New Learner help!!!

[bikerunner]

ok, this may sound stupid or what but, i'm currently taking class 2b lessons and even though it's my 6th lesson, i still cant clear Lesson 1. i dont know why everytime when comes to turning, i become scared (LOL).

 

any ways to help me overcome the fear of cornering? especially the Figure 8.

 

Thanks in advance!!

[kicson]

Change your mindset.You are attending lessons with a "im afraid of falling'' mindset. Change it to "if i fall,then so be it". The fastest you can go in the circuit is 35km/h so don't worry about injuring yourself badly.

 

Know that if you have enough speed,your bike wont fall while cornering.If you don't have enough speed,obviously you'll fall.

 

Not only for Fig 8. Same mindset applies to Crank course,pylon course.

[bikerunner]

ya, now that you mention it, not only do i have that mindset, i also scared that i may go off course and bang on-coming cars. -.-

but if (touchwood) i do bang on-coming cars, then siao liao lol!

 

speaking of speed, what gear do you use in those station? gear 2? gear 1 like not very easy to control

 

and i thinking of using my bicycle to practice for those things and to build up on my confidence of turning/cornering, is it a good idea?

[kicson]

ya, now that you mention it, not only do i have that mindset, i also scared that i may go off course and bang on-coming cars. -.-

but if (touchwood) i do bang on-coming cars, then siao liao lol!

 

speaking of speed, what gear do you use in those station? gear 2? gear 1 like not very easy to control

 

and i thinking of using my bicycle to practice for those things and to build up on my confidence of turning/cornering, is it a good idea?

 

Eyepoint is very important in maneuvering those courses.Your hand/body will steer the bike towards the point where you are looking.If you're looking at the curb,then your bike will go towards that direction.Just look at the direction where you want to go.Not where you are afraid of going.

 

Gear wise,its a must be in gear 2 once you entered those courses.For Fig 8,once you move off from the starting line,you can ride slightly towards the right before turning left into the course.This gives you move curb clearance. Be in gear 2 before you cross the white line. Some people are able to change to gear 2 before doing the left turn into Fig8,some are not.

For crank course,personally i change to gear 2 while turning.I find it easier as compared to changing gear after turning as you might accidentally throw clutch causing your bike to surge forward. Try different techniques during lessons. No shame in falling as all the people attending lessons are students like you.

 

As for using a bicycle as a substitute,i don't think it is a good idea. Because the weight difference is too much. And angle of cornering. Bicycles wheels are a lot thinner compared to motorcycle's ones.You can corner much lower on a motorcycle. Not boasting but i was never a good cyclist.But i was able to bank low enough that the instructor asked me if i thought i was in MotorGP(in a sarcastic manner..) Nonetheless,you can still try using a bicycle.

Edited October 18, 2014 by kicson

[atracys]

it's all in the mind and confidence. take your time no rush, everyone have a different learning curve. you'll get there eventually! all the best!

[Walabam]

Eyepoint is very important in maneuvering those courses.Your hand/body will steer the bike towards the point where you are looking.If you're looking at the curb,then your bike will go towards that direction.Just look at the direction where you want to go.Not where you are afraid of going.

 

Gear wise,its a must to be in gear 2 once you entered those courses.For Fig 8,once you move off from the starting line,you can ride slightly towards the right before turning left into the course.This gives you move curb clearance. Be in gear 2 before you cross the white line. Some people are able to change to gear 2 before doing the left turn into Fig8,some are not.

For crank course,personally i change to gear 2 while turning.I find it easier as compared to changing gear after turning as you might accidentally throw clutch causing your bike to surge forward. Try different techniques during lessons. No shame in falling as all the people attending lessons are students like you.

 

As for using a bicycle as a substitute,i don't think it is a good idea. Because the weight difference is too much. And angle of cornering. Bicycles wheels are a lot thinner compared to motorcycle's ones.You can corner much lower on a motorcycle. Not boasting but i was never a good cyclists.But i was able to bank low enough that the instructor asked me if i thought i was in MotorGP(in a sarcastic manner..) Nonetheless,you can still try using a bicycle.

