One of the most exciting and unique parts of motocross is jumping and if you're lucky enough to have the room the next thing you will probably want to do is start building a motocross jump.

Now let's assume you have the space and the materials (dirt or timber and metal for a ramp) and take a look at the dimensions that work best when building a motocross jump.

Without getting too technical there is some basic physics to understand as you take your bike over a motocross jump.

You have probably noticed how whoops and stutter bumps kick the rear fender into your butt while a ski jump will most of the time have you sail gracefully through the air.

Building a motocross jump is about giving your dirt bike enough forward momentum to keep it level in flight.

This is done usually by having the length of the jump greater than the wheelbase of your dirt bike.

The simple formula you can use when building a motocross jump is the '1 to 3' rule.

For every one unit in height you times that figure by three for the length of the ramp.

So a motocross jump that is 3 feet high you need a ramp length of about 9 feet, 4 foot high, 12 feet long...etc.

If you want a supercross type kicker or a freestyle motocross ramp you would make the ramp length shorter, but the '1 to 3' rule is a good place to start when building a motocross jump.