Nervous on roundabouts today. Tight cornering

[kevfromcoro]

Aron....
no one one here is going to give you shit for asking for advice.
as stated ..there are some very good riders on KB.
and roundabouts are scary things
just one thing? most of us corner better to the left or some to the right.
do you have trouble on right handers
its quite coman.

[Mom]

I live in the country now, I dont come across these traps for biker roundy things very often. Once upon a time the Panmure roundabout was my twice daily commute. It has only got busier since I lived there.

I aproach a roundabout like any other intersection, the cars cant see me, they wont see me, and will attempt to kill me as a result. Yes you have to go slowly when it is busy, but you can still ride slowly with confidence.

Pick your path through the roundabout as you approach. That is your right of way, assuming here you understand the road rules of course. Look to your left and enter the roundabout with confidence, make sure you have clocked any potential blind car drivers entering the roundabout from your left. Always be prepared to avoid dickheads.

Practise slow speed travelling. Hint here, your clutch is your best friend to control slow speed.

[oldrider]

I live in the country now, I dont come across these traps for biker roundy things very often. Once upon a time the Panmure roundabout was my twice daily commute. It has only got busier since I lived there.

I aproach a roundabout like any other intersection, the cars cant see me, they wont see me, and will attempt to kill me as a result. Yes you have to go slowly when it is busy, but you can still ride slowly with confidence.

Pick your path through the roundabout as you approach. That is your right of way, assuming here you understand the road rules of course. Look to your left and enter the roundabout with confidence, make sure you have clocked any potential blind car drivers entering the roundabout from your left. Always be prepared to avoid dickheads.

Practise slow speed travelling. Hint here, your clutch is your best friend to control slow speed.

Hey Anne, if you fall off, PM me, I know CPR, I will be there in a heartbeat!

[GOONR]

Aron....
no one one here is going to give you shit for asking for advice.
as stated ..there are some very good riders on KB.
and roundabouts are scary things
just one thing? most of us corner better to the left or some to the right.
do you have trouble on right handers
its quite coman.

My left turns are better than my right turns. Just feels better for some reason. Maybe cause I'm left handed, I dunno.

[Aaron_newrider]

My left turns are better than my right turns. Just feels better for some reason. Maybe cause I'm left handed, I dunno.

I'm lefthanded but my right turns are much better than my left. Weird aye - i only write right left handed though do everything else (golf, hockey, tennis) right handed

[squirrel]

I am a very new rider and it's so nice to see that other new riders have exactly the same problems as me - I break into a sweat at roundabouts! I dropped my bike (a hyosung gt250) 2 days ago after turning around outside a cafe, was not actually moving at the time! Apparently it happens to everyone!

[Mumbles]

practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice
and smile this will become second nature to you soon enough.
Good technique helps and you've got more than a few tricks listed here to go over and practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice.
Remenber your bike WILL go where you look when your riding ....

[DarkLord]

Nothing wrong with going slow on roundabouts. I hit some black ice the other morning halfway through a roundabout on my GT250R and the rear fishtailed as I was going round a corner. I kept it upright but it was not a nice thing to happen on my morning commute to work.

Take it easy, try not to feel pressured by other drivers behind you and go as slow as you need to. Coming off is not fun, and can be very expensive.

Ride safe.

[ReigN]

Hey Aaron, my cuz and I in exactly the same boat when it comes to circles(roundabouts) but yeah I'm still just taking my time and trying to perfect it, don't really concern myself with traffic behind at the mo as I'd rather make it through the circle safely without arsing up and falling over. Relax and proceed with caution I guess. As for the turns, my right turn is still crap but will get there...eventually haha. Stay safe dude!

[wysper]

I am in the eyes up and watch your exit brigade.
If you are looking down at your front tyre, or close to it, you tend to panic and you don't have any reaction time.

Once you have assessed to the best of your ability that it is good to enter the roundabout. Be positive, watch where you want to go and go. This is slightly ignoring the whole potential driver hazards on the roundabout. More advice on just getting through the roundabout really.

Same as cornering on the open road. Watch pretty much as far ahead as you can. Try not to focus on where you ARE but where you WANT TO BE.

Easy said. Slightly harder to do. Especially when you are new. Sometimes even after 20 years plus I still f*ck that one up LOL

[BiK3RChiK]

I am in the eyes up and watch your exit brigade.
If you are looking down at your front tyre, or close to it, you tend to panic and you don't have any reaction time.

Once you have assessed to the best of your ability that it is good to enter the roundabout. Be positive, watch where you want to go and go. This is slightly ignoring the whole potential driver hazards on the roundabout. More advice on just getting through the roundabout really.

I try to look through the turn, but get freaked out when cars roar up to the intersection as if they are going to enter it right in front of me! I'm still managing to stuff up small roundabouts, but am improving... Gonna get Steve to help me do some more slow speed turn stuff. Hopefully that sorts it out.

[Rayray401]

1. Find an empty carpark
2. Practice figure 8s at a speed as slow as you can (go both ways)
3. As you get better, try do smaller figure 8s, try go for the smallest figure 8 you can do, at the same time increasing the speed that you do.
Thats what dad made me do before i got my licence...XD

Hmm, and my left corners are alot better than my right...i still have trouble leaning/hanging off the bike when doing a right..dunno why ><

[heyjoe]

hey there Aaron, Welcome to the world of riding. Don't be concerned about getting stick for asking. That is what kb is all about as well as sharing.

My 5c. Take your time at roundabouts and follow some of the good practice advice already given here. You have a right to be in the roundabout as a road user and vehicle on the road. Try not to think you are lesser than the cars wanting to use the roundabout. Be wary of them and exactly where they all are when you approach the roundabout. ie behind you, on Left & right of roundabout and who is coming in towards. you. Sometimes lunatics drive cars. Once you make the decision to enter use the advice given by other replies. I agree with the comment of making the assumption that no-one can see you or has seen you.

Practice, practice and experiment a little for the confidence build up and ride safe.

[Vgygrwr]

Suggestions that helped me a lot were to practice slow speed turning in a car park with a mate, or anything at eye level that you can go round, standing at the center. The idea is to keep looking at your mate while turning. Helps the "keep your eyes up and look through the turn" your mate can tell every time you look down. Also helps with the use of peripheral vision, seeing everything without focusing hard on one spot. I found it help a lot in being confident of bike control and just being able to concentrate everything else around. It is practice though the bike has to become an extension of you. Helps lots with U-turns as well.

[SMOKEU]

If you want to gain confidence on a bike then go to a race track. You'll get more skills on a track than on any road.