 

Yes, this is true. Don't panic over stuff that most probably won't happen. The more you panic, the more you f up. You can lean much more on a motorcycle, I've scratched the sides of my scooter a few times while cornering but it still managed to stay up. No worries on cornering. All the best!

[bikerunner]

Although all are students like me, but none of them f up like i did lol, and i feel ps to let them keep waiting for me to clear before they can go into the course.

 

But thanks guys, you all gave me confidence again and tomorrow i am going back after stopping for a week lol

 

I shall remember that it is all about eyepoint, all in the mind and my motorcycle wont fall no matter how low i lean so long as i am moving

[kicson]

Although all are students like me, but none of them f up like i did lol, and i feel ps to let them keep waiting for me to clear before they can go into the course.

 

But thanks guys, you all gave me confidence again and tomorrow i am going back after stopping for a week lol

 

I shall remember that it is all about eyepoint, all in the mind and my motorcycle wont fall no matter how low i lean so long as i am moving

 

Yes and No. Take a good look at the motorcycle's tires.You'll notice that there are no tire threads by the side of the tires.If you bank so low that the side of the tires with no thread comes into contact with the ground,you'll lose traction.But no worries as ALL bikes used for lessons have crash bars installed on them.They'll come into contact with the ground before the tire walls do.

Clear your mind before you attend the lessons.The more you have on your mind,the harder it is to concentrate. Same logic applies to both in circuit and after you pass and riding on the public road.

 

Like i said before.The wider the wheels,the lower you can bank before the tire walls come in contact with the ground.That why sports bike have larger wheels as compared to bikes like X1R,spark.

[bikerunner]

Yes and No. Take a good look at the motorcycle's tires.You'll notice that there are no tire threads by the side of the tires.If you bank so low that the side of the tires with no thread comes into contact with the ground,you'll lose traction.But no worries as ALL bikes used for lessons have crash bars installed on them.They'll come into contact with the ground before the tire walls do.

Clear your mind before you attend the lessons.The more you have on your mind,the harder it is to concentrate. Same logic applies to both in circuit and after you pass and riding on the public road.

 

Like i said before.The wider the wheels,the lower you can bank before the tire walls come in contact with the ground.That why sports bike have larger wheels as compared to bikes like X1R,spark.

 

 

oh wow! Didnt know there's such thing haha. Thanks for the info!

 

And ya, gotta stay clam and keep cool and have my mind cleared.

 

Thanks again!

[Keoni]

You're doing fig 8 in Lesson 1?? Which centre are u taking ur lessons from?

Anyway, using a bicycle for practice isn't a bad idea. Although it won't help with ur gear shifting and speed control, it might help with ur eye point, which is very important. Like what kicson says, don't look at where u don't want to go, because u will go where u look.

As for changing up to gear 2, try to do it at the first turn into the course. But u need to throttle more as u move off in gear 1. Many trainees make the mistake of moving off at very low revs (no power), then when they change up to gear 2 (which has lesser power than gear 1), the engine stalls, or the bike starts jerking.

After changing up to gear 2, slowly release the clutch but don't open throttle. After u have released the clutch fully then control the speed with the throttle. But remember u need enough speed in gear 1 to pull this off.

[bikerunner]

You're doing fig 8 in Lesson 1?? Which centre are u taking ur lessons from?

 

I am taking lessons at SSDC. Well, there's this last part where the instructors will bring us to those courses to train our eyepoint or what. If you are also from SSDC, then there's this last part on 'Banking'.

But then, the instructors on this Monday didnt bring us to Figure 8 leh... only the S-curve (for cars) and crank course, then they brought us to slope for 1 try. lol

 

Anyway, really thanks to all of you guys' help, i cleared Lesson 1 already and have taken 1 lesson on Lesson 2. Now i am thinking on how to clear pylon slalom under 6s. lol

[swissbake]

Go read 'a female rider's class 2b journey' and '[cdc] 2b' within the forum. Many useful advice there. You should spend some time talking to instructors to understand specifically what improvements you need.

