Slow riding tips....
Wow. The op asks for riding advice and almost every answer is watch a DVD. Really great help guys.
K. As far as slow speed turns slip the clutch and use the rear brake to finess your way around. As long as you stay in motion the bike will want to stay upright. I suggest an empty parking lot and practice.
K. As far as slow speed turns slip the clutch and use the rear brake to finess your way around. As long as you stay in motion the bike will want to stay upright. I suggest an empty parking lot and practice.
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,533
Likes: 0
From: Sparks, NV
Be sure you're keeping power to the rear wheel, so slow down prior to the turn, find your friction zone (clutch/throttle) and keep the wheel under power the entire way through the turn. The tendency for most people is to coast through a turn, which is much less stable than being under power.
You said you took the class, so you already know about pointing your head and eyes in the direction you want to go, so keep doing that religiously. Look down=go down. So go find a parking lot and make a million u-turns by looking where you want to go and friction zoning through the entire turn. Then make a million right hand u turns.
If you get going too fast, use the rear brake a little, but don't use the front in a slow turn, and especially don't grab a handful of front brake. That's the sure way to go to the ground.
You said you took the class, so you already know about pointing your head and eyes in the direction you want to go, so keep doing that religiously. Look down=go down. So go find a parking lot and make a million u-turns by looking where you want to go and friction zoning through the entire turn. Then make a million right hand u turns.
If you get going too fast, use the rear brake a little, but don't use the front in a slow turn, and especially don't grab a handful of front brake. That's the sure way to go to the ground.
Account Retired
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,245
Likes: 12
From: Here
Wow. The op asks for riding advice and almost every answer is watch a DVD. Really great help guys.
K. As far as slow speed turns slip the clutch and use the rear brake to finess your way around. As long as you stay in motion the bike will want to stay upright. I suggest an empty parking lot and practice.
K. As far as slow speed turns slip the clutch and use the rear brake to finess your way around. As long as you stay in motion the bike will want to stay upright. I suggest an empty parking lot and practice.
Last edited by Ronp42; Apr 26, 2012 at 05:51 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 365
Likes: 9
From: KENTUCKY
+1 as all the others have said. Practice all the time...these are skills that the more you practice the better you get. These big Harleys are pretty easy to handle in parking lots once you get the friction zone and rear brake concepts burned in your brain. I can handle my SG much easier than my softail. As an added bonus...if you practice the friction zone enough you don't have put your feet down at stop signs AND you just might be ready for the next Easyriders slow race rodeo
Find a local class OR riding groups that have them for free... We have a goldwing meetup.com group here in phoenix that has practice sessions setup at least monthly and they practice lots of different things... I came from a 2006 Sporster Custom to my new to me 2009 Road King.. boy a big difference between those two bikes in low speed maneuvering.. first thing I did (despite 60k miles on the sporty over 6 years) was sign up for a refresher training class (where we focused on slow speed maneuvers)... having a little class explanations and then practicing the skills really helped (and some bad habits I formed from lighter bike adjusted..).. but class or dvd or whatnot.. none will prepare you more than practice practice practice... I try to practice a uturn everyday out front of my house...
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 446
Likes: 4
From: Nevada
All the advice is good, the DVDs are excellent, but there is no substitute for the actual program. Riding with a small group and getting one-on-one instruction is really helpful and you will learn quickly. It can be frustrating trying to master all the elements of slow riding on your own, but all that aside, at least you're making the effort. Best of luck. Stay with it ... it will change the way you ride.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 477
Likes: 0
From:
While practicing, cover your crash bars with heavy water hose. Just in case...
Ride safe,
Bob.
Ride safe,
Bob.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,082
Likes: 11
From: Long Island, NY
Compared to your Fat Bob, the SG has a lot more weight (obviously) on the front end, and as a result is less forgiving if you don't handle it properly at slow speeds. Do not grab the front brake at slow speed turns or the bike will go right down. You may have been able to get away with sloppy or improper technique on a lighter bike, but you won't be able to on a touring bike.
As others said, turn your head and eyes in the direction you want the bike to go, use the friction zone on your clutch and control the speed with the clutch, throttle and rear brake, and lean the bike.
After a little practice it will become second nature. You'll be amazed how stable the bike feels even during low speed maneuvers once you start feeling more confident and comfortable.
As others said, turn your head and eyes in the direction you want the bike to go, use the friction zone on your clutch and control the speed with the clutch, throttle and rear brake, and lean the bike.
After a little practice it will become second nature. You'll be amazed how stable the bike feels even during low speed maneuvers once you start feeling more confident and comfortable.
Last edited by bigdaddy33; Apr 26, 2012 at 06:57 PM.