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[magpiemale]

well had 2 day's worth of bike tuition and failed my test I only had two out of a possible 15 fault's against me .....but! the dreaded U-turn got me put me foot down tut tut and failed to travel 12 feet lol bit of a let down really all hanging on a u turn if you cannot do it you might as well ride back to the test centre or was I with a examiner who was to tough?? I thought you got at least two attemps at it.
magpiemale

[FreshAL]

naah, bad luck mate. All the best riders take at least 2 attempts (the really great ones need 3 )

You're allowed to 'dab' a foot on the U turn due to nerves, but if you use it for support you're supposed to fail. Basically, if your foot comes off the peg you'll be lucky to pass.

There's loads of tips here for the u turns, do a search and have a practice.

Also have a read of this
https://www.motorcycle-training.f2s.com/tips.html

Better luck next time

[Wooly R6]

unlucky mate - i struggled doing u turns for my direct access, all morning i was trying, then we filled up with fuel and i was doing them perfectly!!!

dont think i have done any u turns since my test!!!! none on the R6 anyway!!!!

you will get the hang of them, but it takes some practice!!!

when the examiner told me to do a u turn i went and did it, and was so happy when that part of the test was over, the rest was a doddle!!!
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R6 has been sold - 2004 Honda VFR VTEC now sold too - no bike at the moment

[BorderHooner]

had u ridden prior? or just two days training?
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Benelli. Happy as a pig in cacky.

[magpiemale]

yeah I was doing well untill the u turn never got into it on my 1st day but the second day I did 10 u -turn's and rubbished 3 but had a offer from me instructor to take the bike out for a practice before my test was due but said no and sat around for 40mins while he tested someone before me wish I had of taken his advice and went for a ride around used a GS500 for my test.hey I wanna take my second and pass !! as it is well £££££ £160 for 3 hours lesson and retest tut tut..may give it a 3rd if I fail but no more than that I realy wanna bigger bike than the one I have but dont wanna spend £1000+ like doing it.
magpiemale
p.s best apply my self then.

[Delbwoy]

Unlucky. Makes it a total waste of money just for one little mistake.

The worst part of the test in my opinion. I had an SR125 at the time and practiced until I could ride the bike round and round and round on full lock. I got on the 500 and couldn't do them. Over the three days I'd get 5 out of 10, but on the test I just got lucky I suppose. I do them easily now on the XJ. Just down to practice, and looking where you want to go, not the kerb.

(Does practice have an S or a C? It looks wrong with the C and when I press spell check nothing happens because of the pop up restrictions)

I passed 1st time with 2 minors, so that makes me a poor rider. It showed today when I was talking to a biker and stalled when I pulled away.
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Check my website. look at my profile though as putting it here would be spamming methinks (I worked hard to create it so at least look at it!) Nothing to do with bikes I might add! Might appeal to the more feminine personality.

[Wooly R6]

practice has a c yes
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R6 has been sold - 2004 Honda VFR VTEC now sold too - no bike at the moment

[ISLAND GIRL]

That blasted U turn manouvre, I too have not had to do one really since I have pasted my test and if I were to do one then yes, I would probably use my foot as a safety measure rather than risk laying the bike over. It does seem a tad unfair doesnt it. Better luck next time
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Live on the Isle of Wight and ride a CBR600F

[Itchy]

not that many people do U turns , but I find them pretty useful for city riding and when you see an accident up ahead, and I reckon it'd be an absolute necessity if you are a London courier,

a trick is to say I'm, not going to fall off , by the time you said it its over and done,
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Kit]

oh shit.... i'm so used to using my foot to get round slow and fast courners in motocross


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Current bike: MotoX Suzuki 250RM, Future Road bike: Standard 1200 Suzuki Bandit

[LUXY DJ]

unlucky mate

as for the U-turn i wasnt that good till she said dont look down look straight ahead & that changed it for me & did it no prob in my test & passed 1st time

but once i knew how to do it good i said i wanna keep trying this for a while(well im paying!) then done a few more of them & felt confident enough for the test

i also just jumped straight on to the 500's they asked if i wanted the 125 but i said "NA been practicing on a gixer 600 before hand"

did YOU go straight for the 500?
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GSXR750
(FAR FAR from standard) www.gixerjunkies.net

[gemma1675]

I never intend to do another u-turn now I have passed my test! I hated them, but the only thing that got me through eventually was practise practise practise. Dull I know but it 's worth it inthe long run. My test was on a Monday and I spent all weekend doing u-turns in a trading estate.
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Suzuki SV650S K5

Nobody puts baby in a corner

[Teamcalibra]

I failed my test too - going to slow on a road as unsure of the speed limit. I was dreading the U turns as the week before I was only doing 50% of them with the instructor. Had to keep putting my foot down. Anyway the instrcutor had me do one U turn in the morning of test day and I did it! I also did the one on test the same afternoon!!!

I just needed to ride along a little further before starting the turn. This set me up nicely as my clutch control and revs were ok.