[Keoni]

Pylon slalom also about eye-point. Don't look at the cone just in front of u. Look at least 2 cones ahead. Don't worry about the timing first. Work on ur eye-point and getting through the course smoothly first. When u can go through the course smoothly, 6 secs is not a problem.

[nsr1980]

control your holding clutch with throttle, look far to where you want to go...

Grip tank with your thighs firmly.

[ARIESCLAIRE]

ok, this may sound stupid or what but, i'm currently taking class 2b lessons and even though it's my 6th lesson, i still cant clear Lesson 1. i dont know why everytime when comes to turning, i become scared (LOL).

 

any ways to help me overcome the fear of cornering? especially the Figure 8.

 

Thanks in advance!!

 

When u make a turn, yr eye must be looking at least 3 bikes ahead of where u are turning and continue such eyepoint contact until yr corner ends. Do not worry of slipping or falling down when u make a turn, just turn the handle bar a bit and lean on it.

[bikerunner]

hmm.... i wonder how you go about the crank course? Is it like this:

 

Step 1. Check safety

Step 2. Move forward, change to gear 2 but dont release clutch

Step 3. Enter the crank course by turning handlebar? leaning? which one?

Step 4. Release clutch slowly and fully; look to the right on the road (eyepoint)

Step 5. Lean to the right and go through the crank course

 

Is it like this or are there other ways?

 

And i would like to ask had anyone experience this where in gear 2, you know that you are going very slow and the engine is going to stall. So you open throttle and instead of picking up speed, the bike REALLY stalled.

 

Thanks very much!

[Keoni]

Turn the handle bar. And the bike will lean. You cannot turn without leaning.

Once you enter the crank course you have to start looking to the exit. Don't worry about where to turn. Your pheripheral vision will tell you where to turn.

 

2nd question: Open throttle and engine stalls because you open throttle too much too fast when the speed is too slow. Try this in your next lesson: At the start of the lesson when you are forming up and waiting for the instructor to move off, with the engine running in neutral gear, give the throttle a hard twist. It will stall. Always open throttle gradually and smoothly.

 

Or it could just be the bike is screwed. Come to think of it, it's not surprising with the bikes there.

[bikerunner]

Turn the handle bar. And the bike will lean. You cannot turn without leaning.

Once you enter the crank course you have to start looking to the exit. Don't worry about where to turn. Your pheripheral vision will tell you where to turn.

 

Turn handlebar to lean? Thought i can just lean with my handlebar straight and the bike can still turn?

Or is it that:

Slow speed: Turn handlebar to turn

Fast speed: Lean the bike to turn

 

But then, i am quite scared to turn handlebar and throttle, moving off from stationary. Scared that i might either lose balance or the bike going off course (e.g. at the stop line making a turn to the left) Hence, i always lean, haha (dont know if i am contradicting myself lol)

 

2nd question: Open throttle and engine stalls because you open throttle too much too fast when the speed is too slow. Try this in your next lesson: At the start of the lesson when you are forming up and waiting for the instructor to move off, with the engine running in neutral gear, give the throttle a hard twist. It will stall. Always open throttle gradually and smoothly.

 

Or it could just be the bike is screwed. Come to think of it, it's not surprising with the bikes there.

 

Ya, it happens when i open too much too fast. (Kan chiong mah, cuz going to stall liao. Stall = fall down) Yet again, i realise this only happens to bikes with low idling speed. This has happened twice, not sure is it the same bike but when i press the starter button, the engine starts running but dies by itself after a few seconds. And i can hardly feel the vibration when the engine runs. Dont know if you guys experience this before, since you all have your own bikes.

 

And from what i know, a bike/car with whatever gear engaged in, with nothing being done to it (i.e. no de-clutch, no acceleration, no braking), will actually move faster and faster by itself. But not to these 2 bikes leh.

[ticks]

It's not a hundred per cent turn as in turning a car steering wheel. It's more of a tug. The next time u ride in a straight line, try pulling in slightly on the left hand and the bike will lean towards the right and vice versa. It's not visible to the eye but you will feel the effect of the slight tug on the handlebar.

