Newbie questions

[taaouicha]

hi there

I just enrolled for my 2b at cdc last week and i managed to clear my prac 1 after 3 lessons. I do still have questions pretaining to bike handling so i can improve my riding skills ...

 

The most difficult thing for me is wobbling when moving off/ Delay in moving off. Im 1.83m 74kgs ... ybr is pretty small but i do believe if my riding skills get better i can control any bike .. ive listed my problems below, hope you guys can give me advice:cheeky:

Starting off

1.well i'd put the bike in gear 1 and with clutch held pull the throttle and slowly release the clutch above the biting point... then it starts to move like damn slowly and easy to wobble .. as the clutch is released more the speed is built up increasing stability but i tend to release more than 1 mm at a time( sometimes must change to gear 2 fast... ) then it causes a jerk but its not as bad as throwing the clutch completely then stalling the bike ...

any tips on how to prevent this jerk of the bike or to decrease wobbling ?

 

2.sometimes at CDC the cars will enter into the bike lane and move at snail speed or just remain stationary there ... then i drop to gear 1 and it takes time for me to move off whereas the car moves off almost instantaneously .... ( auto car ? ) if a gap forms how badly will tp penalise us in the test ?

 

3. well like i said i just cleared my prac 1 today so uhm i was using the gold bikes which do not have a tachometer .. does this meter help us riders move off ? like how much to open throttle and how much we can release clutch per unit time ?

 

4. Uhm yea dropping gears ... i read somewhere that dropping more than 2 gears too fast may cause the rear wheel to lock up. is this true ? cause i drop gears 5-> 1 in order to pass the first prac , i didnt encounter any problems but yea anyone who did the same but experienced a different result ?

 

I do hope you guys will help me out. Thanks again

[myxilplix]

1. Practice more with your clutch control, basically you've got the train up the sensitivity and fine control of the fingers in your left hand. Like you said you tend to release more than 1mm at a time. No need to rush, get the bike rolling smoothly first then you can release the clutch further to pick up speed for the gearchange. Relax yourself and look straight ahead before you try to move off, this will help reduce the wobbling.

 

2. Don't worry about the gap and tp test, take your time and learn to move off smoothly, the speed will come with practice.

 

3. No need for a tachometer, it's better to learn to ride by feeling than always looking down and relying on a tacho.

 

4. The rear wheel will lock up if you drop too many gears and release the clutch too abruptly. If you're stopping of course you go from 5->1 but don't release the clutch, so no diff. If you're changing down to a lower gear to slow down the bike then go down one gear at a time.

[Blahhh]

1. Throttle, throttle, throttle.. dun be afraid of the bike doing a "wheelie", becoz the bikes there are ridiculously underpowered. Of coz, I am not asking you to pull full throttle and then throwing the clutch, just dun be afraid to open the throttle more.

 

2. By the time you get to book ur TP, u will eliminate this problem.

 

3. I agreed with the above poster; dun rely on meters. Train yourself to the engine's noise. You will pick this up during the slope training.

 

4. Can.. just keep the clutch in and drop down slowly

[vTech]

hi there

1.well i'd put the bike in gear 1 and with clutch held pull the throttle and slowly release the clutch above the biting point... then it starts to move like damn slowly and easy to wobble .. as the clutch is released more the speed is built up increasing stability but i tend to release more than 1 mm at a time( sometimes must change to gear 2 fast... ) then it causes a jerk but its not as bad as throwing the clutch completely then stalling the bike ...

any tips on how to prevent this jerk of the bike or to decrease wobbling ?

 

yep,,,Clutch control is the thing...Must know how much to release clutch and how much to throttle....the only hard part for this is it's interconnected...you can just focus on the clutch or throttle itself...have to be on both...but after much practice this won't be a problem for you i'm sure..

 

2.sometimes at CDC the cars will enter into the bike lane and move at snail speed or just remain stationary there ... then i drop to gear 1 and it takes time for me to move off whereas the car moves off almost instantaneously .... ( auto car ? ) if a gap forms how badly will tp penalise us in the test ?

 

yes they can penalise if you delay in moving off.

but usually during the test, cars won't be present(in the circuit)...so nothing much to worry bout...but if they do, this goes the same as question 1.if you have the clutch controlling mastered, you have no worry moving off without delay.

 

3. well like i said i just cleared my prac 1 today so uhm i was using the gold bikes which do not have a tachometer .. does this meter help us riders move off ? like how much to open throttle and how much we can release clutch per unit time ?

