U-turns..... I hate them......

[NICCI]

Did my third test yesterday...... nervous in case I got the same test instructor following in a car again......

OH NO.... It is.... well lets go out there and show him I can ride.....

Going great so far although I think a little slow on the country lanes where I could be doing 60mph, but playing it safe as not familiar with the road, it's also very wet and muddy!!....

Not much traffic as it's Sunday but side roads are packed with parked cars.....

eventually find an small area to do u-turn..... But my worst fear kicks in, the cars parked seem to move towards me in my pathetic little head, I start having palpations, I take a deep breath in before I start....remember a very good life saver before I pull away.... Turn in too tight and opps I did it again.... that blasted right foot came off the peg and touched the floor..... You stupid bitch I said too myself why the hell did you do that???

I feel like such an idiot.......... I got away with 5 other minors it had gone so well and then I went and blew it all away on a stupid u-turn.

Why do I put myself through this???

No tests available yet so just have to book in some lessons beforehand.....Gareth (one of the instructors) said he will take me out and teach me how to manipulate the bike in a way I thought would not be possible.....hopefully before I go bankrupt.

Is anyone having problems like me or am I just a stupid cow??

[Full Bananas]

It's not just you. I failed on the u-turn on my first test because I did exactly the same thing and put my foot down. In my opinion being able to do a u-turn without putting a foot on the ground is a totally useless skill and it's annoying that you can fail for it, but I suppose it does demonstrate good control of the bike at slow speeds.

I'm sure you've heard all the advice before. Look to where you want to go, counter-lean slightly to balance the bike etc. It's really helpful if you can relax a bit too, but having already failed on the u-turn just makes it worse the next time. Hopefully the session with the instructor will sort it out for you and you can get some confidence.

Good luck and don't give up - it's all worthwhile in the end.
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"Work is the curse of the drinking class."

[pipnet11]

Thats a bugger Personally I found the U-turn ok after I started ignoring my instructor and did it my way, which was ignore the back brake and do it with the clutch. However I do have a tendancy to do things the hard way. If your on a 125 so you can ride around on your own, id go and find a quiet street to practice in and try various ways of doing it, if you find one that you find easier then use that one.

and no you aint a stupid cow, it took me AGES to get it right (and 2 tests)
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I love the girls that do, I hate the girls that dont, I hate the girls who say they will and then they say they wont, but the girl I like most of all and I think youll say Im right, is the girl who says she never has but looks as though she might. - Max Bygraves

[NICCI]

Thanks mate!!.... Doesn't it just p**s you off though!

First test almost dropped bike on u-turn, Second time u-turn perfect but not enough rear brake, Thought i'd passed aswell which felt even worse!!.... And third time, well you know what i did.....

Just say the word u-turn and I turn to jelly!!

unfortunately the only bike I've got is my R6 sitting waiting in the garage, I can hire a 125cc if I want from the Training centre but for the sake of £20 more I'd prefer to book in for some more lessons on the ER500!

Weather puts me off too.....

[sychosis]

Can you do a static u turn without any problems? If so do this on your next test, as my instructor said they just ask you for a turn in the road.
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Bikes owned: Aprilia RS 125 GP1 2003 (Now sold), Suzuki GSX-r600 1997 (streetfightered), https://www.bikepics.com/members/sychosis/
psy?cho?sis (si-ko-sis),n. pl. psy?cho?ses (-sez) ,A severe mental disorder, with or without organic damage, characterized by derangement of personality and loss of contact with reality and causing deterioration of normal social functioning.

[NICCI]

My problem is just phycological, one minute I can do them the next I panic and can't.....
My Instructor is going to take me to a car park and get me handling the bike like never before!! He is good and I didn't get the opportunity to go out with him before Sunday but now I'm going to book a whole 3 hr lesson on nothing but control with him!! and take things one step at a time!!

[Barker-CBR 600]

[G]

As Barker said, if you've got your own bike, go to the same place, or just find a quiet road and practice for a while. Do that a few times and you should be confident turning in half the road .

Before my test I went and practiced emergency stop then u-turn, then another emergency stop etc. Ideally find a quite narrow road so that you get used to doing it tighter than you have to. By my test I could turn with my bike at pretty much full lock, which meant I easily did it on the school's bike which had a smaller turning circle.

[Rift.]

definatly use back brake much much much easier.

just be really controled, actually think about the controls!!

and how did u get a test on a sunday?????

i wish i had a sunday with no traffic

but i passed n e way!! hehe
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You only live once so get a bike and ride

[sainttm]

Nicci,

All the posts here are correct but im sure you know that anyway. I did my test yesterday and had a practise in the mourning before the test and was all over the place with nurves and couldnt do the turn in the road (U Turn) for love nor money. I then had my instructor shouting at me then threaten me that we will go back without doing the test if i didnt improve.

That was good enough motivation for me. I got so worked up I couldnt do a turn in the road that was 8 ft wider than ones I was doing fine on Sunday.

Something I fount out (not sure if it will help you you but it did me). If you think about what you want to do (chances are you know what to do by now) and not set off untill youve planned it all though in your head.

Then set off at a slow speed, nudge the rear brake after the lifesaver just before the turn then forget everything you just planned as chances are your over thinking it all.

Just turn the bars and look a metre or so off the kurb somewhere in the road but NOT at the kurb and start to use the rear brake abit more and ease in the clutch (its abit of a cheat as you coast but helps no end) then just pull in the clutch in more and use the rear brake aswell (not to use the front brake as at about 10mph or less it tends to rock the bike and cause a loss of balance).

Then you should have done it and be very suprised with the fact it was much easier than you thought, all you needed to do was think at the start and then switch off. lol

Also whilst your turning make sure that you dont realise the clutch and just use finger tip control to control your speed if in doubt use the rear brake.

