Anyone else struggle with slow speed?

[AshWebster]

https://www.cycleworld.com/g00/do-you-struggle-with-slower-speeds-on-your-motorcycle?i10c.ua=1&i10c.encReferrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8%3d&i10c.dv=18

seems im not the only one - i really struggled on my mod 1, blitzed the mod 2, and am perfectly happy to smash it round the lanes / tracks at relatively high speed , but when it comes to U-turns i just avoid them or try to do a 3 point turn ha

Is it something i should fix? probably, but i cba dropping the bike whilst trying so not gonna bother!
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Honda cg125 J reg peice of shit ---> CB650F ---> 2016 CBR600RR
Ford KA ---> 93' MR2 ---> 94'MR2 ---> 98' Subaru WRX STI Ver 3 (track car)

[MarJay]

Buy a bike with bars rather than clip ons...
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[B0ndy]

Might sound sad but a few years ago sometimes on a weekend I would go down a quiet industrial estate and just dick around on a bike, this helped me a lot with slow speed.

Used to practise figures of eights, uturns, wheelies and stoppies.

There's a "sport" called Gymkhana which you may want to look up, that would help you greatly - however it's mainly practised in America and Japan from that I've seen but doesn't stop you having a go yourself in a quiet car park with a couple of cones.
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CBF 125 -> CB400SF -> GSX600F -> ZX6R (G1) -> GSXR1000 K4 -> ZX6R (B1H Stunt bike) -> VFR800 -> R1 5PW -> Sprint 1050 -> Fireblade 929 -> ZX10R C2H

[chickenstrip]

I might do a U turn if I think there's plenty of room, but more often I just look for somewhere easier to turn around; a side road, roundabout, lay-by, whatever. Or do a two or three pointer somewhere quiet.

Slow speed control moving forwards is more about a relaxed grip on the bars, gripping the tank with the knees, rear brake for extra control.
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[Sister Sledge]

As said already just go and practice somewhere quiet on a good surface (tarmac/concrete).
It's all about concentration - not furious focused attention and willingness - just relax but stay with what you're doing. That breathing out concentration you do when taking a photo or shooting a rifle.
Obviously slower speeds are too slow for the engine and so you slip the clutch a little but with some practice it's surprising what can be done.

I returned to bikes late last year and although mine's light at less than 130 kilos I never thought I'd be able to do the slow stuff again. It has come back to me now.
Once you get that feel for it it becomes second nature.
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CCM 404 DS

[Nobby the Bastard]

I struggle to go slowly. That's why I'm on 9 points....
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[stinkwheel]

I do on my bullet because it has a close ratio gearbox and you have to slip the clutch at anything below 10-15mph.

However, no, slow speed control isn't generally much of an issue. My main problem with tight turns at slow speeds is the handlebars hitting my knees. I have to stick my leg out which upsets things.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Easy-X]

Luckily the back of my office is a bit "industrial" lots of teeny weeny roads all jumbled up with everyone double parked... have to get very good at slow manoeuvres every day!

Got it down to tackling right-angles at less than walking speed now
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[kgm]

Tight turns get a lot easier with practice. Key thing is to look where you want to go, so for the u turn look right over your shoulder.

Keep positive power applied, when the power drops off is when you'll feel the bike start to drop.

Keep the revs up and slip the clutch, use the back brake to slow the bike if you start going too quickly rather than chopping the power.

Push the bike down under you Motocross style for slow tight manoeuvres, makes it much easier, sometimes I can be sitting on the side of the seat.

Like this guy: (kinda like leaning the wrong way)

https://www.advpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Advanced-Rider-Training-opt.jpg?id=featured

[Teflon-Mike]

I started riding school-boy trials on bikes geared to do maybe 40mph flat out in top.... I have to say that after a life-time riding where mountain goats fear to tread, U-Turns, in the street, in the snow, in my chuffing dressing gown! Have been a source of amusement for the neighbours... while 2-up U-Turns on 1 in 3 welsh or derbyshire single track hillside with the daughter bashing on my bone-dome waving a smurph-phone showing google-maps, yelling "LOOK! I got reception!... sorry... I seem to have sent you the wrong way..." almost became 'habbit'....
NOT really something I fret about.....
TRICK, if there is one, is lean and confidence; wide bars help, but, it is the mind-warp of putting a bike over till the pegs scrape, doing it on the throttle, at barely walking pace, that does tend to sort the men from the boys, IME, rather than heading into a wide sweeper at however many ooomphs..... but still.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and learn to lean the bike to make it steer, and use the throttle to keep it balanced.
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[Courier265]

No problems riding slow.
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CBF500 - 2 x Inazuma 250

[thx1138]

yeah I can ride super slow, can't do a "bike stand" or whatever it's called with motorbikes though, 10 seconds stationary is about the best I managed

I'm not a great rider with other things, IAM road craft blah, but I can do slow , and tight turns etc

[Teflon-Mike]

[Easy-X]

...or you could get a cruiser and then putting your feet down makes no odds to the balance of the bike

Seriously though I sometimes just crawl in traffic like the caged plebs just to practice sub-walking speeds with clutch control and all that.

(Note to self: must try and use back brake more for this.)
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[thx1138]

[MarJay]

There are two things I did which helped my low speed control immensely.

1.) Do some pitbike supermoto

The pitbikes are so small and twitchy that a big bike always feels super stable even at low speeds.

2.) Buy a big lardy bike

My VFR has helped my low speed control immensely because riding it a lot especially through London you get used to just maneuvering it around. Now my other bikes all feel like toys in comparison!!
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[AshWebster]

[MCN]

[Bhud]

It might just be that the bike is unsuitable for you. Perhaps a bad suspension setup or just too much ride height. My GT550 does slow speed maneuvres, U-turns, etc. with great ease. It actually encourages lazy/poor riding habits; tipping it in is that effortless. It makes it feel like a drunken monkey could it. If your bike is all setup for high speed cornering, why not just be happy with that. Not sure what's actually wrong with a 3-point turn or paddling around anyway. Gymkhana may improve your skills to a point but they may well be at odds with any correct high speed cornering skills you may have developed. Tipping the bike with a sudden jerk on the bars, pressing on a footpeg and doing an opposite-side lean will chuck you off if you do it at speed. No problem leaving it to Frenchmen and similar posers. I saw a guy drop a Triumph twin in a low speed turn once. Others laughed - I didn't. Shit happens even to French showoffs. All that got hurt was his pride. If he'd fucked up at speed, a lot more would have been hurt. Si what's a U-turn really worth. Safer not to do one anyway, on a 2-lane road

[chickenstrip]

[Skudd]

The only real way is to practice. Instead of racing around go for a slow pootle in a carpark or the like. Sports bikes aren't great for low spped but still can be done, I ride a GS Adventure and two up u turns in half width roads is a doddle, but there again I've practiced. When I was a kid at 16yrs on a 50cc I used to challenge mates to see who could take the longest to get from A to B about a 100 yards apart.

As a side note, I find just using the front brake and blip the throttle, many would frown on that and say you must use the bake brake, but what ever works for you until you master slow speed then change your technique later.
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[sickpup]

[UncleFester]

U turns - MEH

However, slow speed riding - worth practicing. My CB500 was easier for this than my Z1000 but it's still possible. Just a case of learning how your bike balances at low speeds.

Good brake control. Good clutch control. Good throttle control. Lock to lock turns. All possible with practice.
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Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[Teflon-Mike]

[sickpup]