How to Make Your Own Dirt Bike Track

Personally I build tabletops because I often ride with friends and my number one priority in my track is safety. You may be sure you can make the jump but you don't want other people trying to make it and breaking their backs. I built my entire track with a 10 HP 1970's Kubota tractor with a front loader. I soon found out that because this tractor only weighs about 1000 lbs (barely anything in terms of tractors) I should have bought a 4WD tractor because the dirt here is incredible compact. So if you're going to buy a small tractor and you don't have loose soil then either get a larger heavier tractor, or a 4 WD tractor. Dozers are great too, the main difference is that you have to get the dirt from a closer area to the jump instead of carrying it from farther away. Bobcats are awesome little machines and if you buy or rent one make sure you get one with tracks. The wheeled machines tend to loose traction easily on dirt when you're trying to dig up compact dirt.

For tabletops, start out with the face of the jump and pile up the dirt about 1 foot higher than you want the finished jump. stake out the start of the landing so you know when to stop. Then comes the time consuming part, just keep piling on dirt between the jump and the stakes for the landing. When I built my largest jump, about 35 feet long, 4 feet high, and 5 feet wide, it took me 10-15 hours to pile up all the dirt but that includes digging up the compacted dirt with a 2WD tractor. When shaping the face of the jump put a little bit of a curve in it so that you're bike's suspension gets compressed as you're going up it. If you put too much of a curve in it, you'll endo going over the jump because you're rear wheel will hit the lip as you're front tire is coming down and then you flip over the handlebars. When building the jump get out you're bike and try it slowly and feel if it's the right amount of curve. As for the landing you want it to be about twice the length of the jump face so that you have a larger area to land on allowing for a little more "wiggle room".

If you decide to build doubles, at least make them safe. Either make the landing a tabletop, or make the front of the landing fairly smooth. You build the jump the same way as a tabletop but make the backside of it slope down so that you're friends who want to roll over it don't find a 5 ft drop off on the other side. The landing of the double should be the same as the equivalent tabletop landing, about twice the length of your jump face.