Chances are though you know all of this anyway but I thought I would just say how I managed to over come my nurves and get around without paniking as that sounds like what you are doing (which I was aswell in the morunging).

Oh another thing that helped me was to control the bike at about 5mph and keep turning your head. This helps to improve your balance on the bike aswell as gets you use to looking around. Another thing was to do figure of 8's in the road or yard wherever possible.

I hope this helps or at least lets you know that the nurves can be beaten and that with proper planning nothing is impossible.

Shane

[NICCI]

Hi Shane,

Thanks for your advise, I have been through it all before but when it's a problem all information thrown at me helps to drum it into me.

On my second test I was doing u-turns no problem I just don't think I did enough before this time. I know eventually I will succeed!!!!!!!!!

Thanks again, and to everyone else xx

p.s rift the training school arranged my sunday test, should have been ten pound extra but they let me off with that!!!!!!!!

[RickHolt]

Yes it's a bad habit I know, but I often use the front brake for slow speed maneuvers. When I used it on a U turn yesterday my instructor immediately said "fail". Is that true? Can you not use the front brake at all?

[Barker-CBR 600]

Its a tricky question, you should be using your back brake to keep control, but the U-turn generally tests slow bike control... so if you are controlled and smooth then i wouldnt imagine its a fail.

Also will the examiner be able to see clearly which brake your using? Or at least able to see it clearly...

So its probably possible to keep it smooth and controlled with the front brake and still pass.
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Previous - Gilera DNA50 / XVS125 Dragstar/Honda CBR 600F/GSF 650 Bandit
Current - 2013 Suzuki VZ800 Intruder
'Is this a rhetorical question?'

[JodieWodie]

The examiner looks for which brake you are using to control the speed during a slow manouerve.
If it's like the tests round here the examiner will be only yards away from you on the kerb.

You should not touch the front brake at all, use only the BACK brake.

When attempting a u-turn, I am always on the biting point, my foot is always on the back brake when approaching it, and then on the turn when the bike is in lock I let the brake off slightly to give me more 'drive' to get round.

Nicci...I know it is hard, but try to let the u-turn go. Get it in your head that they are pis* easy, and concentrate on other stuff.
I was getting would up SO much over my u-turns as I fell off twice doing them on a 500 But on the day I concentrated on everything else and then when it came to it I just sang to myself and whizzed round
Good luck to you xxx
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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow"

[NICCI]

Thanks Jodie!!

Got another lesson this tuesday, I can do them it's just a head thing having fallen off myself!!

Not got another test booked yet but will see on tuesday if any are available yet!! Want to pass so much!

[Villers]

Even before I started riding I was scared of the dreaded U-turn. When the time came though I was a bit of a bolshy b@stard and was well confident on the test. When I did the turn though (luckily we went to a place Id done the turn in before) the instructor was about 40 metres away and didnt even seem to be paying attention! Anyway, I didnt even give the turn a moments thought, I just did it. From your original post way up there it sounds like your beating yourself before you even get on the bike. You said you can do it, you have the ability but it sounds like your just mentally cheating yourself. Just throw caution to the wind, blitz the turn then get home with a huge grin on your face and enjoy that R6!!!



P.S good luck!

[meyrick]

Ah, the U-turn. I have only ridden a bike for about five hours, the one I hired for my CBT a few days ago. Sure enough, I fell off during the U-turn section. I can see the potential to make this a big thing in my head is huge. I just hope I don't lose my nerve when I try it on a geared bike, or if I do, I do it on the instructor's bike and not my brand new CB125T

Paul

[yohomiesmelly...]

Say you were going to do your test on a tzr125r with a slightly larger turning circle than a cg125. Is that allowed? Would it be wise to as the u turn is more difficult on a sports type bike?

cheers

[NICCI]

[NICCI]

Had lesson yesterday, went brilliantly!! Real happy I can do U-TURNS!! hooray at long last....
I was turning on a 10 pence piece in the end I got round so easy I couldn't believe it!!

Booked test for 10th January, can't wait!!!!

Watch this space..........

[Rollins]

[stryker]

I did my test in september (I think), have improved my slow skills no end in the thousands of miles I've done since..... bet I couldn't do a stupid u-turn now though.

I turn round in the mouth of a side street, it allows me to break a u-turn into two maneuvers thus giving me better positioning and time to asses the traffic. Trying to cram it all into one maneuver that requires 100% concentration to complete (never mind observation) seems a little silly.
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Now what?

[Barker-CBR 600]

I did my test on a XVS dragstar, thats a cruiser... so the turning circle was too wide for a two lane road (demonstrated on the walk around, full lock and it wouldnt go around!)

The examiner will be a biker, so he/she will look at the bike and should be able to tell. There will be a place they take 500's on DAS and its likely he/she will take you there.

The walkaround will show you whether it can be done, and you CAN ride a tighter circle than you can walk a bike, so dont worry if its curb to curb on the walkaround, keep the confidence up and the steering as good as locked and you'll do fine.


Good Luck Nicci!

I failed my first test on the U-turn, throughly annoyed as i blamed the cruiser style bike.. but when i got my act together and spent some hours practising i realised it could be done... best feeling ever (except maybe passing ).

Once you've done it in the test you'll relax, and probably do the rest with a big ol' smile on your face and be stuck with it for days afterwards as your L plates rot in the dustbin.
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Previous - Gilera DNA50 / XVS125 Dragstar/Honda CBR 600F/GSF 650 Bandit
Current - 2013 Suzuki VZ800 Intruder
'Is this a rhetorical question?'

[Mister James]