U-Turn Q&A, Tips and Tricks

[Usarka]

Ditto on the clutch. Use a constant throttle so you dont have to worry about your right hand. Ride the back brake which somehow balances the bike, and use the clutch to control speed.

[edit] just noticed i've repeated wat most others have said - listen to them they be bright sparks!

or this might help it stick:

[Mikkel]

You might also find trailing a little rear brake helps to stabilise the bike - high performance small engines can be a bit touchy, so trailing the brake keeps tension on the chain and helps with smoothing out power delivery.

I do this with the Hornet and it works a charm for low speed manouvering.

Oh, and of course none of all this is made easier if your chain hasn't got the right tension...

[Duc]

Turn the bike right as you move off , tilt it to the right but lean out to the left left. (Tightens the circle and balances things naturally)

Good tip for big bikes but should work on a little 150 or a pushbike as well

Practise....

[Ixion]

Hey guys...again

Man this seems to be a posting threads week for me. Was practicing U turns whilst killing time waiting for someone. I was on the side of the road, checked to make sure no traffic was coming, started pulling off, cranked the steering to lock and started pulling the u turn and promptly started wobbling. Every time i try it I get the wobbles unless I am already going at like 10 k and there is heaps of room. If i am starting from stand still I really have trouble doing a u turn, or even at a walking pace it's tricky. What's causing the wobble, do I need to counter balance the bike. I always end up sticking my leg out to stop from falling over *shame*. My counter steering skills have improved lots but alas it seems my u turn skills still suck. lol Gotta love kiwibiker it's a supportive forum, and when you make a cock of yourself *like asking a stupid question such as the one I have just asked* you get funny p/t replies.

Ride Safe

Drider

More speed. If you wobble, give it (gently) more throttle. You can do right hand turns OK ? Well, a U turn is just two right hand turns one after the other. Do a right hand turn to the centre of the road. Then a second right hand turn. For some reason the whole U turn thing seems to rattle novices.

[McJim]

For some reason the whole U turn thing seems to rattle novices.

Hahaha. Try O turns - like 2 u turns stuck together. Practice that in a car park for a while. Once you're halfway good at that a U turn will be a piece of piss

[Choco]

I find that going into 2nd gear helps a lot.

I fail u-turns if I'm not in second gear. Period.

[RantyDave]

You might also find trailing a little rear brake helps to stabilise the bike

Yeah, this is definitely the ticket. If you come on and off the throttle, it'll wobble all over the place. Control speed with a little bit of rear brake - in first you can go /really/ slowly doing this.

And, not wanting to be boring, but look through the turn. Really deliberately twist your head, almost to the centre of the turn. You'll find yourself trundling round and gently hitting the stops on the handlebars.

Practice. And rest assured that nearly everybody hates them.

Dave

[Ixion]

Hahaha. Try O turns - like 2 u turns stuck together. Practice that in a car park for a while. Once you're halfway good at that a U turn will be a piece of piss

Actually , 8's are the real thing. Left hand O, into a right hand O and back , and repeat. Once you cna do full lock figure 8s , u turns are a doddle.

[BUNGY]

I just sort of walk it round but use the engine to move the bike.

[Daffyd]

Get your feet on the pegs as soon as you start moving. It helps stabilise the bike. It even helps to put a bit of weight on them. (Lowers the centre of gravity).

[Banesto John]

Use the back brake. Look at where you want to go, not the front of the bike. Head up. Breathe in. Keep medicines in a high cabinet, away from children. Don't play on the freeway, you'll be run over. Accelerate slowly, but don't even think of backing off. Drive the bike through the u-turn.

[Mike748]

Turn the bike right as you move off , tilt it to the right but lean out to the left left. (Tightens the circle and balances things naturally)

Good tip for big bikes but should work on a little 150 or a pushbike as well

Practise....

This also works for me.

I also shuffle my weight over the rear wheel and stick my inside knee out from the bike to help balance and stop it getn caught by the bars.
... and feather the clutch to control speed.

[Goblin]

Actually , 8's are the real thing. Left hand O, into a right hand O and back , and repeat. Once you cna do full lock figure 8s , u turns are a doddle.

Absolutely! Practice in an empty carpark. It's actually lots of fun practicing slow, precise riding. Try the clutch thing and the rear brake trailing etc. The only way to learn is to practice but do it in a safe place.

[Skyryder]

There are very few bikers who can perform this manourvre with some degree of skill. Go to a car park find a spot and stop as you would on the road. Ya gotta ber stationary. Now commence the turn in as short and most comftable turn.

Take a mental note of the start position and the position when you are in the opposite direction. The key is noting your turning circle. It's important that you commence these first turns in a comftable and easy manner. They will be wide dont try and turn tight at this stage. Practice this and note your body position lean etc. Now do the same thing same wide turn and give yourself some juice just as you are coming out of the turn. Not a lot just a bit to power up. You will in all probaility turn wider. No problem but aim for the same turning radius. When feel comftable with this and it may take some time keep the power on but lean over a bit further. This will reduce your radius. The trick is to lean and power up to compensate for the angle.

What you are trying to achive is a tight UTurn and this can only bve achieved by a low angle that is compensated with some power to keep the bike upright. It's a balancing act but man when you see someone who can do this it's impressive.

This is not learnt over night but reqiures constant practice.

Sklyryder

[Skyryder]

A common problem with learning U-turns is starting the turn too sharply. Start the turn in at a shallower angle and increase the angle of turn only as your speed through the turn increases.

Yep that's right. Most try to tight, cock up and never master this.

Skyryder