Why the 'U' turn?

[discotex]

The tester made me do 2 for my full - does this mean I am special?

Yep speshal. But you already knew that

Guess they might do get you to do extras to make sure but if you nail it there should only be one according to the instructor I did my DD course cage ride with.

[Lucy]

You should only have to do one u-turn in a 50km/h zone for your full test.

The reason is it lets them test a bunch of skills all at the same time.

1. Indicating
2. Head check
3. Checking traffic hazards in both directions
4. Slow speed handling
5. Gap selection

Cages have to do their u-turn in a 70km/h zone or higher but bikes get off a bit easier.

Just remember when you do the hazard identification part to point out the tester behind is a hazard. Also tell them if it was a stop sign or give way sign etc. Don't forget pedestrians and anything else moving.

Fair enough, that makes a lot of sense.

.[/QUOTE]whats so hard about them. only thing i worry about is stalling my bike..[/QUOTE]

I don't find them all that hard, just wondering why they are so necessary.


[/QUOTE]I don't understand how people who say they don't do U turns turn around ? I would do several every day.[/QUOTE]

Well it's like when the doctor told my Grandad to take up walking a mile a day. He did it religously and now we have no idea where he is.....

[Lucy]

The answer to why is simple - they can be potentially very dangerous and present many potential "threats" from different directions - in front, behind and both sides when vehicles pull out or round corners at speed.

It is a reasonably good test in the right conditions to see if you can show an awareness of multiple threats and indicates your ability to pick a sensible spot to minimise the potential dangers.

The two recent cases in the media are sadly very good examples of a "simple" u-turn going very badly wrong and would likely be due to a number of contributing factors in the crashes.

This is a big reason why I don't normally do them. I am never in that much of a hurry that I can't just pull over and have a good look around and triple check, before I turn back.

[toebug]

If you ride enough surely you will do u turns for hundreds of reasons, I do plenty to turn around and re-ride the cool section of road that I just came through.

And hell if your bike is too big to turn tightly hold the front brake tight and dump the clutch! Bloody easy to turn then!

[sunhuntin]

surely the full u turn isnt meant to done in one fluid motion? ie, indicate, pull over, quick check, indicate out, turn, and pull over, without taking feet off the pegs.

when ever i u turn, i always put my feet down, check a few times in all directions, pull out into the turn and pull my feet up. if you aint meant to do it like that, im in trouble!

[Monsterbishi]

The U-turn may not even be part of your test, wasn't in mine, but then again, the tester knew I'd been on my learners for over a decade so had already realised I wasn't exactly new to the game

[Ixion]

surely the full u turn isnt meant to done in one fluid motion? ie, indicate, pull over, quick check, indicate out, turn, and pull over, without taking feet off the pegs.

Well, that's how I usually do them! But I dunno what a tester would want. Thing with stopping is, when you start again you need to ride forward a bit anyway, to get enough speed up to lean over.

I have seen people try to do U turns with the bike upright, steering it with the bars. I don't think that works. A U turn is just a right hand turn immediately followed by another right hand turn. You countersteer and lean just like any other right hand turn.

[Winston001]

I can't do a U turn in a narrow road on my Ducati...but then there are ocean liners with tighter turning circles than Ducatis....

Amen to that! The ST4 I thrashed er.... tested felt like it needed a paddock to complete a U turn.

[AllanB]

Its in case later in life you want to become a car cop and kill motorcyclists

[Lucy]

Well, that's how I usually do them! But I dunno what a tester would want. Thing with stopping is, when you start again you need to ride forward a bit anyway, to get enough speed up to lean over.

I have seen people try to do U turns with the bike upright, steering it with the bars. I don't think that works. A U turn is just a right hand turn immediately followed by another right hand turn. You countersteer and lean just like any other right hand turn.

To give myself enough room I usually pull quite far over to the left, and instinctively (because I am heading left) I indicate left, then I start to indicate right before I do the u turn. Now I don't know if that is the right thing to do.

Maybe I just don't ride enough.

[MSTRS:Me]

You countersteer and lean just like any other right hand turn.

Sure about that? CS doesn't kick in until a bike is travelling at >25km. Still, wouldn't want to spend too much time sideways to the traffic flow, eh?
Interestingly, some people lean themselves into the turn, and some lean the bike more. I guess we all find which style works best for us/our bike.
Me - I tend to weight the outside peg, and lean the bike more than me

[sunhuntin]

To give myself enough room I usually pull quite far over to the left, and instinctively (because I am heading left) I indicate left, then I start to indicate right before I do the u turn. Now I don't know if that is the right thing to do.

Maybe I just don't ride enough.

i swing in, if theres enough room, to the point where i am almost back end to the pavement. essentially, completing part of the turn. theres no way i would pull left and stop paralell, because by the time ive finished trying to look behind me, things in front of me may well have changed. i prefer a headcheck or 3 over mirrors.

[Ixion]

Sure about that? CS doesn't kick in until a bike is travelling at >25km. Still, wouldn't want to spend too much time sideways to the traffic flow, eh?
Interestingly, some people lean themselves into the turn, and some lean the bike more. I guess we all find which style works best for us/our bike.
Me - I tend to weight the outside peg, and lean the bike more than me

To give myself enough room I usually pull quite far over to the left, and instinctively (because I am heading left) I indicate left, then I start to indicate right before I do the u turn. Now I don't know if that is the right thing to do.

Maybe I just don't ride enough.

Well, I'd say lower then 25. Maybe 10 - 15kph.Though it probably varies from bike to bike.

My procedure for U turns is to signal left, slow down and pull to the left, not quite in the gutter but hard left. Continue at maybe 20-25kph, watching traffic, when appropriate signal right, head check, check again for oncoming , and peal into a right hander. At the road centre, I just continue the right hander instead of straightening up. 20 or 25kph in, steady throttle until I'm coming out of the second right hander (ie the second leg of the U ) then roll on and exit at maybe 40 kph

That's what I term a U turn. Though some may apply the term to the "Stop, foot down, turn bars hard right, move off foot down until bike is across the road, then turn right". I don't know what teh etsters will expect.

But I should say that I don't do U turns if there is significant traffic. I don't think it's safe. In heavy traffic I'll turn the bike perpendicular to the road, either by stopping and then rolling backward on full lock, taking advantage of the camber, or by riding up a convenient driveway, along the footpath (that's what they're there for ) to the next driveway and out. Then it's just a right hander out of a driveway.

[MSTRS:Me]

Well, I'd say lower then 25. Maybe 10 - 15kph.Though it probably varies from bike to bike.
...

Agreed. And sometimes it could be significantly higher than 25kph. Did you watch the bars in this? They turn in the direction of travel, or is countersteering really a myth as Aaron would have us believe? http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...05&postcount=1

[Usarka]

U turns for test shouldnt include a stop.

I misheard the tester and turned down the wrong street, it was super narrow and executed a sweet-as u-turn. he said the next street that i should have taken was quite wide and was so impressed with my u-turn he terminated the rest of the test, and forgave me for missing a 50 sign (i saw him slow in my mirrors so slowed also - i think that helped)....

lime in corona is much better than lemon.