What is the secret to riding over ruts?

[rocketman1]

I'm not to confident about riding over deep ruts at speed that is being a newbie, I mean a rut say 300-400 deep say 1/2m wide, the type that if you didnt clear you would be over the bars in a mess. I ve heard some guys say give it blip on the throttle but dont pull up on the bars.
Any advice for a new boy,
Hate being left behind over the rough stuff.
Ive seen others do it so easy.

[headlesschicken]

try starting with a small wheelie at say 15 kays? then just build up speed

[CaMo]

I find going over such ruts/drains etc is easy. Once you have practiced a little at doing wheelies (even doing them and changing gear) standing up you will have no problem. Before you get to it, stand up and start wheeling. The front wheel is all that needs to get over it. The back will follow

When going up a rut. ie. both wheels in I find it best to keep an eye ahead, nearer the end of the rut. Just as you would when walking in a straight line you look ahead not at the ground. Looking just in front of your mudguard will most likely make you loose balance quicker....well me anyway

[DEATH_INC.]

Mmmm sounds dodgy, but just hit 'em head on with plenty of speed and the gas on, just don't back off for anything.....you'll skim over the top and the suspension will do the rest. Don't forget to keep forward and yer arms up and bent and ya legs bent too...Having said that it depends exactly on the rut in question...

[Buddy L]

just like every one has said, pop a same wheelie, just so your wheel goes over the rut and does not fall in. the back will follow the front. Takes time but your get their.

[scott411]

the advice is good, you need the front wheel to clear the other side, the better you get the faster you can do it, start with droping the clutch and pulling back to get the front wheel up,

[Wellyman]

Faster you hit it the better, and best done with a wheelie.
WM

[telliman]

build a bridge!

[DEATH_INC.]

Actually, I often used to hit the far side with the front wheel, you don't need to haul the front over it, it's just gotta be high enough to roll out....
The problem with hauling the front is if the rear drops in (you accentuate it when you pull the front and don't hop the rear) is combined with the rear position you usually get when ya do it, it can mean a trip over the bars when the rear kicks up and boots ya butt up n over....
But like I said, depends on the rut in question...

[scumdog]

Wow.
A rut 400 deep and 500 wide.
On a Sv1000.
Must rattle your fillings a bit if crossed at speed.

[vifferman]

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Actually, I often used to hit the far side with the front wheel, you don't need to haul the front over it, it's just gotta be high enough to roll out....
The problem with hauling the front is if the rear drops in (you accentuate it when you pull the front and don't hop the rear) is combined with the rear position you usually get when ya do it, it can mean a trip over the bars when the rear kicks up and boots ya butt up n over....
But like I said, depends on the rut in question...

Yeah, wot he said.
If it's flat either side of the rut, then what you need to do is 'float' the bike over, which you can do by bouncing down on the pegs immediately before you hit the rut. You DON'T want to wheelie it, because as Death says, that pushes the back wheel down, which then hits the edge of the rut and bounces it up. If you float it over, the impact of the rut will be minimal.
If, however, the rut is that the bottom of a dip, you want to unweight (or lift the front), if it's at a crest, then the opposite applies: lean forward as you go over it.

Many moons ago, I went to a motocross event that had some international MX star there. There was a part of the course that was flat, but with a ditch nearly a metre wide, and half a metre or more deep. The 'star' was one of the very few who tackled the ditch by NOT trying to wheelie over it, and therefore was one of the few to not get out of shape. His bike wasn't really any better than others there, but little tricks like this gained him a few seconds on each lap.