How to Ride Steep Downhill Descents on a Enduro Bike

Techniques & Skills

How to Ride Steep Downhill Descents on a Enduro Bike. Credit: IRC Tire USA Moto

Staring down a steep gnarly slope can really get the adrenalin pumping? Here are some tips for staying cool and in control.

The main things to keep in mind are:

  • Body positioning
  • Braking
  • Look ahead

1. Body Positioning

As mentioned in our body position video, on steep descents you will:

  • Be standing on the footpegs with your body to the rear of the bike.
  • You will often have your bum on the rear fender when it gets very steep!

This not only prevents you going over the handlebars, but puts extra weight on the rear wheel to get extra braking.

  • Your arms will be almost straight — but don’t lock your elbows as you will still need to steer.
  • As the descents get steeper, put some of your balancing practice into action and go as slow as possible. This will be very handy when it gets very steep!
  • Keep your body loose and let the motorbike move around. Too often we tense up on steep descents.
Credit: Cross Training Enduro

2. Braking

Use both brakes, with most emphasis on the front brake.

  • On loose terrain you should be able to apply enough brake to where the front wheel is just starting to lose grip. That should give you maximum braking power.
  • Apply both front and back brake and avoid locking the wheels up.
    • The back brake stabilizes the motorbike on the way down.
    • The front brake provides most of the braking power.

Having one finger always on the clutch is useful here — you can pull the clutch in if the rear wheel locks up and not stall the motorbike.

If you have enough speed, you can also use engine braking (particularly on a four-stroke) to slow down without a complete wheel lock-up.

3. Controlled Rear Wheel Lock

There are times when locking the rear wheel is handy:

  • On gravel or soft dirt descents this can help build up a bank of dirt in front of the rear tire to slow you down.
  • You can also lock up the rear wheel to slide the rear around if needed on the descent.

4. Look Ahead

Read the terrain ahead and don’t fixate on any nasty bits — or you’ll just ride into them.

Often you can let the motorbike build up speed when it gets very steep, then reapply the brakes if the hill temporarily flattens out before the next steep gnarly bit.

5. When It Gets Too Steep

There does come a point where the descent is so steep you begin thinking of upgrading your life insurance.

When caution is the better part of valor:

  • Sit on the motorbike and just paddle your way down with your legs.
  • If it’s ridiculously steep, turn off your engine, put the motorbike in gear, and walk it down carefully.

If it all goes wrong, just drop the motorbike so that the handlebars will dig in and look after yourself. There is no point cartwheeling down the slope with your motorbike trying to perform surgery on you.

✅ Use these techniques to stay in control, stay safe, and make steep downhill descents more manageable on your dirt bike.