Good luck for the next one.

[Dave_ZedDragen]

I failed the first time on a U-turn too....seems to be quite a club of us eh

It was mainly due to a bad situation where the examiner chose for me....a cambered downhill street, and having to select a starting point that was behing a large minibus with blacked out windows so no real visibility. All just went to knock my concentration as I had bee fine during training.

After this my tutor decided to not only train me to do them again but train me to do them to a far better standard than required so even tricky situations wouldnt be a problem.

I was made to go round and round in circles on the bike, decreasing them each time, this teaches you to do u-turns in small spaces and to stop thinking about them so much and instead just do them...worked for me.

The examiner also showed me the extremes that a bike can lean over without falling which helps to get it into your mind, and stop being concerned about falling during a u-turn which is why your brain tells your body to put your foot down.
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Dave_ZedDragen - (2005)Z1000

https://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/zeddragen/zeddragensig-1.jpg

[murphyD]

God dam those U Turns
They're the biggest pain in the ass & the reason why I'm putting off booking my test. Tut.
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May your helmets glisten in the sun !!!!

[no_shad]

I failed my first attempt on the u-turn.
Never had a problem doing the turn itself but I forgot to do a lifesaver before starting the turn.

[Fastgut]

[APNess]

Absolutely rev the knackers off the bike - I mean it, make lots of noise, and just hold it on the clutch. Ignore the noise, ignore the smell, possible backfire etc, and keep your head UP and looking to where you want to go, not where you are actually going.

Once that 'fear factor' that comes with a natural 'look where you are going' instinct we have is overcome (by looking where you want to go) you'll get round. Took me two attempts at the test. First one was doing the U Turn, distracted by hundreds of school kids on the pavement on either side of the road coming out of school. Not the safest place/time to do a U turn - I shoulda have waited, and damn the examiner's evil stare as I waited, waited, then figured I'd better go, ready or not.

2nd time round, quiet road, even narrower than the narrow road first time, needed full lock for a part of the turn, I just thrashed the thing and got it round without any hiccups.

On my Cg125 I'd been practising and gotten bored of literally turning it on full lock round and round and round and round... On the 500 it's different - similar turning circle, but more weigth and bike is wider/bigger, so feels like the road is smaller :S

I tried a u turn on the Thunderace yesterday - that was a mistake!

Ended up having to catch it with one hand a few centimetres off the floor, and haul it up (not easy with 220+ kg of bike, but I'm no lightweight myself).

Thank god no one was around to see me make an arse of myself :S

[APNess]

Hmmm reads like I had 2 attempts on the U turn - not so - failed first test 10 mins in on U turn - felt like going back there and then, but pottered through rest of test with 2 minors.

2nd test, nearly screwed up rest of test after U turn - wrong turn made test 25 mins longer than it needed to be, picked up 8 minors, but passed - by riding much crapper.

[Zimma]

[feef]

[magpiemale]

naa I have been riding a nsr125 for 2 years but the turning circle is not good but I can do them just not as tight as the examiner want's them to be on back street's where they like to take ya.I can see it makes sense to keep your eye on where your exit is (or where you want to be going) but it is only natural to glace even if with the eyes just moving just to see if you have cleared the kerb on test day I did only mount the drop down kerb by 4-6 inches then came back down the kerb.my next test is on 28th july plenty of practising on the 125 til then.
magpiemale
p.s I also dont agree that is should hinge upon one u-turn as putting your foot down isnt a major thing bit diff if you did it at 50mph! but them are the rules to be I suppose another thing too if I had of failed for just that why not just head back to the test centre and say come back another day instead of going through all the test with a fail?? doesnt make sense

[ram_doom]

Guide to a passable U turn:

Lifesaver over relevant shoulder to move off, slowly move along a few yards to gain momentum and balance, shoulder check then begin the turn. Keep the rear brake applied throughout the manouvere as much or as little as needed, and use the throttle and clutch to regulate your speed. The trick is to take a quick glance at the kerb then look in the direction your going and ensure you stay upright with your weight pretty much central. And be confident you dont necessarily have to use full lock!

There's no rush and it should be slow, smooth and controlled.
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TL1000s, KDX200

[edd]

I wasnt all that confident with my u-turns when going for my test, What helped me was practice in the street outside my house. I had difficulty keeping my speed down on a left hand U turn, because my arms were too big for the bike, meaning I couldnt control the clutch well at full lock. I practiced balancing throttle clutch and brake against each other to maintain the correct speed and eventually got it so I could ride round in continuous circles in the middle of the road. Have a practice mate it will do wonders for your confidence, and good luck next time.
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Bluespark Automotive - Diesel Tuning for Performance and Economy

[scezy1]

Wish you look with your next test,passed mine on a gs500.And was dreading the u turn,as previous day training they were shit.(look first)When you walk the bike round ready to take the u turn make sure you get the bike as close to the curb as possible.I had it a few millimeters away so as i sat back on the bike my left foot was on the path.
Give it a try
Good look
Scezy