Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I am a new rider and passed my DAS test last month, which allows me to ride any power motorcycle.
In the UK you have to undergo a CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) course before you can ride any bike on the main highway.
Part of the CBT training is slow speed control, which is important to master when riding in busy traffic and also when pulling on to Petrol Station forecourts, last thing you want to do is slide the bike next to the pumps and look a right numpty. Be gentle with the clutch, ease it out slowly and use the back break to control your slow speed. Practice, Practice, Practice - Riding at speed is easy, the art is mastering slow speed control, keep it smooth and progressive..

Hope this Helps..

ttty2t1j3 wrote:I've only been riding for about a week now. I'm getting pretty well rounded at riding but when it comes to turning from a stop sign, or riding out of my driveway I seem to struggle with it. I either pull out too slow or too fast and because of that over overshoot or pull in too slow to the lane I'm aiming for. Any pointers?

Ill give it a go;



Look where ya want to be, its hard to do, it doesnt feel natural, but its the only way, take your eyes from the road in front and look where ya want to end up.....trust me !!!!!


Taking off into a corner as you asked, isnt easy at first either, as you have found out.

This is what I do when im sitting in my driveway ready to roll out left;

I literally let the bike fall left, look where I want to be, then roll a bit of throttle, while letting the clutch slip out, and DISCO !!!!



Any idiot can jump on a straight bit of road, crack open the throttle and of ya go, even cornering at moderate speed is easy, but you have just found out what most find out, that slow speed stuff is an art/skill set all of its very own. Lack of slow speed skill makes you look like a fruit on a bike.

Luckily, because slow speed riding is at slow speed, at least with the practice practice practice it will require to master it, if and when ya drop ya trusty steed, and you probably will at some point, you should do little to no damage, hopefully.


Empty carparks, vacant blocks, quiet estates, your own drive way excellent places to start.


Sooner or later you going to have to grow a set and trust your self, ya know, the leap of faith type thing, until then, you will ride in fear everytime the traffic slows or you have to make a U-turn




hope that helps

tymanthius wrote:So the MSF BRC is expensive . . . you'll most likely get it back in savings on insurance over the years. Both in direct savings via discounts, esp. if you take the ERC every couple of years, and by indirect savings b/c you learn how to THINK about riding a bike & avoid accidents.

I am also a new rider. I've had my bike a week now. Clutch control is tough. I still sometimes 'pop' it. grrrrrr

I also have your problem with starting turns from a stop. Print http://msf-usa.org/downloads/Riding_Tips.pdf, read it, get some cones or 1 liter bottles w/ sand & go do the practice stuff starting on page 60. It helps.

I sat thru the brc (had my arm in a sling) & am about to take the full course at the end of this month. Its worth it.

I have found that most insurance companies (at least around me) could care less if you took the MSF course and as thus dont offer discounts for doing so. At least for me the MSF course was the CHEAPER way to get my liscence at $25 for the course plus $23 for my liscence .

shane-o wrote: Look where ya want to be, its hard to do, it doesnt feel natural, but its the only way, take your eyes from the road in front and look where ya want to end up.....trust me !!!!!

+1 it does feel goofy at first, but you'll be amazed how much this works.

Big B wrote:

shane-o wrote: Look where ya want to be, its hard to do, it doesnt feel natural, but its the only way, take your eyes from the road in front and look where ya want to end up.....trust me !!!!!

+1 it does feel goofy at first, but you'll be amazed how much this works.

Interesting fact: Most animals where go where they look. Humans are one of the that can go somewhere they are not looking, by choice.

But that means that you have to work at it to look at A and go to B. So just look at B & you'll be there.

I found that turns from a stop were an important skill that the BRC did not do enough. I found that the biggest key after clutch control was where you looked. For me, it's 5 yards into a left turn and 10 yards to the right. And leaning helps as well.

I don't have a problem with this anymore. Most of the problem was just not trust the bike enough. Now I'm doing a lot better. Especially since I started angleing my bike in the direction of the turn before I stop. Helps a bunch.

WVUbdsrfl wrote:Wow, the class is really expensive for you.

Where I live the fee is only 100$ for in-state and 195 for out of state.
The brc completion certificate waivers the skills test at the dmv in WV.

That is expensive, really? My bike training cost about £700 in total. Even at current exchange rates it is about $970.


You aren't alone. When we were in Orlando I saw lots of riders that were having trouble with basic bike control - duck footing their way up to the lights for example. Just keep up the lowspeed practise in parking lots.

I ride a Virago 250. It's my first bike. I am still in the practice phase. I enjoyed everyone's response to the OP question. I have been concentrating on slipping the clutch slowly and feathering a little rear brake in these turns, but I still have 2 problems:
1. The gear ratios are small on this bike. When I start out from a red light and want to turn either direction, but this situation is worse with right turns, as I am starting out and beginning my lean, as I let out more clutch and give more throttle to make the turn and attempt to speed up, the bike really wants to be in 2nd gear. Once I even shifted mid-turn, mid-lean and I thought that was stupid at my level of experience. What should I do? I know once I get a larger bike, this should resolve.

2. As I am driving down the street in 5 th gear and want to turn, let's say, onto my street, I start braking and downshifting prior to the turn. But, almost always I can't tell what gear I clicked down into and often let out the clutch to find I am in 1st, over-revving. What are the tricks to help negotiate these turns? I know I should be off the brakes and clutch prior to initiating the turn. Is it acceptable to be in the friction zone with a little rear brake during these turns, then after the turn let out clutch all the way and take off. Seems like this is not the best idea.

Sorry this is so long!!

On point 2 - count your gears. I forget to sometimes. If I realized before the turn, I will sometimes step all the way down to 1st, then count back up.