 

The car will not move faster and faster by itself once u release the clutch. Understand that your engine has an idle speed in revolutions per sec. These revolutions has its own torque, if you release the clutch smoothly to engage the transmission to the engine, the aforementioned torque will be transmitted to the transmission and on to the wheels, that's where your vehicle accelerates from standstill. But since it is assumed (in this example) you did not open any throttle, the vehicle will just run on the idle speed of the engine and no faster.

 

That's also why in traffic jams and bumper to bumper traffic, u can just release your clutch without any throttle input to inch your vehicle forward.

Edited November 7, 2014 by ticks

[bikerunner]

It's not a hundred per cent turn as in turning a car steering wheel. It's more of a tug. The next time u ride in a straight line, try pulling in slightly on the left hand and the bike will lean towards the right and vice versa. It's not visible to the eye but you will feel the effect of the slight tug on the handlebar.

 

The car will not move faster and faster by itself once u release the clutch. Understand that your engine has an idle speed in revolutions per sec. These revolutions has its own torque, if you release the clutch smoothly to engage the transmission to the engine, the aforementioned torque will be transmitted to the transmission and on to the wheels, that's where your vehicle accelerates from standstill. But since it is assumed (in this example) you did not open any throttle, the vehicle will just run on the idle speed of the engine and no faster.

 

That's also why in traffic jams and bumper to bumper traffic, u can just release your clutch without any throttle input to inch your vehicle forward.

 

Ya, i heard a lot about it, they call it counter-steering. Didnt really dare to try though, later lose balance fall down then kena mark by instructors again. Haiz... Or maybe i have been doing it without realising? (self-contradicting again, lol)

 

 

The vehicle did move faster and faster. From a standstill, it slowly pick speed. Of course not very fast, like 20-25 km/h i think? 20-25 in circuit is considered a bit fast already.

[ticks]

You may or may not have done it consciously. But if u do it, it makes makes turning a little bit easier..: not sure if u can do it in the circuit..

 

Next time in the circuit u can try on the straight roads. It will just top out around that speed.

 

Just note that if the engine is cold the speed will be higher too as the idle speed is higher.

[bikerunner]

Engine cold, idle speed faster? Not engine hot then idle speed faster meh?

[ticks]

Engine cold then need to heat up the engine to be in the optimum working temperature range. This is done by increasing the idle speed. Once hot liao no need to waste petrol increasing the idling speed.

Same thing with car. Try to start it after overnight park then see how high is the idle.

[simpleboy]

Eyepoint is very important in maneuvering those courses.Your hand/body will steer the bike towards the point where you are looking.If you're looking at the curb,then your bike will go towards that direction.Just look at the direction where you want to go.Not where you are afraid of going.

 

Gear wise,its a must be in gear 2 once you entered those courses.For Fig 8,once you move off from the starting line,you can ride slightly towards the right before turning left into the course.This gives you move curb clearance. Be in gear 2 before you cross the white line. Some people are able to change to gear 2 before doing the left turn into Fig8,some are not.

For crank course,personally i change to gear 2 while turning.I find it easier as compared to changing gear after turning as you might accidentally throw clutch causing your bike to surge forward. Try different techniques during lessons. No shame in falling as all the people attending lessons are students like you.

 

As for using a bicycle as a substitute,i don't think it is a good idea. Because the weight difference is too much. And angle of cornering. Bicycles wheels are a lot thinner compared to motorcycle's ones.You can corner much lower on a motorcycle. Not boasting but i was never a good cyclist.But i was able to bank low enough that the instructor asked me if i thought i was in MotorGP(in a sarcastic manner..) Nonetheless,you can still try using a bicycle.

Hahah wished my instructor could say that I m in motor gp too..I have no balls when it comes to cornering. I don't trust the tyres n road enough. Lol

[ticks]

Hahah wished my instructor could say that I m in motor gp too..I have no balls when it comes to cornering. I don't trust the tyres n road enough. Lol

 

Sometimes it's not the tires or road. It's the rider. Speaking of myself personally. Never got the balls to go fast enough through the corners at PG even though there's a lot more lean angle available