Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Thanx Brent, i will remember to headcheck BOTH ways (ditto Dizzi) & now that you've explained 'feathering the clutch', i realise that i've already been doing that, but have been having a bit of trouble with it. I think because i find that if i'm feathering it too 'low', then when i drag the brake i go too slow & feel like i'm going to fall over (self-fulfilling prophecy i think!), but if i am feathering it too high, then i'm going too high & i overshoot the mark & ride over lines & whatnot. I'm going to Oak Flats to practise again 2night, i will practise my feathering, now that i'm aware of what it actually is, thanks for ur explanation! Also, i'm not too good at the counter-leaning (is that what it is?), i try it when riding sometimes, to practise, but i tend to go wide when doing that, so dont do it that often, maybe i'll practise that 2night too...

& i'm definitely going to practise my trailing, although i have been pressing on it harder rather than softer, i thought i had to press it harder?? Maybe not, i'll try that out 2night too, thanx Mike-S!

& thanx Sulli , i take everyone's advice here because you all know more than me & have the experience, i just dont! I want to be a good rider & want to be confident on my own bike, so thats the main reason why i want to do the test on my bike, i think it will help my confidence if i pass the test, knowing that i can do all these things on it. I really appreciate everyone's advice too, thanks heaps all!

To feather the clutch -

Raise your revs to about 3000
Let the clutch out slowly until you start to feel it move the bike
Release your rear brake - the bike will start to move. You then govern the speed of the bike by using the rear brake. With positive drive forwards and dragging the rear brake you can actually move the bike almost at walking speed while being stable.

As for counter-leaning - it works well if you can master it but it's not really necessary for the Most test. Personally I leaned with the bike and it turned fine using the clutch/throttle/rear brake.

The bikes you can hire for the test are good but I chose to use my bike - I was familiar with it and felt comfortable on it.

Practice the slow riding skills, get used to using your rear brake (for the slow maneuvers only) and sit forward towards the tank of the bike

thanks for that Wayne, i love details, i will practise that 2night, especially for the U-turn & cone weave! I WILL conquer them (eventually!)

I'm still a bit iffy on the counter-leaning, i'll try it again, & if it doesnt work then i'll just stick to the 'feathering', I know that i need to play around with the back brake & how hard/soft it needs to be pressed, practice practice practice for me!

There are many videos on youtube that aid in body positioning for uturns, check them out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9r8nQcK ... re=related

good luck

thanx 4 the link Kevindinho, i checked it out, good stuff! i ended up checking out more vids too, hehehe

I have realised since practising some more that i need to feather the clutch more, i tend to use too much throttle, i will practise feathering 2night.

Also, hubby & i measured the tests (painted in the carpark @ Oak Flats) & they are wrong!! Well, according to my MOST test printout from the RTA anyways, the cone weave markings are all about 10-20cm out, & i've found it makes a huge difference, when i set the cone weave up with my own markers & at the right measurements, it made the difference between me failing & running over (& breaking!) my markers & actually successfully completing the cone weave, including the last cone! 2night i will check the other tests & their measurements, could possibly be the reason why i haven't been able to get the hang of most of them... (thats my excuse anyway!)

Good luck in the test champ...

Let us know how it goes


btw - i failed my first test for speeding

thanx Red Dave, i tend to forget about my speed sometimes, i gotta NOT do that on Sat, lol!! & i will definitely advise on how i go, either way!

& last night i read through all of these things that you've all posted, & i went to practice again, i was sooo determined, & i finally got the hang of it all! With the u-turn i tried to find the feathering point, but i couldn't! My bike doesnt seem to be able to be feathered (clutch point & throttle) cos it goes fast by itself when in first gear, so i ended up just using alot of back brake & a tiny bit of throttle, & i finally leaned with the bike & was able to smash it in, i was nowhere near the line, even on my 'bad' side, woooo! I also did the stopping test without locking up, & the cone weave i did every time without running over my markers, i feel soooo much better about it all now, thanx all 4 ur advice, you guys are the best
I will prob post on Mon, cos Sun i'm going for my FIRST group ride, with hubby & a friend, not sure where yet but somewhere within 100km of Wollongong, lol! If i fail then i'll be cheering myself up by riding on Sun & if i pass, i'll be riding knowing i have my P's, we'll see

You'll do fine.. especically if you are feeling more confident now!

Sounds like you're making some good progress well done!

snakeyez82 wrote: With the u-turn i tried to find the feathering point, but i couldn't! My bike doesnt seem to be able to be feathered (clutch point & throttle) cos it goes fast by itself when in first gear

Try to get someone experienced to ride your bike and do some slow riding exercises to see what they think about how the clutch feels.

You definitely should get feathering the clutch down now while you're actively practicing and learning, before it become totally ingrained.

Keep up the good work

I PASSSSSSSED, woooooooooooo!!!!

Soooo happy!! I was REALLY nervous, especially knowing that you have to do ALL the tests in one go in front of everyone, nerve-wracking! It was myself & 5 other guys in my group, they were all great, especially at the end, we were all cheering each other on! Two of the guys failed, such a shame, one guy was on a dirtbike & didn't stop quick enough in the stopping test, & missed some headchecks, & the other guy went over the line & put his foot down THREE times during the u-turn!! Felt sorry for them, since the rest of us passed & were all happy & chatting about it.

I passed everything, i dont think i got any points, & in the stopping test i did the best, i either stopped before the lines or right on the first one, i was happy with that! Overall a long tiring day, but so worth it since i passed, off to go have a celebratory dinner with my hubby, i'm soooo hungry!!

Thanx everyone for ur advice, it definitely helped!! See yas out on the road!

Ohhhh congrats Snakeyez, well done indeedi, man is it a relief once it's over isn't it, so now you gotta come up for a visit of the ol road

Congratulations!! Well done on passing now it's time to get out and ride

Congrats

congrats! feels great that its all over and done with eh have fun!!

Congrats, i bet you feel a lot better having done a heap of practice before the big day.