Excellent control and balance of bike

[Gremlin]

All important when riding... so who'd manage this



Probably could on the Hornet, not sure on the BMW...

[Maha]

Not sure I could on a bike that size, I'd give it a go, but I know someone who probably could...that Northland chap.
Building those blinkin' houses would have more difficult.

[caspernz]

That's pretty impressive... But hang on, aren't you supposed to be good at stuff you do on a daily basis?

Bit like watching the cops do maneuvering courses with ST1300 Hondas

[iYRe]

i'm not sure what's hard?

[bogan]

Doubt I'd do it on one of those bikes, but I think any bike over 200kgs is too obese to ride anyway. Would be piss easy on the Bros, VT, or CR, but the KRE would struggle with turning radius, and torque to get up the hill...

[joan of arc]

Cops on bikes show some awesome skills which presumably they learn from Motorbike Cop training school. These same skills and courses are available to Joe Public in the UK. Is there anything in NZ that is similar?

[Ocean1]

Doubt I'd do it on one of those bikes, but I think any bike over 200kgs is too obese to ride anyway. Would be piss easy on the Bros, VT, or CR, but the KRE would struggle with turning radius, and torque to get up the hill...

Think I'd manage it on the 525 but the Buell would take at least a 5 point turn to get turned across that street.

[Gremlin]

Cops on bikes show some awesome skills which presumably they learn from Motorbike Cop training school. These same skills and courses are available to Joe Public in the UK. Is there anything in NZ that is similar?

For skilled riding, observation etc, there is the Institute of Advanced Motorists in NZ. IAM is based off the UK police riders course, but doesn't include the slow speed handling stuff. At least, not yet. There have been the odd gymkhana events, which is basically what that is (except they do on flat surfaces). Nothing to stop you finding a quiet car park and practising however. Certainly something I'd recommend as it gets you comfortable with what the bike can do and how it's balanced and responds to inputs.

Think I'd manage it on the 525 but the Buell would take at least a 5 point turn to get turned across that street.

You can tighten the turning circle of a bike by leaning it over into the turn. Of course, this is a function of you being comfortable with the bike and it's balance. I ride my CB900 about 15,000km a year in and around the city, lots of tight turns etc. It's a very well balanced bike and after 6 odd years of doing this I can happily throw it through lock to lock turns at varying speeds. The GSA is much bigger, more weight up high and everything has a bit more slack so not as confident. More practise will improve this...

[BMWST?]

we used to do u turns in upper Buller Street when i helped with Advanced courses,the ducati 900 used the whole street

[Ocean1]

You can tighten the turning circle of a bike by leaning it over into the turn.

Yeah, a bit. And turning across a hill like that does exactly the opposite to the relationship between the contact patches and the steering geometry.

Of course, this is a function of you being comfortable with the bike and it's balance. I ride my CB900 about 15,000km a year in and around the city, lots of tight turns etc. It's a very well balanced bike and after 6 odd years of doing this I can happily throw it through lock to lock turns at varying speeds. The GSA is much bigger, more weight up high and everything has a bit more slack so not as confident. More practise will improve this...

There's one way you could get the Buell around that tight a turn: On the uphill bit you could lift the front, pivot on the rear and put the front down again. On the downhill bit you could pick up the back and swivel around the front until you were pointing in the right direction and then drop it again.

I'm comfotrable doing that on a trials bike, possibly even on the KTM, and I'd be happy to attempt it on someone else's Buell, (preferably an XB12X). I'd probably even manage it, with enough of that practice you mentioned, and a few scrapes and bruises. If that street's as tight as it looks I don't believe there's any way you'd make it across with both wheels on the ground.

The number of times I've pulled into a park with other bikes, had the guy in front of me turn tightish before backing his bike into the gutter, slapped the Buell against the lock and had to put a BIG foot down to hold the bitch up... In fact I've put all three Buells on the ground, once each, in exactly similar situations. Buells do what they do bloody well, but they've got a turning circle slightly wider than that of the Exon Valdes.

[sugilite:Me]

Thats one of the few things one can do on a bike that is actually easier than it looks. As others have already mentioned working the angles make even the most sedate of handlers achieve this maneuver.

[george formby]

Yup, I would have a crack at it. Mind over matter. Then again, I have been practicing. I've seen somebody not a million miles away do a similar maneuver, possibly less steep but on a 6 mtr wide road, do it 2 up...

[ducatilover]

I'd give it a go on the GN, but there's no way in hell the 600 could do a U-turn on that street.
I went to do a simple U-turn on it in Eketahuna the other day, when I'd turned around I was in Palmerston North.

[george formby]

I'd give it a go on the GN, but there's no way in hell the 600 could do a U-turn on that street.
I went to do a simple U-turn on it in Eketahuna the other day, when I'd turned around I was in Palmerston North.

Practice! A mate with a 900SS had similar problems, started off with a radius of 10mtrs+ and a very tight sphincter, an afternoons practice got it down to 6mtrs.

[ducatilover]

Practice! A mate with a 900SS had similar problems, started off with a radius of 10mtrs+ and a very tight sphincter, an afternoons practice got it down to 6mtrs.

You're welcome to come try it even walking and turning it takes years, might have something to do with me ruining the steering geometry...