Motorcycle skills

Question 1

Start at one end of your practice area. From a stop, pop your motorcycle into first gear and hold the clutch
in. Apply pressure to the rear brake, and gently increase the throttle up to around 1500 rpms or so. Hold this
constant.

Now, without letting off the brake or lowering or increasing the throttle, start to slowly let out the clutch,
until you start to feel the motorcycle push against or fight the rear brake.

Pull the clutch fully in. Repeat this process for a good 5-10 minutes or so. Working on getting your hand to
memorize where and when the friction zone begins. Take a break every couple of minutes to let the clutch
cool down.

Avoid looking at your hands, keep your head and eyes up. Just like you would on the road.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Once you are pretty confident you know where the friction zone is, it’s time to get the bike actually moving.
Following the same steps as before, you want to get the motorcycle fighting against thebrake. But this
time, you are not going to pull the clutch in. Instead you are going to gently let the clutch out a little more
while also releasing a bit of the pressure off the brake.

Your goal here will be to go as slowly as you can from one side of your practice area to the other. Keep some pressure on the rear brake, you want it to slow you down slightly when you pull in the clutch. This is called dragging the rear brake, it helps improve stability when riding slowly.

Work at keeping the throttle constant, if you want morespeed.Do not increase throttle, just let the
clutch out a bit more to allow more of the power to transfer to the wheels.

If you want to slow down, don’t apply more brake or chop the throttle. Pull the clutch in further, but never let
it let the clutch leave the friction zone.

When you get to the end. Stop, turn around and start again. Do this a few dozen times. Or until you are
confident you have this down.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

It’s best to first practice throttle control in a straight line. This
can be done almost anywhere. The first drill is to practice rolling on and off the
throttle slowly, smoothly, and consistently. When I say slowly,
I mean very slowly, especially when rolling off the throttle. I’ve
found that what most of my students consider slowly rolling off
the throttle is generally three times faster than it needs to be. It
will, in fact, seem almost painfully slow. You know you are doing
it right when the suspension barely moves up and down without
any jerkiness.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When braking, how quickly do you squeeze the lever?
How firmly do you squeeze? How quickly do you release the lever?
Isn’t the tempo for getting off the brakes just as important as
how you apply them? If you are full on the front brake with the
suspension compressed and you suddenly let go of the lever, the
front end will jump back up, upsetting the bike and changing the
traction equation. Smooth on the brakes; smooth off the brakes.
Remember, you should be squeezing progressively harder over
one full second as weight transfers onto the front wheel. It’s just as
important to “unsqueeze” the brake over one full second.

Answer 4

a

Question 5

Preloading the shift lever with your foot will significantly reduce the time required to shift. On the track that means faster lap times. On the street, it means easier transitions between gears for a smoother ride.

The first step in the basic upshifting technique involves making sure the engine is under full load. This means full throttle and usually but not necessarily super-high rpm. The second is pre-loading the shift lever by pulling your foot up with just slightly less force than that needed to engage the next gear. Next, quickly roll off the throttle approximately 10-20 percent of its twisting range and back on to full throttle. The wrist movement here
should be as small and as fast as possible, not unlike blinking an eye. When this happens, the torque force on the transmission will temporarily unload, and the preloaded shift lever will now snick into the next gear.

Answer 5

A

Question 6

The correct technique for downshifting involves turning, or
blipping, the throttle about 50 percent of its twisting travel at the
instant the clutch is disengaged by pulling in on the lever. Once
the clutch is disengaged, the blip will quickly increase the engine
rpm. At this point, you should quickly engage the lower gear.
When the clutch is engaged by letting the lever back out, the
new lower gear ratio will require the higher rpm to smoothly
blend engine speed to the new rear-wheel speed. Although it’s
possible to over-blip the throttle in this situation, it’s highly unlikely
and has little negative effect on the bike. When beginning to
learn this technique, you’re far better off erring on the side of too
much rpm than not enough.

