Motocross – 4 Easy Steps for Making Your Own Dirt Bike Tracks

How to Make Motocross Dirt Bike Tracks in 4 Simple Steps

Making dirt bike tracks is not as complicated as it sounds. Depending on how much property there is available you may end up with just a couple of jumps and a berm or two, but that’s all you need to perfect your motocross jumping and cornering skills. Plus, you’ll be having fun without hauling your bike somewhere else every time you want to go riding.

Not everyone has 10 acres of land and a Bobcat at their disposal so you just have to make due with what you’ve got. By following a few important steps you can build a better dirt bike track than you might imagine. As long as you have a little bit of property and a tractor you can build a track that will give you years of fun riding your dirt bike motorcycles. In fact, you may find that building dirt bike tracks is more fun than actually riding.

Step 1 – Ask Permission before Bull Dozing the Property

Before you start revving up your Bobcat you first need to get permission from several sources. Obviously, asking your parents for the go ahead is step number one, but there are other people that must give their approval too. You need to make sure you get whatever permits are required that will allow you to legally build and use your track.

Additionally, you must ask your neighbors for permission. I know it’s hard to believe, but some people don’t like noisy dirt bikes drowning out the sound of their TV set or extra dirt and dust settling on their outdoor furniture. Save yourself a lot of headaches by making sure you get an OK from your neighbors, otherwise you run the risk of making a dirt bike track that you cannot use. Spending time and money building a nice track, only to have the local authorities shut you down, will not improve relations with your neighbors.

Step 2 – Pick the Best Location

If your track is too close to neighbors you may have a noise and dust problem. If they all own dirt bike motorcycles you probably won’t have a problem, but the chances of that are extremely slim. If they seem a little bit nervous about having a track in their backyard maybe you can agree to use it only on certain days of the week.

You want to build in an area where the terrain will require less work to whip into shape. For example, if you can find a location where the natural terrain already possesses small hills you won’t have to spend as much time with the bull dozer creating your own jumps from scratch.

If you have a choice of picking a location with dry dusty dirt or good clay soil, do not choose a future dust bowl. In addition to noise, dust and dirt can be a big negative in your neighbor’s eyes. If at all possible, try to choose a location where an excessive amount of dirt will not end up in your neighbor’s yard.

Also, be aware that low lying areas of track can become small lakes during wet weather, so it’s to your best interest to plan your design properly. It will also help if you create the trails at an angle, allowing water to run off instead of puddle. With proper planning you can eliminate a lot of future maintenance.

Step 3 – Plan Your Course before Getting into the Bobcat

Ride your bike around the property before deciding the route that your track will take. This will give you a good idea as to the natural flow of the property and enable you to design a suitable track layout. Dirt bike tracks should be designed to take advantage of the unique terrain that already exists. The track should also be based on your skill level. For example, if you are a beginner it probably isn’t wise to build jumps that you can’t handle.

Above all else, dirt bike tracks should be made as safe as possible. Do not build jumps where big trees and rocks will make riding dangerous. If you can’t get away from the rocks and trees at least place some padded protection such as old mattresses or hay bales in front of potentially injurious objects. If you’re going to crash you want to be able to get up and ride again. Hospital trips are not as much fun as they’re cracked up to be.

Step 4 – Start Grading the Terrain

If you don’t have a heavy duty tractor in your garage a Bobcat is your next best choice. They can be rented, with or without an operator, at very reasonable prices. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your track will take shape once you start moving that dirt around.

Mold a few hills into jumps that suit your skill level and place berms at the base of other hills. It’s a good idea to create as many turns as possible so that you won’t be able to build up too much speed heading into the jumps.

Following these 4 steps can help you create a dirt bike track that you can be proud of and that will be safe for years to come. Do yourself a favor and spend as much time as necessary planning the design of the track. A well-designed plan will be safer, more fun, and require less work and maintenance.