Tips For Taking the On Bike Riding Test

[Jer]

I'm planning on taking this on Sat. (3 days from now)

I've been practicing out in the street in front of my house for a couple of days.

The diagrams of the test can be seen here for those unfamiliar: http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle- ... ycle-test/

I'm about 50% confident.

I worked on the right u-turn last night and learned real quick that its all about clutch control and accelerating to keep the bike upright when the turn gets tightest.

The cone weave I need to spend some more time with. I set up my testing area wrong. The cones weren't off of center. And they were only 10' apart. I wasnt doing very well. Hopefully having them 12' apart and 2' off center is in fact easier.... :sad:

For the swerve and quick stop tests I'm having trouble getting to the correct speed quick enough. And I worry about hitting the brakes too soon......

I did pass the written test last night though so thats 1 part down. :rawk:

Do any of you fellow GZ250 riders have any tips for these?

[primal]

Practice practice practice. In fact, I'd put off taking the test until your are more confident (if you aren't more confident by Saturday, that is). I personally took the MSF course which waived the riding portion of the DMV test. You will probably find that 12' apart and 2' off-set is more difficult because you have to turn that much more. However, the key is to trust your tires and don't be afraid to lean.

[patrick_777]

...and work, work, work on holding your friction zone!

[alanmcorcoran]

...go into the u-turn slow, but give it a little nudge at the apex (middle of the u) to come out. As soon as you decide to turn, IMMEDIATELY PICK YOUR HEAD UP, CRANK IT AS FAR AROUND BEHIND YOU AS YOU CAN (in the direction of the turn) AND LOOK AT WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. Do not look at the ground. Do not look at the lines. Do not look at the tester. (Unless they happen to be where you want to go.) I know this sounds stupid, but it works like magic.

If you must reverse direction, repeat the above. I found a low entry speed and the LOOKING is the single most important thing to doing a tight turn. We were taught to shift our weight and stand on the pegs a little but, if I did "the look" properly and aggressively, it wasn't necessary. For me, the weight shift was one too many things to remember.

In my group, the tight u-turns were the only thing that people had universal trouble with. One guy did fall off on the swerve, but no one else even had to repeat it. I think his fall was a fluke. Everyone had had some trouble with the u-turns.

If you eff up the u-turns by going over the line DO NOT GIVE UP! You may still pass the test if you don't make too many other mistakes. Check the rules for your state - they are not all the same and most allow for some degree of mistakes.

In CA you will get points off for "anticipating" the stop. I had trouble with this as I had been programmed to "anticipate" the crap out of everything. Set up a pair of cones a foot or so apart, and practice not squeezing/pressing the brakes until the front wheel crosses. Don't get the bike going any faster than the minimum (12?) mph required. Get in the habit of always using both brakes EVERY TIME, and down shifting to first. In CA you lose points for using only one brake and also if you don't downshift.

Most importantly, don't get too worked up over it. It looks and sounds a lot worse than it is. Overthinking it was my biggest problem.

If you are taking the test on something bigger than a GZ, DON'T! Rent a scooter for the test if you have a 1800cc monster.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

AND LOOK AT WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. Do not look at the ground. Do not look at the lines. Do not look at the tester. (Unless they happen to be where you want to go.) I know this sounds stupid, but it works like magic.

Overthinking it was my biggest problem.

Pretty good advice from a rookie, there Alan!!

Apart from the basic skills of throttle, clutch and brakes, the LOOK where you WANT to go might be the most important thing to learn (and practice) for bike riding. The reverse of that is "target fixation" which is do NOT look at the thing you are trying to avoid.....because you will hit what you are looking at.

[5th_bike]

Well the others aleady said it, and you know it yourself: clutch control in slow tight turns in forst gear, with the figure 8 in the box, is the hardest for most. The only girl in my class last year, she fell over in the box, and gave up. She didn't squeeze the clutch in enough and the bike started jerking. Gravity did the rest.

Learn how to, if you feel you are going to fall over inward in a tight turn, give a little gas and have the clutch grab a little more - and the bike will get up again.

That's my 2 cents. Sorry if anyone already said.

[Jer]

Yeah, taking it on my GZ.

For the swerve and quick stop tests, if 12-20 mph is the goal, and you only have 35' to get there, would I even be out of 1st gear? In my practicing I'm in 1st all the time. Dual braking and no need to down shift.

For the u-turns. I'm reading about people using the back brake. (Dragging) I havent done this, have any of you? Does it help?

[Sarris]

Rear braking works well in u-turns, the figure 8, the cone weave, and just about any slow speed turn situation. Keep the on thottle lightly and use the rear brake to scrub off the speed to make a controlled slow speed turn.

As far as the swerve and quick stop, I'd probably do a quick shift into second just so the bike isn't screaming. No need to downshift.

Keep up the practice and it'll become second nature very, very soon. You are doing things the right way. No question is dumb if you don't know the answer, so keep asking when you need the info!

Good luck on Saturday.

:2tup:

[RichInFla]

Ditto to Sarris and Alan's comments. The LOOK in the U-turn works (at least for me as well, I didn't get it at first). We had many first time riders who went outside the box on the U-turn but still passed.

The biggest thing for me was nerves. I was doing fine ("thumbs up" and "you got it!") from the instructors, but when it came to "test time", nerves kicked in, and I barely passed. Just remember to breathe and keep calm, you'll do just fine.

I'm still practicing !!

[Jer]

I'm going to wait til next Sat. I don't have enough time this week to practice anymore and no sense taking it if I'm not ready. I've only worked on the swerve and quick stop for about 30 min. And they seem to be far too easy. I'm concerned that I'm not getting to the target speed and then hitting the breaks too early. And I havent set up the cones properly.... No sense rushing it and screwing up.