periods of time and leaning from left to right while suspended in mid-air. For higher jumps, practice on a big ramp.
3.How Much Your Bike Can Handle?
How much your bike can handle will depend on how big the jump is and what type of suspension it has. If you’re going to be practicing at home, try out a smaller or medium-sized ramp and see if it feels stable. If it rocks back and forth or feels like it’s bouncing all over the place, set it up somewhere else. For higher jumps, practice on a big ramp.
Directions: How to Whip a Dirt Bike
Step 1: Get Your Dirt Bike on the Jump
Your very first step is getting your bike onto the jump. How you do this will depend on what type of ramp or wall you’re using and how much space there is around it. If there’s lots of room, you can likely just rear-wheel your dirt bike over to it and carry on from there. If you have a smaller jump, you’ll need to lift your bike and get it onto the ramp. Again, how you do this will depend on the size of your bike. You may need to lift it with a forklift or have an assistant push it onto the ramp for you.
Step 2: Ride to the Top
Once you have your bike on top of the ramp, the second part is riding up it. How fast or slow you will depend on how much space there is around you and how good your balance is. In this step, try to ride quickly to grab enough speed so that the jump isn’t too big when you lean over. How far you lean over will depend on how fast you’re going, so get a feel for the speed of your bike before trying to whip it, or else you could end up hurting yourself or, even worse, your bike!
Step 3: Lean Over and Jump!
Once you reach the top of the ramp, lean OVER the handlebars and dive off the ramp! How big of a jump you can do will depend on how fast you’re going. Try to lean over as much as possible without falling.
How close your landing is to the ramp also depends on speed, so try and keep it reasonably far away from it for safety’s sake. How high in the air you go will also depend on how fast you’re going, but with enough practice, you’ll learn just how much to lean over to get that perfect jump.
Step 4: Push Down The Bars to Make Your Bike Go Faster
After you’ve jumped off the ramp, your next step is to keep pushing down on the handlebars when your bike off track. The key element here is how hard or soft you press them will be how fast or slow your bike will go after it lands. When whipping a dirt bike, the power and speed you have depend on many factors like how well your suspension is set up, how smooth its engine runs, what type of tires are being used (dirt or street), and more.
Step 5: Pull Your Bike Straight After You Land
After making your jump, if you want a smooth landing, pull your bike straight away from the wall or ramp after landing. This prevents any nasty bumps when landing, which could otherwise break your bike tire. How far you should pull it will depend on what type of jump or landing you’re making, so be sure to adjust as necessary!
Step 6: Straighten it Out and Ride.
Once you’ve pulled your bike out of the jump, it’s time to straighten it out and ride away from the ramp. How quickly you do this will depend on how smoothly your landing was and whether or not you’re ready for another run at that jump. How fast you can get up a speed also depends on how well your suspension is set up, but if you have enough practice, eventually, you’ll be able to do awesome bike whip through any dirt track like a pro!
Step 7: Practice Makes Perfect!
The final step for learning how to whip a dirt bike is practicing. If you’re happy with your jump, it’s time to do it again! You want to practice as many times as possible before showing off in front of anyone because once they see what tricks you can do and how fast you can whip your bike, you’ll have lots of people trying to beat you and may even get challenged!
Type of Dirt Bike You Should Use to Whip
1. BMX:
If you’re just learning how to whip a dirt bike, a great bike to start on is a BMX. These bikes are super lightweight, which means they have less mass when attempting a bike flow, and it will be easier for you to do some comfortable jump and learn the different tricks involved in riding a dirt bike.
2. Motocross:
If you are just getting started, then a motocross bike is the best way to go. This will give a bit more stability and will be easier to learn on these bikes. Whip in motocross is much easier than any other bike. With freestyle motocross, you can do so much more than normal bike.
3. Full-Size Dirt Bike:
If you’re looking for something like The Snake Pit bike or a big hill, then one of these off-road bikes is perfect for you. These full-size popular dirt bike are specifically designed to whip position a dirt bike off the ground and do larger jumps on big ramps.
4. Supermoto:
If you want how to whip a dirt bike off a jump, then a supermoto bike is the best option. They have small wheels and are much lighter and more maneuverable, so this Bike will be able to whip-like The Snake Pit bike with ease.
5. Enduro Bike:
If Dirt Bike Whip is your passion and you’re more interested in racing, then an Enduro Bike is what you should get. It’s built with a light frame, and it’s designed to be fast, so they are necessary for Dirt Bike racing tracks.
Precautions When Whipping a Dirt Bike
1. Warm Up:
Always make sure that you warm up before hitting the finish line jump, so your muscles are loose and ready for perfect Whip. How long you need to warm up will depend on each individual’s body, but it’s always good to take a few minutes off in between runs.
