On smaller logs , you can get away with pulling a wheelie completely over the log , or ramming your front end into it without lofting the front end at all ( and under certain circumstances these can be desirable techniques ). However , to make it over a log of this size , you need to aim your front tire for a point about 3 / 4 of the way up the log .
If you aim too high , you will case your skid plate on the log , leaving you and the bike stuck at a 45 degree angle . Not good . On the flip side ( sometimes literally ) if you aim too low , your tire will slam into the log rather than rolling or bouncing up over it , and you will either take
a set of bars to the gut or get flung over the bars entirely . Also not good .
When you give the bike just the right amount of gas , clutch and preload to hit that 3 / 4 mark with the front tire , the suspension will compress into the log face . As it rebounds , that force is directed upwards and backwards . What this does is shift the bike back just enough so that your rear tire will hit the log instead of your skid plate .
As soon as you feel the suspension start to unload , give the bike another blip of throttle . This will provide you with the drive to get over the log . Getting the timing and amount of the two blips of throttle - the first to get
VOL . 7 ISSUE 6 - JUNE 2022 // PAGE 51