Answer 6

a

Question 7

Set two cones 3 parking spaces apart.

Accelerate to 15 MPH and then stop when your front wheel crosses the first cone. Try to keep the motorcycle controlled and in a straight line.

Stop before crossing the last cone.

Answer 7

A

Question 8

Set two cones 3 parking spaces apart.

Accelerate straight ahead across the parking lot between 15-20 mph (shift to second gear.) Begin to
slow down and downshift at the first marker. Try to come to a smooth non-skidding stop with your front
tire next to the last marker.

Keep head and eyes up.
Keep the motorcycle on a straight course.
Begin downshifting and braking at the first marker.
When stopping, roll off the throttle, squeeze in the clutch, downshift to first gear and apply both
brakes smoothly, gradually applying more pressure.
Do not release the back brake until you come to a complete stop.
When stopped, the left foot should touch the ground first; your right foot should be applying the rear
brake. You should be in first gear, ready for a quick escape if needed.

Answer 8

A

Question 9

Set cones two parking spots apart.

Travel down range at 15-20 mph (25 to 35 kph) in 2nd gear
maintaining a steady throttle. Do not exceed 20 mph (35 kph).
When your front tire passes the 1” set of cones, apply both brakes
while squeezing in the clutch and downshifting into 1 gear.
Come to a smooth stop at the 2hd set of cones.
Use a smooth, progressive squeeze on the front brake and a
steady to decreasing press on the rear brake.
Head and eyes up, looking straight ahead.
Use all four fingers on both the clutch and front brake levers.
Hold your rear brake when stopped with your right foot and put
your left foot down to hold the motorcycle in an upright position.
Have downshifted to 1 gear and performed a mirror check.
As you repeat the exercise progressively decrease your stopping
distance.

Answer 9

A

Question 10

Cones two parking spaces apart.

See if you can
better your previous distance without skidding. As you gain
confidence in your front tire traction, bump your approach
speed up another 2 mph on each subsequent practice pass.

At the end of the stop, you should have the clutch squeezed,
the transmission in first gear, your right foot on the rear brake
pedal, and your left foot on the ground. It’s a good habit to check
your mirrors after stopping.

Answer 10

A

Question 11

Set a series of cones three parking spots apart.

Practice weaving through the cones at 15 MPH. This exercise will help you learn how to pass obstacles or other vehicles on the road.

After the last cone, turn left and come to a smooth normal stop with the front tire completely inside a set box.

Keep your head and eyes up. Avoid looking down; use your peripheral vision to locate the markers.

Turn by pushing on the handlebars in the direction of the turn. (Push right to go right; push left to go left.)

Lean with the motorcycle for the exercise.

Maintain a steady speed.

Answer 11

A

Question 12

Set a series of cones two parking spots apart.

Practice weaving through the cones at 15 MPH. This exercise will help you learn how to pass obstacles or other vehicles on the road.

After the last cone, turn left and come to a smooth normal stop with the front tire completely inside a set box.

Keep your head and eyes up. Avoid looking down; use your peripheral vision to locate the markers.

Turn by pushing on the handlebars in the direction of the turn. (Push right to go right; push left to go left.)

Lean with the motorcycle for the exercise.

Maintain a steady speed.

Answer 12

A

Question 13

One one side of lot set odd number of cones 3 spaces apart and the other an odd number 2 spaces apart. Weave around clockwise and counter, faster.

Keep your head and eyes up. Avoid looking down; use your peripheral vision to locate the markers.

Turn by pushing on the handlebars in the direction of the turn. (Push right to go right; push left to go left.)

Lean with the motorcycle for the exercise.

Maintain a steady speed.

Answer 13

A

Question 14

Set cones a parking lot distance apart. In clockwise and counter, at 10-15mph, ride practicing turning. Go around a full set of parking lines at higher speeds.