2. Get Fit:
Whipping requires a lot of upper body strength and a balance, so be sure to get fit before trying anything new! It’s best to do an outdoor track so you can see all the obstacles ahead of time and work out exactly where you’re going to land safely. Then after some practice, once you’ve mastered Whipping a Dirt Bike, you can take it on the bigger ramps!
3. Try to Avoid Other Dirt Bike Riders:
Whipping a Dirt Bike is a very dangerous sport, no matter if you do it on a BMX or something big, and to ensure the safety of yourself and everyone around you, be sure not to race too fast. Of course, how quickly you go depends entirely on your ability, but always try to avoid crashing into other dirt bikers as it could cause serious injury.
4. Wear Protective Gear:
Finally, when whipping a dirt bike, especially when trying out new tracks, keep in mind that this is a very dangerous sport, so make sure you are wearing protective gear at all times before hitting any jumps. It usually includes an elbow pad, knee pad, helmet, and gloves. Knowing the jumping technique of a bike is also something you want to know before adding any of these safety features as your bike must be balanced correctly so when you land, the bike won’t tip over on you.
Difference Between Whipping and Scrubbing
Whipping:
Whipping is an action where you jump over the obstacle and land on the other side of it. Scrubbing is an action where you jump over the obstacle and, while in the air, you make a 180° turn to land back on your starting position. Whipping is one of the coolest things you can do on your dirt bike! There are many different ways to whip a dirt bike, but one of the easiest is by doing it off of a ramp.
Scrubbing:
Scrubbing is very similar because it involves jumping over the obstacle and turning while in the air (only after landing and before touching down). Scrubbing, however, can be much trickier than whipping because you have to be very well balanced and come back onto the ramp. Whipping is easier because you land on the other side of the jump.
Useful Tips For how to do a whip on a dirt bike:
- Choose the right spot. You should find a wide-open area with soft, loamy dirt. Avoid areas with rocks, roots, or other obstacles.
- Get up to speed. You should be travelling at a speed of at least 20-30 mph before you attempt to whip.
- Shift your weight to the outside of the bike. This will help you to initiate the whip.
- Turn the handlebars in the direction you want to whip.
- Lean back and push down on the outside footpeg. This will help you to lift the rear end of the bike off the ground.
- Counterbalance the bike with your upper body.
- Once you have initiated the whip, smoothly turn the handlebars in the opposite direction to bring the bike back around.
- Land softly on both wheels.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Get My Bike to Lean?
Once you’ve got your bike on top of the ramp, turn off the motor and place it in first gear. You’re going to want the front wheel pointing straight down while leaning slightly back from the handlebars. How far you lean back is dependent on how high you’re jumping and what kind of suspension your dirt bike has.
You want just enough lean that the front end stays level while hovering in mid-air. If your rear tire rocks below level, try raising your bars or lowering them until they stay steady as you hover over your jump.
Does Whipping Bicycles Help You Whip Dirt Bikes?
Whipping A Dirt Bike and Whipping a Bicycle are two completely different things. A bicycle is something that has been developed centuries ago, with early racers using the same techniques as they do now. However, BMX riders and motocross racers were started later who didn’t have the use of path bikes in competition.
You can Whip with any kind of bike. Still, it’s much easier if you have a dirt bike because, like we said earlier, it’s lighter weight and more maneuverable, which makes whipping over obstacles way easier than over road bikes or regular bicycles.
How Do You Do a Turn-up Whip?
The Turn-Up Whip is much like the Forward Whip A Dirt Bike in that you’re starting on top of a ramp and twisting while in the air and landing back on your original position. However, instead of pointing the front tire straight down while leaning slightly back, you want to point it straight up as if you were riding it down off the ramp normally.
How high or low your handlebars should be relative to your front wheel depends mostly upon how steep your whip is. For example, if you are trying to whip a dirt bike off a flat surface, then lower your handlebars until they hover right above the ground where you would normally ride over. This will give you proper balance when performing this maneuver at any angle.
Conclusion
You can learn how to whip your dirt bike, but it takes a lot of practice. The key is to keep practicing and not give up! If you want more tips on the basics or just getting started with your motorcycle riding hobby, check out our blog post on how to whip a dirt bike.
You can whip your dirt bike with the right balance of body weight, throttle control, and suspension. So there you have it. You know what a dirt bike is and how to ride one. Now get out there, find an empty track, and go for the ride! And don’t forget your helmet!
Darren Matlock
Hi, I'm Darren. I love dirt bikes and everything about the off-road lifestyle. I'm passionate about motorbikes, cars, racing sports and going on adventures. If you're like me and enjoy extreme sports, you've come to the right place! I like to write articles about dirt bikes to help beginners get started. Whether you're interested in buying a dirt bike, ATV, motorcycle or want to ride for hobby, I hope my articles will inspire you to learn more about how this machine can be used to ride.
