Slow speed practice.

[wrightme43]

This is one of the harder skills for me. I am getting better thru working and practice but it is still hard. I have read that a quick way to tell how good a rider is by watching them at slow speed, in tight turns. I want to be a better rider, and I am sure other people are interested as well, and may not of seen these.

http://www.largiader.com/slow/

[JONAC]

Nice thread Steve ... In the UK if we put a foot down on the U turn excersise when on your test it is an instant fail !! they make it as tight as possible too.

Dropped a Honda CBF500 on that very same thing minutes before my test lol
It didn't fill me with confidence but I somehow managed it on my test.

Just bought and fitted some frame sliders so I can practice my slow speed stuff with a little less fear of dropping it ... Don't want to damage my pride and joy

[OneTrack]

Although I initially found my FZ6's somewhat 'sharp' clutch engagement a bit difficult to manage when first doing slow-speed maneouvers, the wonderful balance of the bike overcame that quite quickly. I find that doing figure 8's is a bit easier in 2nd than 1st gear, which 'softens' the sharpness of the clutch engagement just enough to not be the main issue.
Smoothness and concentration is where it's at. Bad things happen awfully quickly in a U turn if the bike almost stops rolling or the clutch is fully engaged, or if you don't plan your turn's entry and exit point ahead of time.

[Khyren]

I learned how to do all those manuvers in the MSF class recently. And in taking it to get certified was much better than making an appointment with the DMV guy, he's a deck...

Khyren

[DrBart2]

Great post! Thanks for the info. I need to practice a lot. As I get older it is even more important to keep my riding skills up.

btw- you wouldn't believe the difference in slow riding the FZ6 compared to slow riding my old V-Star 1100!!! The 6 is soooooo much easier to balance and maneuver than that cruiser!

[sideshow_downs]

Like it said in the article i find tight turns easiestwhen i look over my sholder where i want to go to and when im in the turn to lean to the outside.

[saddletramp]

Good subject matter. Having been an MSF instructor and Trials rider (heavy on the been), I well understand the mechanics of doing these maneuvers. (didn't say i was good at it)
It can be very satisying to learn to master the skills needed to have confident control of the motorcycle in all regimes. Takes a lot of practice, and self-critisizm; something most of us don't like to do. One key point: LOOK where you want to go, look down only for reference.

[saddletramp]

A friend, and former MSF instructor sent me this link. I would have loved to've seen this competition. If you check the (I think) second rider, you'll see the point about where to look (head position). In a way, we're kind of like horses. You turn them by turning their heads. We're no different. Look where you want to go.

2007 Motorcops.com National Training and Skills...

Don't know that much about links, so you may have to cut and paste. (sorry)

[fisheye]

I took a training class from Ride like a pro.
It's a modified version of the police motor officer course. I saw them perform at one of the local bike shows and signed up for their course. It improved my slow speed skills 100%.

[mikebike]

I can ride slow well....mostly because of the transfer of skills from Bicycling.

I can balance my road bicycle standing dead still for a whole traffic light.

also when mountain biking I do alot of trials like balancing on the technical trails.

plus if you drop your bicycle there is not $100's of damage