[Ogre]

I was riding the dirt route into work today and noticed that I now sit right up on the tank most of the time.

I thought back of the first time I went down this route to work and how I fought the bike thru the sand and how unsettled the bike used to feel in the turns.
I remember thinking, Gee this thing really stinks off road.
When I first got this KLR I had been on street bikes for years and sat back on the seat quite a bit. After a few runs thru the sand I started standing on the pegs and that made a HUGE difference in how the bike handled and the speed that I was comfortable with. Slowly I found that after standing I would sit back down, but up closer to the tank. Now I have da' boys right up on the tank almost all the time and feel the need to stand a lot less. I am now also finding that even on road I am in the front section of the seat too.

Any other folks have this forward migration?

 

[Tazman]

absoluty, I just noticed this migration on my last trip. Now even comuting I noticed i'm on the tank.

 

[ham!]

Yep, thats why I will be putting bars on with less pullback. I am 6'1" so standing isn't always an option. In the woods I grip the tank with my knees which also helps with steering. Crowding the tank with a well placed downshift is the best way to slam into a corner, IMO. In loose sand, being seated helps cause I can throw a boot out when needed to keep gravity from winning.

 

[Ogre]

6'-1" it must be tough to be that short :wink:

When the sand gets real deep I still opt for up on the pegs over sitting, but being up on the tank has sure made those stands a lot less frequent.

 

[btl68]

If you notice all the newer MX bikes have basically all seat from the rear all the way to the gas cap...you can move right up to the handlebars there for better handling.

I ride my KLR and my ZRX as close to the tank as possible to weigh the front tire and it feels better being there.

 

[dougly]

I din't migrate, I've always ridin towards the front. Growing up riding/racing MX thats just natural for me...DOug

 

[DMZ]

I use to joke about siting on the handlebars of my old DT-1 to get it to turn in the dirt. But the real trick was to stand and lean forward and, as some have already said, grip the tank with your knees.

 

[iyaoyas98]

I've taken to sitting up on the tank for the twisties, but slid back off road, gotta keep that front end light

Edit - I can't even spell "tank" this morning