How To

Riding Technique For EnduroCross - Tire Tapping The Matrix

Off-road riding tips from Cody Webb

April 11, 2018

This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of Dirt Rider.

If there’s one obstacle in EnduroCross that every track is almost guaranteed to feature, it’s the matrix. Enjoyed by some riders and disliked by others, the matrix is a row of logs that are unevenly spaced apart, and a number of different techniques can be used to get through it successfully. Some riders prefer to jump through it like a rhythm section while others place their front and rear wheels on different logs to pick their way through it more methodically. In this how-to, we sought advice from three-time AMA EnduroCross champion, 2010 AMA MotoTrials National Champion, and recently crowned SuperEnduro World Champion Cody Webb to find out the proper way to tire tap through the matrix. Read the steps below and view the corresponding images of the FMF KTM Red Bull Racing rider in action as he picks apart the technical matrix on his personal EnduroCross track in Northern California.

Step 1: I plan on tire tapping, so I have the front end really high so I don't drop it into that third log because dropping your front end in the Matrix is a trip over the bars. I'm digging into the back of the pegs pretty good, and I'm in kind of a squat position so I don't get kicked.Jeff Allen

Step 2: I'm off the throttle here. I didn't give it too much throttle because I'm planning on tire tapping, so I'm just kind of in the air, neutral, hanging out right now until I hit the next log.Jeff Allen

Step 3: I'm kind of letting the bike drop away from me right now. I'm tire tapping that second one and I want the bike to fall forward. My front tire's going to fall on the back side of that third log, and I'm throwing my weight forward so the back of the bike rebounds off this second log, which will help the bike unweight over the third log.Jeff Allen

Step 4: I hardly use the clutch at all in the Matrix on the four-stroke. But on this tire tap I'll pull it in and almost pop the throttle just for a second to get the drive because you're casing it on purpose, basically. So when I tap the second one I'll want a little acceleration to just propel forward and get my rear tire to hop across that gap.Jeff Allen

Step 5: Hitting the second log to drop the front end, it's a brake basically.Jeff Allen

Step 6: If there's another obstacle right after the third log you can have a quicker reaction time using this tapping method.Jeff Allen

Tip: I don't use any brake for this because there's not enough time to get your foot off the brake again to go into the next triple or double or log.