Practicing these drills will help you in turning and cornering at higher speeds such as curves on
highways and winding roads, especially when the curve is tighter than you anticipated.
Ride to the left around the oval. Adjust your
speed and lean angle so that a small throttle opening is held steady through each curve.
Repeat the drill turning to the right.

Beginning speed of 10-15 mph.
Slow down before the turn.
Look through the turn to where you want to go. Lean with the motorcycle.
Hold a steady speed or roll on the throttle gently through the turn.

Answer 14

A

Question 15

Set up cones from one end of a parking line to the other, about 18ft.

Like the name says, your goal is to do figure 8s. While a figure 8 isn’t normally something you will ever have
to do on the streets, it’s really good for getting used to tight turns, getting a feel for leaning and
transitioning from a tight turn. Making you a much more agile rider.

Start off by picking a center point for your figure 8s. You don’t need markers for this, just use the white
parking lines.

Then at a reasonable speed, you simply start by making a u-turn. Except you hold the turn until you are at
the center point of your figure 8. Then you quickly transition to the other direction. Repeating this 3 or 4
times. Then you come to a full stop and repeat.

Your goal like with u-turns is complete a figure 8 in-between two parking lines or around 18ft.

The same tips for u-turns apply for this exercise, ignore your front brake, ride the friction zone, be smooth
on the throttle and trust your motorcycle.

Answer 15

A

Question 16

Add cones to make a large figure 8 with wide turns.

This is designed to work on sharp turning and handling decreasing radius, both left and right. Great if you
have dreams of hitting up the twisties some day.

Then just like with the cornering exercise, you want to get your motorcycle up to a decent speed. Probably
around 15mph. Then you just follow the course around the markers.

Work on slowing just before the turn as well as finding a correct entry point and speed.

Answer 16

A

Question 17

The best practice for looking through turns is to set up a circle
in a clean parking lot and have a buddy (cone) stand in the center of it.
You should be able to look through him (the cone) for an entire revolution.
He will be able to tell if you panic and look forward because he will
be watching your eyes. This is much more difficult than it sounds
but can be learned fairly quickly. I recommend doing this at a very
low speed until you are comfortable with the drill. There is no
need to go fast as the important thing here is to train your head to
be turned enough to see the center of the circle.

Answer 17

A

Question 18

You can always learn something about the best line through a
turn by just riding through it. But speeding up your learning
curve will only happen if you take a more deliberate approach.
The safest and cheapest method is to set up cones in a vacant
parking lot that has good traction. By trying several different turn
points and lines through your practice turn, you will quickly see
what works best for your type of motorcycle and riding style. Use
cones to mark brake on and off points and to indicate where to get
back on the throttle. Practicing the same turn at different speeds
will help you find your weaknesses and give you specific skills to
address.

Ease on the throttle as you lean over, not halfway around the turn.
If the bike is going too fast to allow easing on more throttle, focus
on getting the bike down to a slow speed at the turn-in point.

Answer 18

A

Question 19

Set up cones for a wide 90 degree turn.

Practice making 90 degree turns at about 15 MPH. Practice this exercise in both directions.

Answer 19

A

Question 20

Set up cones for a sharp 90 degree turn, including a beginning of turn cone, and cones to mark the lane I need to stay in when I’m turning out of the turn.

Practice making sharp turns without stopping at about 10 MPH. Do this exercise in both directions.

Begin riding straight across the parking lot, increasing speed to approximately 10 mph. Just
before reaching the “Begin Turning” Marker, the first cone of turn, slow down and use both brakes to adjust your speed for
making a sharp turn. As you reach the line or marker make a sharp turn (left or right). Finish your turn as
close to the cones on the far side of the final lane as you can without touching it. Remember to accelerate slightly coming out of the turn.

