Training or not?

[DanielM8]

I got my hands on some traffic cones and construction flags... I will be setting up my own BHS course in a car park and practicing on my scooter. I'll let you know how it goes and what I find out is my biggest challenge and what I feel I need to practice from this. Tigadee: thanks for the links. I've spent endless hours on Youtube watching videos.. its taught me a fair bit. The biggest thing (although training covers this) was using the clutch in the friction zone to help low speed riding. I've been practicing this on my scooter by applying a bit of rear brake while riding low speed and I've really noticed how it helps.. by riding slowly in to a parking place with my back brake on just slightly and then letting go of it and suddenly finding it a bit harder to keep steady and smooth steering.

Thanks

[george formby]

I got my hands on some traffic cones and construction flags... I will be setting up my own BHS course in a car park and practicing on my scooter. I'll let you know how it goes and what I find out is my biggest challenge and what I feel I need to practice from this. Tigadee: thanks for the links. I've spent endless hours on Youtube watching videos.. its taught me a fair bit. The biggest thing (although training covers this) was using the clutch in the friction zone to help low speed riding. I've been practicing this on my scooter by applying a bit of rear brake while riding low speed and I've really noticed how it helps.. by riding slowly in to a parking place with my back brake on just slightly and then letting go of it and suddenly finding it a bit harder to keep steady and smooth steering.

Thanks

Have a dredge through this thread on another forum. A group of experienced riders re-learning & refining their basic skills in an attempt to do gymkhana. some really good advice, vids & observations in it.

ADVGymkhana

Ignore the competitive aspect, the skills are the same as what you want, though.

[Drew]

Fair enough.

What is the aim of teh first gear slow ride exercise, please?

I got a questioning rep comment for this. So I thought I'd expand a bit as to my question.

I don't see why practicing riding around slowly and trying not to put your feet down, is helpful. If I'm on the road, and need to slow right down. I drop a foot as soon as the bike starts to weave.

[Gremlin]

If I'm on the road, and need to slow right down. I drop a foot as soon as the bike starts to weave.

At what speed do you start to weave then? You realise that by taking your foot off the peg it's unbalancing the bike? There is the risk that something could catch, maybe your foot hits something on the ground, caught in the wheel etc.

Depending on tyre wear, I can hold the bike upright, feet on pegs at 0kph... length of time depends on how flat the rear tyre is

[DanielM8]

I got a questioning rep comment for this. So I thought I'd expand a bit as to my question.

I don't see why practicing riding around slowly and trying not to put your feet down, is helpful. If I'm on the road, and need to slow right down. I drop a foot as soon as the bike starts to weave.

I know I'm nobody to listen to on this, but I swear the point of taking proper training or learning proper technique is to avoid this... I hate to see a motorcyclist riding slowly with both his feet hanging down... all the same with scooters, I practice to come to a smooth stop before putting a foot down because of how silly you look hanging your feet down.. meh.. maybe just my opinion

Have a dredge through this thread on another forum. A group of experienced riders re-learning & refining their basic skills in an attempt to do gymkhana. some really good advice, vids & observations in it.

ADVGymkhana

Ignore the competitive aspect, the skills are the same as what you want, though.

This is really awesome to watch ... I swear nobody must be able to do this like the Japanese can...

[FJRider]

Did he say that, or are you just assuming that's what all guys over 30 are thinking?

Bet it's the latter.

I'm cynicle, and I believe I've seen enough of humanity and it's short comings to justify it!

I'm over 30 (just ) women teach me things all the time ...

Well ... ok ... they just refresh my memory anyway ...

[Drew]

At what speed do you start to weave then? You realise that by taking your foot off the peg it's unbalancing the bike? There is the risk that something could catch, maybe your foot hits something on the ground, caught in the wheel etc.

Depending on tyre wear, I can hold the bike upright, feet on pegs at 0kph... length of time depends on how flat the rear tyre is

I don't wanna debate this. Arguing finer points in a thread like this does not help the ones who need to learn the basics.

I'm damn sure I can learn much about riding still, so if you wanna help, do you have a decent tip on how to stop the rear wheel chattering on the RF, when I'm practicing "backing it in"? Or how to rid it of the troublesome weave it gets going when I've got it on the back wheel, and I scrub off a bit of speed? I thought it was bearings, but it's what caused me to biff another bike a while back, so it stands to reason it's something I'm doing.

[Berries]

I practice to come to a smooth stop before putting a foot down because of how silly you look hanging your feet down.. meh.. maybe just my opinion..

All well and good until you come to a complete stop and then find either your shoe lace or trousers get stuck on the peg as you go to put one foot down. You will only need to do this once.

[Ocean1]

All well and good until you come to a complete stop and then find either your shoe lace or trousers get stuck on the peg as you go to put one foot down. You will only need to do this once.

