RiderSite (The Archive Forum)

[KayBee]

Any advice on U-turns on a road? I can do them fine in very little space anywhere else, but put me on a road and I have problems, head not up, curb fixation....... whatever it is........

Advice welcome.

I can do them in the road, just not every time (possibly less than half ), but I need to be able to do them everytime.

I will try and practise, but I am hoping one of you will have the gem that will really help me.

[Jase]

The back brake is useful to steady yourself with, but in all honesty i just do them nowadays without thinking about them. When i did my testi really fluffed my U turn, and then was so angry with myself i did another to get back in front of the examiner with out thinking about it and at about twice the speed, luckily that one was perfect! So maybe try one a little quicker so the bike is more stable?

[Skippy]

It's easy to lose your balance when doing a U-Turn, that's the tricky part.

Use plenty of revs and ride the clutch a bit so you have better control, apply the back brake lightly to help stablize the bike.

It sounds like you can do them OK, you just need to practice to get your confidence up for when you are in a more confined space. Practice makes perfect.



Something that has always perplexed me, the driving instructors in the UK say that you don't have to use your indicator when you do a U-Turn. Their logic is that you don't do a U-Turn when there is any traffic around so there is no need to use your indicator beause there is no one to see you.

What do people thinK?

[KayBee]

I haven't been told to indicate when doing a U-turn. So I don't think you have to.

Anyway the rule is only indicate where necessary, as you say you only do a U-turn when there is no one there to signal to, and therefore it isn't necessary!

[burty]

You're not going to u turn in front of approaching cars so it makes no sense to indicate. Maybe it makes sense if u turning in heavy (stationary) traffic, but that's a different problem.

I was crap at u turns, fluffed the first one on my first test. I had practiced for ever and ever for it too. However I discovered that if I got the bike to full lock as soon as I turned I found that I got most of the turn done early on and hence was opening out toward the end, this made it much easier as there was none of the 'ooh curb getting close need to turn more' late in the turn which de-stabilises the bike.

All the other advice is good, look ahead, head up etc etc

[Highside]

Look where you want to go, use the back brake not the front, if you are jerky in first (often with a 125) change up to second straight away, the bike will act almost like a twist and go, no need to worry about clutch.
The last tip may not work for everyone, but I used that on my part one test when doing the figure of 8 (if anybody remembers the part one).

[BFG]

[Samray]

Under instruction I was never very smooth or confident ( it was an ER5 crate). Come the test I was asked to do the turn in a busy road far narrower than where we`d done them in practise.With a barely large enough gap in the traffic I had to hurry....and with no time to worry about it, and actually doing it faster had no prob at all.
Prolly not done a better one since.

[mikaloyd]

kaybee, U turns are (typically) done at such low speeds that the bike isnt very stable yet and the main challenge is to keep your balance and not tip over. One technique which might help in very low speed riding is to keep your body's center of gravity directly above where the two tires are touching the road surface. Most people's center of gravity is a point somewhere between their solar plexus and their navel. Just try to keep that above a line between the front and rear contact patches and you will do well with balance.

[KayBee]

Thanks for your help guys.

I went out practising on the Bandit 400 last night, which Jason said was more difficult than the GS500 I've been using, as it doesn't have the turning circle at low speeds, it relies more on leaning. But anyway after a bit of practise, and some tinkering (don't ask!) I managed to consistently complete U-turns in a road 8 paces wide! So I am very happy!

Lets hope I have mastered that art now!

[Gnome]

Front brake on, clutch in, big handfull of revs and ease out the clutch, once the wheel starts spinning it's easy to lean the bike slightly and it spins around in it's own space. Simple (not sure how they would take it on the test though)

.GNOME.

[KayBee]

Arhhhhhh......................

Gnome, I may save that manoeuvre until later................ when I really want to scare Jason maybe..............

[burty]

[KayBee]

[XJR Jason]

Any way my elbow never hit that blokes mirror............erm.....honest