 

for me, it doesn't really help.If you notice, different bikes has different biting point esp in driving centers. i believe in listening to the engine...it works for me...

 

4. Uhm yea dropping gears ... i read somewhere that dropping more than 2 gears too fast may cause the rear wheel to lock up. is this true ? cause i drop gears 5-> 1 in order to pass the first prac , i didnt encounter any problems but yea anyone who did the same but experienced a different result ?

 

yes it could...you did not encounter this cos your speed and 5th gear was too slow for 5th gear possible around 10-20km/h which is range for low gear..every gears has different speed range. so if you dropped from 5th gear(50km/h) to 1st gear(10km/h) it will lock the rear wheel and skidding may occur.so you should just drop 1 gear at a time...this help in engine braking without skidding...

[LL]

if the rpm in like 4th gear is near red, u try dropping 1 or 2 gears.

u will go ski-ing happily

but if rpm is like low low low, u drop doesn't really matters.

actually just listen to engine and drop slowly.

correct me if i am wrong

[taaouicha]

thx again for all your help. I went for my first prac 2 and im getting better at clutch control. its really abt the engine sound like you guys said... i also noticed the blue ybr bikes seem to have more 'power' than the golden ones.. A bit of throttle goes a long way lol

And i got the technique of braking first then , followed by (clutch + throttle off).. somehow clutch + throttle off b4 braking send the bike freewheeling..which makes it move faster...( no engine braking ? )

Everyone at prac 2 seems to master the the art of moving a bit then stopping without any wobles :S i feel as if i was a very slow learner

uhm i hope you guys wont mind if i ask questions pertaining to prac 2 here :S

1.well before we move off we check bind spot at right to see if anyone is gonna overtake.

2. if we at stop and moving to right need only check right blindspot as moving off + turing from stationary is same.

3. lane changing need to check blindspot.

4. bends need to check blindspot 5m before bending.

*but i got confused over how to check blindspot when from stationary turning to the left. do i check back right followed by left then move ? or do i check back then turn left then check blindspot ?

**and another question is that is there anymore instances that we need to do blindspot checks ?

this i think cause me to fail prac2 just now i am really confused over this part and the instructor was like angry at me but im uncertain how to do this procedure :S

can anyone please advice ?

[aRcHeR]

you close throttle, brake, den clutch in.. if you clutch in, you are basically free-wheeling the bike, thus no engine braking. this is dangerous when you are taking a corner.. you might drift out of the corner..

 

1. yes, check back right ONLY.

 

2. stationary and turning right, check back right ONLY.

 

3. yes, blindspots again. filter to left, check left. filter to right, check right.

 

4. if turning left from stationary, check back right and left, and move off. if turning right, just check back RIGHT and move off.

 

and you need to check your blindspots and bends as well. 2 areas are the bend behind the training shed and the bend before the narrow plank section.

 

we can only provide theory for you, but it's advisable to ask the instructors for a clearer demostration.

 

all the best.

[taaouicha]

thx for the tips aRcHeR. I just cleared prac 2 just now at the second attempt at it... Now is the hard part i guess all the hazard courses T_T

going to attempt prac 3 on Friday afternoon.... i heard many people fell here... haiz id prolly make a fool out of myself at the figure 8 and slope

 

Btw: i really feel the advice you guys give is a lot better than insturctors.. they tend to shout and i will tend 2 get stressed and fumble everything.. prior to going for my lessons i'll memorize what advice is given here and once i am at the prac it just so much easier as i already know what to do. thanks again to all for helping me learn how to operate the bike.

[vTech]

thx for the tips aRcHeR. I just cleared prac 2 just now at the second attempt at it... Now is the hard part i guess all the hazard courses T_T

going to attempt prac 3 on Friday afternoon.... i heard many people fell here... haiz id prolly make a fool out of myself at the figure 8 and slope

 

Btw: i really feel the advice you guys give is a lot better than insturctors.. they tend to shout and i will tend 2 get stressed and fumble everything.. prior to going for my lessons i'll memorize what advice is given here and once i am at the prac it just so much easier as i already know what to do. thanks again to all for helping me learn how to operate the bike.

 

 

 

I think maybe cos the instructor everyday come work see the same bumch of ppl and they kinda tired of it....i'm not saying all, some are really into passing their knowledge and really open if you ask them questions....

