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Hi all,

This was a pretty bad weekened for me. I dropped my lovely sv650s while practicing at that stupid dmv circle. Brake leaver broken, brake pedal broken. Right blinker cracked. More scratches on the fairing. And -- don't know how that happened -- but the gear shift pedal is also broken. Already ordered the parts. $200, and that doesn't include the blinker since I can glue it back together. Ordered frame and swingarm sliders too. The thing is, I knew I wanted to get them but procrastinated -- I mean what can happen in just a couple days, right? Something about horse and barn door comes to mind...

Famous last words: "hmmm, I'm getting kinda tired. I'll stick around here until 4 and then head home...".

After that happened I had to wait for *4 hours* before my insurance company finally sent the truck. But that's a whole other story...

Now I have serious doubts about passing the test at the dmv. I can barely do the circle when going counterclockwise, but it's near impossible when going clockwise since my right hand touches the gas tank while also trying to hold the throttle. It seems to be designed for little dirt bikes.

Now I'm seriously considering taking the msf course again since I don't want to put my own bike through this bullshit. When I took the course in Toronto, they didn't do the circle-serpentine BS. Instead, there was a nice mix of low-speed and high-speed manuevers that were quite obviously a lot more useful on the road. What's the msf course like in LA?

thanks,

Eugene

practice as much as possible sorry to hear about your machine remember centrifical force of the engine and just ride don't think about it to much

You've got a bike that's going to be REALLY tough to do the circles on. It's a lot like mine, so here's the best advice I can give.

First of all, stop trying to force yourself into doing the circle right now, start with a bigger one and make it. Then go a little smaller and a little smaller and a little smaller. You will gradually learn to trust your bikes ability to hold itself up. You fall because you take the power off the back wheel.

Okay, now that you're practising going in circles what you need to do is look WAY around the corner, keep your chin up and stick your head almost all the way to one side, and keep looking there, the bike will follow your head around, just keep looking left left left left left, or right right right right right right right right all the way around the circle.

Now throttle, slip the clutch a little, keep it in the friction zone, and go a little heavier on the gas. It'll make a world of distance, now look around the corner, look look look. Keep your chin up.

Where you look is where you go. You got this, I know you do.

the DMV circle test is stupid, it doesn't prove anything that can show you can be safe on the road.

just take the MSF course or rent a small bike to pass the DMV circle of doom.

i tried it too on a weekend, but there's no way i could do it and i would just waste time trying to practice that small circle

i was gonna rent a small bike, but i figured taking the MSF is more productive and responsible even though more expensive.

the MSF BRC i took here in LA was fun and it's easy to pass.

i used riderite.net

The serpentine thing that I had to do here was dodo, the two guys on the sport bikes were told they could miss the last cone due to the distance being to close for the manuevers, I still say those bikes arnt made for 1st gear manuevers like that.

I had to do a figure 8 when I did my test, that's your circle both ways without stopping in between or putting a foot down, if I can do it so can you.

And I've said it about a million times Verm, slow speed control is a HUGE indication of skill. If you can handle your bike well enough to do the circle then I have a lot of respect for you.

In fact I know a lady who can take a full dress touring bike and do figure 8's inside her two car garage.

Sevulturus wrote:In fact I know a lady who can take a full dress touring bike and do figure 8's inside her two car garage.

A typical one car garage in Alberta...

Sevulturus wrote:I had to do a figure 8 when I did my test, that's your circle both ways without stopping in between or putting a foot down, if I can do it so can you.

And I've said it about a million times Verm, slow speed control is a HUGE indication of skill. If you can handle your bike well enough to do the circle then I have a lot of respect for you.

In fact I know a lady who can take a full dress touring bike and do figure 8's inside her two car garage.

that is impressive.

in time, i'll be able to do it too but it's not on top of my priorities to learn.

in fact, speaking of things i wanna learn now...

could you give me again the technique for pulling my bike on a slightly sloped parking lot?

i thought i was gonna be stuck earlier, good thing my boots have good traction on wet surfaces or else i would have slipped and dropped my bike.

yeah... about that...

less Crack for the doc please?