Slow Speed Skills
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6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 10
Likes: 18
From: N. CAL
Slow Speed Skills
I was checking out a few of the riding coaches on Youtube lately, and I thought i would try some of their recommendations for low speed and U-turn confidence builders.
Essentially, the technique involves 4 things:
1- keep the revs above idle, but not too high. maybe around 1500 - 2000 rpm
2- engage the clutch just enough to feel it grabbing (the "friction zone")
3- use only your rear brake to keep the power fairly constant
4- look over your shoulder, keep your head up a bit and dont look in front of the bike
I tried it on an empty lot near my house a few times and it is amazing the amount of control i have with this technique. i didnt set the cones out, just used some of the parking lines as reference.
I have to admit that u-turns at a light with an 830 lb bike is sometimes a bit sketchy without these skills! Definitely feel better after I do some of these drills...
Essentially, the technique involves 4 things:
1- keep the revs above idle, but not too high. maybe around 1500 - 2000 rpm
2- engage the clutch just enough to feel it grabbing (the "friction zone")
3- use only your rear brake to keep the power fairly constant
4- look over your shoulder, keep your head up a bit and dont look in front of the bike
I tried it on an empty lot near my house a few times and it is amazing the amount of control i have with this technique. i didnt set the cones out, just used some of the parking lines as reference.
I have to admit that u-turns at a light with an 830 lb bike is sometimes a bit sketchy without these skills! Definitely feel better after I do some of these drills...
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,937
Likes: 320
From: Vancouver, WA
Yep…that technique works. Pretty much the only technique if you want to make a U-Turn correctly. Also, be careful not to inadvertently pull the clutch in while you’re in the middle of that U-Turn. You will go down on the low side.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 340
Likes: 69
From: Winnipeg
Ride like a pro and the be the boss of your motorcycle guy are who i follow. every spring, my buddy and i take pylons to a large parking lot and work on our slow maneuvers. as you said, a lot of the control is from the rear brake. we have done this for a number of years and each year it starts getting a lot easier to hit those 20 foot u turns. That means we can turn around on pretty much all the streets. i have not hit the 18 footers yet, nor got to the point where i am dragging floorboards through every turn. this early spring practice, and a few refreshers through out the summer really build the confidence.
Oh, and we throw in a few burnouts just for giggles
Oh, and we throw in a few burnouts just for giggles
learning to do slow speed u-turns was a bitch with the ape hangers, I figured out I have to skootch up on the gas tank then all is good.
Dead lifts at the gym, you don't need to use a lot of weight 100-150 pounds will suffice 3 sets of 12 is what I do 3x a week.
remember use your legs not your back.
Dead lifts at the gym, you don't need to use a lot of weight 100-150 pounds will suffice 3 sets of 12 is what I do 3x a week.
remember use your legs not your back.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 424
Likes: 357
From: Santa Barbara, CA
I highly recommend the
videos. I'd been riding 35 years, thinking there was nothing more for me to learn, and then I discovered the Ride Like a Pro video. I bought it and soon discovered I had a lot to learn about slow/tight maneuvering skills. I spent a few weekends in a parking lot perfecting the techniques, and significantly improved my skills and confidence.
It amusing now to ride with someone lacking these skills, when they see you pull off moves they don't dare try. I'm able to slow roll my bike so slow that guys next to me keep putting feet down/up while I just balance and creep forward.
It amusing now to ride with someone lacking these skills, when they see you pull off moves they don't dare try. I'm able to slow roll my bike so slow that guys next to me keep putting feet down/up while I just balance and creep forward.
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 188
Likes: 94
From: Wilmington Delaware
The only item I would modify is number 4. You need to look where you want to go. If it's a tight circle then as you wrote it applies.
Used to drive the live television motorcycles for professional bicycle races (think Tour de France) and marathons (Boston, New York, Olympics). Had to be able to do multiple 360s and figure 8s between barriers with a camera guy standing up on the rear pegs.
If you think you're about to go down, slightly shift the revs higher and let the clutch out more (not all the way) and bail. You only want it to pop upright so you can get your feet down to balance.
There's no shame in that. Once had to do it at the start of a bicycle race in Trenton NJ and three bicycles/riders plowed into the back of me. **** happens.
Used to drive the live television motorcycles for professional bicycle races (think Tour de France) and marathons (Boston, New York, Olympics). Had to be able to do multiple 360s and figure 8s between barriers with a camera guy standing up on the rear pegs.
If you think you're about to go down, slightly shift the revs higher and let the clutch out more (not all the way) and bail. You only want it to pop upright so you can get your feet down to balance.
There's no shame in that. Once had to do it at the start of a bicycle race in Trenton NJ and three bicycles/riders plowed into the back of me. **** happens.
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 424
Likes: 357
From: Santa Barbara, CA
learning to do slow speed u-turns was a bitch with the ape hangers, I figured out I have to skootch up on the gas tank then all is good.
Dead lifts at the gym, you don't need to use a lot of weight 100-150 pounds will suffice 3 sets of 12 is what I do 3x a week.
remember use your legs not your back.
Dead lifts at the gym, you don't need to use a lot of weight 100-150 pounds will suffice 3 sets of 12 is what I do 3x a week.
remember use your legs not your back.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 3,117
Likes: 1,193
From: Maryland
https://motorcycledropguards.com/
Might install the former and practice the latter (use rug/carpet).
Might install the former and practice the latter (use rug/carpet).
Last edited by T^2; Nov 1, 2023 at 03:42 PM.