Avoid looking down.
Do not squeeze the clutch lever.
Avoid applying the brakes when the motorcycle is leaned over.
Look through the turn where to your exit where you want to go.
Beginning speed of 10-15 mph. Lean with the motorcycle.
Slow down before the turn by applying both brakes smoothly.
Gradually increase speed throughout the turn.

Answer 20

A

Question 21

Set up cones across a parking lot, where I have to turn into a lane only one parking space wide.

In first gear, begin riding straight across the lot,
increasing speed to approximately 10 mph (15 kph).
Just before reaching the cue cones, use both brakes to slow and
adjust speed for making a sharp turn to your left or right.
As soon as the front tire has passed the cue cones start the turn.
Use the friction zone to control your speed, use proper head turn,
and slightly accelerate out of the turn as you smoothly release the
clutch.
Left turn and right.

Answer 21

A

Question 22

Set up cones where I have to turn into a lane only one parking space wide.

Starting from a stopped position right before the turn.

Start at a full stop. The steps are the same as a U-turn from a stop. Start by engaging the rear brake. Turn your
handlebars full lock to the left or right.
Your head and eyes should be turned and looking in the direction you want to go. Start to slowly roll on the
throttle and increase the rpms, while gradually letting the clutch out until you are just in the friction zone.
You should feel the bike trying to fight the rear brake.
Then slowly release some of the pressure on the rear brake, while letting the clutch out a little more. Your
bike will start to lean and make the turn.
Avoid using the front brake at all, it will only cause you to crash. When starting out, start with the handlebars
around 3/4 turned. Then when you are comfortable, you can try it full |loc.

Answer 22

A

Question 23

Practice wide 180 degree turns only with decreasing radius or a double apex corner - where it is more like two rounded 90 degree turns. Increase speed.

Answer 23

A

Question 24

From a stop, make an immediate right (left) 90 degree turn. Cross diagonally across parking lot. Make a U-turn within street width to the left (right). Come to a stop halfway down parking lot in a marked box.

Answer 24

A

Question 25

Place two cones bike width apart at one parking line, and two lines later a full 8’ line of cones.

Accelerate to the first set of cones at about 15 MPH, then swerve around the 8 foot wide obstacle, then return going straight. Do this exercise to the right
and left of the obstacle. Do not go outside of parking line.

To swerve right, push right until you have cleared the marker, then push left to resume straight ahead
travel.
a Push on the handlebar in the same direction you want to go. (Push right to go right, push left to go
left.)
Do not brake and swerve at the same time.

Answer 25

54

Question 26

Normal stop on a curve.

Practicing this exercise will help you stop smoothly in a curve. Ride to the outside of line “A”. As you
reach marker one, turn in the curved path indicated by markers two, three, and four. Once you enter the
curved path, gradually apply both brakes and downshift. Do not release the clutch. Try to come to a
smooth stop with your front tire next to marker four. Do this at 10 mph, then 15 mph.

Keep your head and eyes up; focus on where you want to stop.
Straighten up the motorcycle before you stop completely.
Use both brakes to stop.
Keep feet on pegs until almost stopped.
When stopped, the left foot should touch the ground first, and you should be in first gear.
Don’t skid either tire.

Look straight ahead
Square the handlebars
Squeeze the clutch and begin braking, using both brakes,
while downshifting to 1st gear.
Do not release the clutch; come to a smooth upright stop, left
foot down, right foot remaining on the foot brake.

Answer 26

61

Question 27

Quick stop on a curve. Same setup as normal stop, only shorter area to finish in.

Practicing this exercise will help you stop quickly when something suddenly appears in your path on a curve.
Ride to the outside of the line “A”. Start, facing marker one at a distance sufficient enough to increase speed to 10-15
mph. As you reach marker one, turn in the curved path indicated by marker two, three, and four. When your front tire
passes marker two, begin braking. Try to stop before marker three. Do this at 10 mph, then 15 mph. Do not exceed 15
mph.

