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Old October 22nd, 2016, 07:02 AM   #8
Triple Jim
Guy Who Enjoys Riding
 
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Name: Jim
Location: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2016

Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250

Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Oct '18, Aug '17, Aug '16
When I first bought a motorcycle, I wanted to get skillful enough to take the license test on it. It was a 1972 Kawasaki H2, and I especially didn't want to fail the skills test on it, since it would evoke a lot of "I told you that bike is too big for a beginner" comments. Since the test was all low speed stuff, I did a lot of low speed maneuvering in parking lots and on the street in front of my house. I got to where I could do a figure-8 the hard way, across the street, without putting a foot down. The practice was worth it, and I did fine on the test.

I'm a big fan of practicing my weak areas until they're not weak. If tight U-turns are your current weak area, go somewhere safe and practice them. You can mark a parking lot or dead-end street with chalk or cardboard boxes, or anything handy, and repeat the U-turns, both right and left, until they're easy for you. It might take a week or two of 20 minutes a day, or something equivalent. Then move on to the next weakest link in your chain of riding skills.

One that comes to mind that's very important to practice is extreme stopping. I mean the kind that is likely to lift the rear wheel off the pavement, or close to it. That's one we all need to practice occasionally, to keep it automatic.
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