Good luck for your practical 3.just stay calm.No need to rush on Figure 8.Should focus on completing the course first then as u get better then can try to pace up a lil...but trust me, for 2b, you dun really need to rush for this course....just follow procedure at a comfortable pace, sure can pass...somemore if instructor see you complete in confidence,they also shud let pass...

dun forget to off signal once you entered the figure 8 and to check blindspot before you enter and before you exit the figure 8

i think this is what usually caused the rider to fail,not much the time they took to complete the course...

[taaouicha]

thanks Vtech for the tips. i went for my prac 3 lesson first time this morning under heavy rain was abt 5 mins late :S

the figure 8 was good(signalling, turning, eyeline , change of gear was all okie.) timing was abt 10.X secs but the insructor failed me cause of slope[he said after lesson that i need to work on slope signal lights and being 5 mins late seems to be another reason ( ..i think my signalling when forming up and climbing up the slope was all messed up ). I also think im really bad for crank course cause i seem to acclerate at the bends cause thats when my bike seems to be almost at a stop :S

can you please help me with the signalling for slope and techniques for crank course ?

i really apperciate your tips fellow bikers... this thread helped me lots for my practicals

[vTech]

thanks Vtech for the tips. i went for my prac 3 lesson first time this morning under heavy rain was abt 5 mins late :S

the figure 8 was good(signalling, turning, eyeline , change of gear was all okie.) timing was abt 10.X secs but the insructor failed me cause of slope[he said after lesson that i need to work on slope signal lights and being 5 mins late seems to be another reason ( ..i think my signalling when forming up and climbing up the slope was all messed up ). I also think im really bad for crank course cause i seem to acclerate at the bends cause thats when my bike seems to be almost at a stop :S

can you please help me with the signalling for slope and techniques for crank course ?

i really apperciate your tips fellow bikers... this thread helped me lots for my practicals

 

 

ah....for slope just gotta remember a few stuffs...not much skill needed...i'm guessing you forgot where to signal and where to check blindspot....

1.when you're at the main road turning right to the slope,stop if there happen to be a vehicle coming towards you on the other side...[Don't forget to signal 'right']

2.When coming in,[Off Signal],drop to gear 1 and stop before line.

4.once front rider has moved, if you happen to be on left row,[signal 'right']If,you're on the right,[switch to signal 'left']

5.before moving of,[check your blindspot INWARDS(same as signal)]

6.turn off signal just after u cleared the slope...[Make sure you're not clutching in when moving down(freewheeling)only clutch in when stopping]

7.Signal left and move off to next course...

 

for Crank course, it's all bout control of the bike, more practice should help....speed cannot too slow cos you're expected to switch to gear 2 before the turns...

for me i would do this..

1.check blindspot

2.move off

3.gear 2

4.clutch & brake control

5.proceed with 1st turn

6.clutch & brake control

7.proceed with 2nd turn

8.signal left, check for incoming vehicles before moving out of the course.

 

hope this helps...

good luck for your practical lessons!!:cheeky:

[taaouicha]

woot im finally done with prac 3 [though kena go 3 times ]... cant do it without your help guys

now i guess things are gonna get harder ... i heard that plank is a killer and yea e brake is like a lot of ppl will buang the bike ...

i booked the lesson tomorrow

can you guys please highlight and advise me on how to clear it ?

thanks a million

[vTech]

congrats on lesson 3....

 

for plank,u need to control your balance at really low speed,that's what makes it hard....try to grip your tank with your legs instead of opening wide.when signalled to proceed,accelerate just enough for you to go up the plank,once you've entered,close throttle and make use of clutch and brake to move forward,no need to throttle....if u want to increase speed,just losen up on the clutch a lil...if you wanna slow down,clutch in and use ur brakes....

 

u dun have to be really slow for this course,timed up yourself by counting in your heart....it helps...

 

e-brake is harder as in the procedures....you really need to practice on that...not much skilled needed for this...cos most learners got penalize for wrong technics...

 

1.be sure to check your at correct speed

2.you should be looking straight ahead and not to the ground even when you're stopping(Very important!)

3.remember no2(I can't tell you how important this really is)

4.Do not drop gear when stopping!(if you do,i'm pretty sure your speed is too low)

5.left leg down right leg on brakes when stopping.