Keep head and eyes up; focus on where you want to go.
Straighten motorcycle, then apple both brakes stopping as quickly as possible.
Keep feet on pegs until almost stopped.
When stopped, the left foot should touch the ground first, and you should be in first gear.
Do not skid either wheel.

1. Make sure your handlebars are straight, if your bars are turned, it’s not going to be fun.
2. Pull in the clutch.
3. Roll off the throttle.
4. Begin to squeeze the front brake. Do not grab a fist full, gradually increase the pressure.
5. Apply pressure to the rear brake. Don’t mash it, like with the front brake, gradually increase the
   pressure. Avoid a skid.
6. Drop the gears down to first.
7. When stopped, put your left foot down.

Answer 27

66

Question 28

Double U-turn: figure 8 or S

Ride up the long end of a rectangle created by two lines of parking spots, long left hand U-turn no wider than length of two parking spots, cross diagonally across, right u-turn, and straight up left side of rectangle.

Enter the box on the right hand side. As the rider approaches the
far end execute a left hand u-turn crossing back across the box.
As the rider approaches the end of the box, execute a right hand
u-turn. Proceed along the border, exiting the box.
Stay in your comfort zone. This is not a competition. When
making a U-Turn use the following sequence.
o Use your Brakes to slow the motorcycle prior to the turn.
Shift your weight to the outside of the turn to counterbalance
the motorcycle prior to the turn. This also helps you to turn
your shoulders.
Make an aggressive head and shoulder turn looking back to
the other end of the box.
o Use your clutch Friction Zone to control and maintain your
speed through the turn.
As you repeat the exercise try to make sharper U-Turns.

Answer 28

69

Question 29

U-turn within width of two parking spots.

From a full stop, move forward slowly until you are comfortable that you have enough speed. Then dip the
motorcycle and make a full u-turn to the left or the right. Learning to “dip” the motorcycle makes it so much
easier to pull a tight u-turn.

Don’t be afraid to go “full lock” on the bars when you do a u-turn. It might feel strange or even like the
motorcycle is going to tip over but it won’t, trust your motorcycle.
Resist the urge to put a foot down, and DO NOT touch the front brake. Giving it any front brake will
instantly make the bike crash.
When you turn, work on snapping your head around, keeping your eyes looking where you want the bike to
go during the turn.

Avoid the urge to watch the pavement in front of your front wheel, this will only make you run wide inauturn.
When you are through the turn, straighten up and come to a complete stop. Repeat this as many times as
you see fit. Make sure to practice turning both directions.

Answer 29

71

Question 30

Full stop into U-turn.

Start to practice going from a full stop right into a u-turn. To do this, you
start off by keeping your rear brake fully engaged. Turn your handle bars full lock the direction you want to
go.
Then you get the revs up a little bit and let the clutch out just enough that you can feel the brake holding
back the motorcycle.
Then when you are ready to go, let the clutch out a little more and release the brake a little. Make sure you
keep the clutch in the friction zone.
Your head and eyes should be turned completely and looking behind you. You have to do this whole time
during the turn. Only straighten your head when the bike is going straight.
I would recommend the first few times, you start off with the bars only 4 turned, then when you are
confident, try it full lock.
Your eventual goal should be to be able to constantly perform a smooth 18ft u-turn from a stop. (width of 2 parking spots)

Do not chop the throttle. If you do, you will probably drop the bike.
Keep your hand away from the front brake. If you touch this at all, you will drop the bike.
Keep the clutch in the friction zone. This helps smooth out the power input from your throttle.
Fight the urge to put your foot down. Your bike will not tip.
Full lock the steering. To get a tight u-turn, you are going to have to turn the bars all the way.
Trust your motorcycle. If you listen to previous tips, your motorcycle will not tip. Trust it.

Answer 30

72

Question 31

Slow speed tight turn - increasing lean angle.

Cut increasingly smaller radius turns, leaning bike more, and counterbalancing with body weight moved to the opposite side of the turn.

