Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Empty parking lot and practise all those slow speed exercises, they do translate to the road...

Practise, practise, practise...

Another thing to practice is weaving. While on a straight, empty road, practice sweeping from the left side of the lane to the right and back again, get used to the way the bike flicks over underneath you. In my experience, our big heavy cruisers can manage tight turns once we get them tucked in, but it's dragging them up and over again for the next turn that takes some effort.

Also, as much as possible while you're doing this practice you want to focus on HOW you move yourself around in the saddle. The tendency is to use your handlebars as leverage and pull yourself up out of a lean with your arms, but that can translate into a lot of unintended input. Instead, work on squeezing your bike with your thighs and moving your upper body with your core. Getting good at that will allow you to get lined up for the next turn without spoiling your line.

Today after my ride to school and back I went in search of an empty parking lot so that I could practice. I found a parking lot that had 7 or 8 lights spaced out about 50 feet apart with no curbs. I spend 30 minute weaving between them a about 20-25 mph. Also there was a nice outside lane around the inner lot where I could get up to 30-35 before I would have slow a bit to corner. It also had individual turn entry points to the inner lot so I could make spastic turns. I spent another 30 minutes getting up to varying speeds and making turns trying not to hit my brakes or slow down too much. Kind of made it a point to make sure I "grind" my pegs (guards) to ensure that I was leaning into the corners. I had a lot of fun riding today. So far today I rode 50 miles (40 to school and 10 in the parking lot). What do you all think? Is this how I should be practicing or what should I be doing to increase confidence in turns?

I'd use cones instead of light poles, Anything light and bright.
(not Hard)

As you get used to it slowly move them closer...

But yea that's the right idea.

orlin.anderson wrote:...I spent another 30 minutes getting up to varying speeds and making turns trying not to hit my brakes or slow down too much. Kind of made it a point to make sure I "grind" my pegs (guards) to ensure that I was leaning into the corners. I had a lot of fun riding today....

Hi Orlin,

First, I am also rather new at riding and I am also having a blast. The most important thing you said was "I had a lot of fun riding today". Riding might not be fun 100% of the time, but unless you must ride as basic transportation, having fun is the best reason to ride and a great reason to work on improving your skills.

I snipped the sentence about your cornering practice because the basic technique is to do all of your breaking before you start your turn and it is not clear what you are doing. MSF teaches slow/look/lean/role where you scrub off speed before entering the turn, you look through the turn to where you want to go, you counter steer to lean your bike over into the turn and then you role on the throttle a bit as you travel through the turn. It is important to be as smooth on the throttle as you can with no sudden control inputs.

I would not worry about being fast, or grinding anything, I would practice the basic four step process over and over again slow/look/lean/role while focusing on being smooth. After a while, eventually, faster for most and not so fast for me, your skills will improve and you will become more and more comfortable on your motorcycle. Smooth is fast.

There is an elementary school near my house and I use that parking lot to practice skills. I like to use tennis balls that are cut in half for "cones". Also, try to make your practice meaningful with very specific goals for each practice session such as "I am going to practice maximum breaking", "I am going to practice slow speed turns with counter-leaning", or "I am going to practice normal turns". Know what skill you are going to improve and work on that area for that session. As I have a limited attention span, I try to limit my practice sessions to about 30 minutes, but then the school parking lot is so close to my home that I pass it all the time when I am out for exercises walks around the neighborhood.

Two final thoughts, I would recommend getting more professional training, I plan on taking at least one class every year, and there is a great book I would recommend reading; Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well by David L. Hough. Riding safely on our streets is more about what's going on in your head than anything else, and this is a nearly perfect book to get anyone thinking clearly about what they are doing while they are riding.

It sounds like you are determined to become the best motorcycle rider that you can, and I have no doubt that you will succeed.

Safe Travels,
Richard

If you can't find cheap cones, try tennis balls cut in half...