Save Yourself & The Bike: The Smart Rider’s Guide to Emergency Dismounts
If you’ve ever watched experienced enduro riders who come from a trials background, you’ve probably noticed something strange — their low-speed crashes don’t even look like crashes.
They’ll just step off the bike as if that was the plan all along. Or they’ll gently lay it down like it’s time for the bike’s afternoon nap.
There’s a saying in motocross: “If in doubt, throttle out!” But in hard or extreme enduro, it often feels like the opposite applies:
“Give up early and work out how to get off the bike.”
Instead of that last-ditch handful of throttle that makes for great crash videos (and expensive repairs), these riders calmly step off and avoid the bruises, bent levers, and cracked plastics that most of us know too well.
Trials Techniques for Enduro Riders
Trials riders have it easy — those bikes are so light that even us gumbies can usually keep them under control when things go wrong.
But swap that for a full-sized enduro bike, and it’s a different story… especially for shorter riders.
Instead of relying on throttle to save the day, it’s often smarter to back off and plan your exit. Sometimes, the best move is to drop the bike intentionally rather than try to save it with more throttle and send it into orbit. Nobody likes dropping their bike, but it’s often the best outcome.
Learn from the ladies
Here’s something interesting: women riders tend to be way better at this.
Without the testosterone-driven urge to “rev it till it saves me,” they’re calm, controlled, and graceful when things go wrong.
Not always the case but often they have an awesome approach to technical riding — just throttle off, step or jump off the bike, and keep your cool.
The Casual Dismount
As you get more experience, you can start to dismount in control rather than crash. The key is avoiding last-second heroics.
Accept that you’re not going to make it, then plan how to get off the bike safely.
Can You Practice This? Definitely.
Practice jumping off the bike in a controlled way.
Over time, dismounting becomes a natural reaction — not a panicked throttle grab that sends your bike flying at nearby spectators.
Most riders find it easier to jump off to the left, so make sure you practice both sides.
It can be hard to unlearn that instinct to twist the throttle while bailing — that’s how you end up “ghosting” the bike.
Ghosting the Bike
Sometimes, jumping off the back is your only option.
In some cases, you can even give a bit of throttle as you push off to help the bike clear the last bit of a hill or obstacle.
That’s where the term “ghosting” comes from — if it’s not you riding that bike, it must be a ghost! 👻
Tying It All Together
This skill ties in closely with hill climb recovery training. By turning before you come to a stop, you can often avoid that nasty backwards roll or slide down the hill.
Key Takeaways
- Back off early — don’t fight it with more throttle.
- Plan your dismount rather than panic.
- Practice both left and right side step-offs.
- Learn to ghost safely when needed.
- The goal: fewer falls, fewer bruises, and a happier bike.
With a bit of practice, you’ll find yourself crashing less, hurting less, and maybe even looking cool when things go wrong.
Good luck out there — and remember, sometimes the smartest move is just to get off the bike.