I've needed to do it twice.

First on an XL350 in the middle of town, at lunchtime, kickstart lever up the trouser leg.

Second one I don't like to talk about.

[Gremlin]

I'm damn sure I can learn much about riding still, so if you wanna help, do you have a decent tip on how to stop the rear wheel chattering on the RF, when I'm practicing "backing it in"? Or how to rid it of the troublesome weave it gets going when I've got it on the back wheel, and I scrub off a bit of speed?

Easily done.

Backing it in usually means sliding the rear wheel, which is hardly recommended as traction at the rear wheel is well below optimum, and your options, if something were to go wrong, are drastically limited. For being on the back wheel, well clearly you've accelerated too fast to cause the front wheel to come up, again, traction is below optimum (non existent). Steering ability is definitely compromised.

I'd certainly recommend some training for you sir, so that you are able to maintain optimum control of your motorcycle in all riding conditions...

[Ender EnZed]

What is the aim of teh first gear slow ride exercise, please?

For learner riders: If they know nothing about riding then they may as well be practicing at low speed where the consequences of a fuck-up aren't too dire. It's also a lot easier to keep track of how a bunch of riders are doing in a carpark than on the road.

For experienced riders: People that have been riding for at least a few years tend to have all the skills they need to stay upright ~100% of the time. As a group though, they do a lot of falling off due to over estimating their own ability, at whatever level that may be. Lowering their opinion of their own ability could well be the very best outcome of any rider training. Riding at very low speed is something they don't do often, so they tend to be pretty shit at it - hopefully realising they're not quite as awesome at this motorcycling business as they thought they were. If this realisation leads to a lower level of fuckwittery then that'll probably be of greater benefit than gaining an incrementally higher level of ability.

[DanielM8]

Lurking and enjoying the bantering.. does this happen in every single thread??

The mention of the fact of pants etc getting stuck is interesting.. that didn't come to mind at all.. it complicates the matter for me.. in any case i still see a lot of importance in low speed riding skills for safety and flexibility sake

[Drew]

Easily done.

Backing it in usually means sliding the rear wheel, which is hardly recommended as traction at the rear wheel is well below optimum, and your options, if something were to go wrong, are drastically limited. For being on the back wheel, well clearly you've accelerated too fast to cause the front wheel to come up, again, traction is below optimum (non existent). Steering ability is definitely compromised.

I'd certainly recommend some training for you sir, so that you are able to maintain optimum control of your motorcycle in all riding conditions...

Very informative indeed.

For learner riders: If they know nothing about riding then they may as well be practicing at low speed where the consequences of a fuck-up aren't too dire. It's also a lot easier to keep track of how a bunch of riders are doing in a carpark than on the road.

For experienced riders: People that have been riding for at least a few years tend to have all the skills they need to stay upright ~100% of the time. As a group though, they do a lot of falling off due to over estimating their own ability, at whatever level that may be. Lowering their opinion of their own ability could well be the very best outcome of any rider training. Riding at very low speed is something they don't do often, so they tend to be pretty shit at it - hopefully realising they're not quite as awesome at this motorcycling business as they thought they were. If this realisation leads to a lower level of fuckwittery then that'll probably be of greater benefit than gaining an incrementally higher level of ability.

Now that, is a good answer. I'm sure it's not what any trainers think, but I like it.

Lurking and enjoying the bantering.. does this happen in every single thread??

Not so much bantar, as abuse.

The mention of the fact of pants etc getting stuck is interesting.. that didn't come to mind at all.. it complicates the matter for me.. in any case i still see a lot of importance in low speed riding skills for safety and flexibility sake

One of the worst feelings in the world, when you go to put a foot down and it doesn't go. I tend to just push like hell and break the shoe lace, or what have you, that is fouling on the bike.

But, it usually doesn't help, and you get to have a lie down for your trouble.

[george formby]

I don't wanna debate this. Arguing finer points in a thread like this does not help the ones who need to learn the basics.

I'm damn sure I can learn much about riding still, so if you wanna help, do you have a decent tip on how to stop the rear wheel chattering on the RF, when I'm practicing "backing it in"? Or how to rid it of the troublesome weave it gets going when I've got it on the back wheel, and I scrub off a bit of speed? I thought it was bearings, but it's what caused me to biff another bike a while back, so it stands to reason it's something I'm doing.

I'm guessing the swing arm bearings are fine so I would say it is flex. Brace the swing arm..

[george formby]

This is really awesome to watch ... I swear nobody must be able to do this like the Japanese can...

It's got me & the G/F fascinated, we practice as often as we can. She passed her BHS a few months ago despite the nerves & their is no doubt the continued practice is fast tracking her ability. Mine too, I'm doing stuff that had me at a full pucker a year ago.