Just as in high-speed cornering,
it’s best to make all the steering inputs with the inside arm. By relaxing
the outside arm, it will be considerably easier to maintain a tight line because the two arms will not be wrestling one another
for control of the handlebars.
By moving your body to the opposite side of the bike, the majority
of your weight will be on the outside footpeg. Again, this is
exactly the opposite process of that used in high-speed cornering.
It’s important to move your crotch area as far forward and out on
the tank as possible to find the ideal balance point. The farther
away from the bike you can move your body, the more lean angle
you will be able to generate, and the tighter turn you will achieve.
The one thing that will make or break low-speed turns is your
vision. Where you look has a profound impact on where you go. In
order to have the tightest turn possible, look behind you like a dog
chasing after its own tail, and the bike will follow your lead with a
clean, tight line.
A great way to practice low-speed U-turns is by making gradually
tighter circles in a parking lot. This lets you gradually work
up to your minimum diameter at your own pace. Try each side
separately until you are comfortable with both sides. When you
have mastered this, you can start riding a figure-eight pattern.

If the bike starts leaning to the
point where you’re afraid the steering can’t keep it from falling
down, all you need to do is dial in some more throttle.

Once you’ve gotten
comfortable with leaning your body over and steering, you can
add in the throttle. The benefit of holding the throttle constant
at two or three times the idle speed(the “sweet spot” varies from
bike to bike) is that it turns all of the moving engine components
into a gyroscope. This stabilizes the bike even further as long as
you hold the throttle steady.

Of course, if you use the throttle to gain stability then the
clutch and rear brake are also required to keep the speed at a slow,
steady pace.One technique is to slip the clutch, holding it as constant
as possible.

Answer 31

73

Question 32

Find a hill. Practice starting and stopping up and down hills.

Answer 32

77

Question 33

Practice riding slowly on various surfaces: wet roads, gravel, grass, wooden bridge.

Reduce speed
Weight on footpegs
Pick best surface; follow smooth lines
Steady throttle hand
Bike perpendicular to the road surface.

Riding
too slowly through deep sand or gravel will allow the front tire to
sink and plow so badly that you lose balance. At a faster speed,
the tire floats on top. And don’t forget that faster-spinning wheels
provide increased gyroscopic stability.

On gravel, if you need to control downhill speed, select a lower
gear and use engine compression on the descent, but stay away
from that frontbrake.

Approaching a short section of loose sand or deep gravel, a short
burst on the throttle in third gear may be much better than slowing
down and attempting it in first gear.When traction is limited,
shifting up a gear helps prevent sudden wheel spins.

as traction goes away, you need to
favor the rear brake more and use the front brake less. The trick
is to apply just enough braking to slow the bike, but not so much
that you skid the tires. With today’s powerful front disc brakes,
even a little squeeze may be too much. If you aren’t familiar
enough with braking to be able to feel when your front wheel is
beginning to slide, you’re probably better off avoiding the front
brake entirely until you get back on pavement.

Plan a path of travel that puts your tires over the best surface.
- Shift body weight and lean the motorcycle to keep the wheels
perpendicular to the road surface.
- Stand on the pegs in difficult situations.
-Steer more with the throttle. Use controlled bursts of power to
-Use inertia rather than engine power to carry the machine up-
Start a downhill section very slowly. Use engine braking to
slide the rear end toward the outside in gravelly corners.
hill or through tough sections.
keep speed in check.
- Stay off the front brake.

Answer 33

78

Question 34

Edge trap practice:

Ride a figure-
8 path over different edges, concentrating on positioning your
motorcycle to cross as close to a right angle as possible and using
a bit of throttle to drive the front tire up and over. Yeah, it gets
harder as you move down the list.

*A wood 2 x 4 or 2 x6 that’s at least 6 feet long
*A low curb
*A stiff garden hose
*A large-diameter rope that’s at least 10 feet long

Answer 34

90