6.switch legs(don't forget check back)

7.drop gears(if gear stuck,release clutch a lil and drop again until you feel it's lowest gear)

8.switch legs(don't forget check back)

9.check back and move off

10.be sure to give way if there are cars on the main road.they do penalize here too.

[taaouicha]

thanks bro, i just printed out everything you posted and reading it again and again .

hope to pass tomorrow lol

[taaouicha]

oh man

i really need help with plank

1st time go drop 1/2 way in plank, second time buang, third time onwards can clear already but 3.X secs , 4 secs , 5 secs + was last time i was on plank.. but still fail cause the instructor said too fast

okies i tend to go to up the plank at not half biting point cause faster speed is more stable .. i was almost doing brake the whole plank through ... still cannot make it

the eyeline part helps and gripping tank with feet + not moving body weight but rather just a slight movement of handle bars is good...

but really can i do anything else apart from braking all the way ? if i reclutch below biting point will tha help ? i was thinking abt that on my way back from cdc.

bro thanks for the tips for ebrake. im quite good in that am confident for it.. did it many times without major mistakes(only the 'pump gear down 'part was stalling the bike, but istructor explain that just brake ad release beyond biting point a bit can already) but plank i really want to cry liao.

[vTech]

for plank,if you wanna slow down,clutch in and brake bit by bit....if you dun clutch in and brake,bike may wobble and thus cause u to drop....shud practise counting in your mind

1 thousand1,2thousand2....etc...

that helps.....

[zart]

before reach plank i throttle more.

reach plank i let go both clutch and throttle. the bike move by itself. but sometimes i need to throttle abit.

 

so many technique. try one suit yourself.

[taaouicha]

haiz i got the chop for ebrake and my pylon slalom is okie never drop any cones b4.. ( thanks to the advice i got here)

but plank is the hardest thing ever lol ( ^%$#^&) can never get that prac 4 plank chop...

i will keep trying it cause i want the license kinda bad lol

okie i did a search on plank in the internet and i guess in most countries people do figure 8 and slalom but not plank, so... really what does plank really help us with ?

i doubt there will be a plank on the road that we gotta clear slowly lol

anyways i gotta stop hating the plank , maybe more i hate it the more i can never pass it [ always too fast ; so i tried to fully clutch in and use freewheeling but itsa so slow to the point i lose balance and ..its like im throttleing and bike is reving but so little speed thus unstable and drop

if i go fast i can clear the plank but i always get 4.x-5.x seconds ... never once i got 6 secs )

[vTech]

if u think plank is hard wait till u do bumpy course on a 400cc bike...

remember the trick,throttle abit more to go up the plank and just use brake and clutch to maintain the speed u want which is by counting in your head...that's it...no need throttle once you're on the plank....

[taaouicha]

im gonna try that for my next prac 4 on tuesday bro

instructors said to look straight at the slalom cones but the theorey book says to look forward on plank

i always just look at slalom cones(following instructors advice) gonna try looking just ahead to see if that will work better at slower speed

and no throttle on plank, just clutch and brakes ... i really will try that for next lesson

hopefully by changing these 2 things i can be more stable on plank ?

btw bro do you look ahead at a distance on plank or just look at slalom cone ?

which is better ? thanks

[vTech]

actually bout the no throttle thing is if you're really too fast,that's when u need to know your timing...if you think u clear the timing,throttle more oso no problem cos afraid you'll drop plank and get immediate failure...

 

look at the plank of cos!!!...how would u know if you're still on it or not...haha...

 

as for slalom,look at the cone but need to quickly move ur eyes to the next cone not forgetting the crash bars....they do hit the cones at times...and cause immediate failure

[taaouicha]

wah lao

i kept on looking at slalom cones when on the plank for 2 lessons liao

the instructor keep shouting then look at him and slalom cones and not plank lol ...even after lesson they say eyeline just look straight at slalom cones when on plank

so i never really see plank T_T (only small bit from bottom of eyeline :S )

only see the slalom cones in front and pray that i dont fall off plank and its easy to do so only with accleration lol

slalom is okie bro i like to speed up and do the turns tightly so far all good cause maybe i did lots of figure 8 and crank lol ( 3 times prac 3 lolx)

i think now i know why i drop plank already ... :S

im gonna see the plank lol

thanks a million [ now cant wait to go do try that plank again ]

[vTech]

wah lao

i kept on looking at slalom cones when on the plank for 2 lessons liao

the instructor keep shouting then look at him and slalom cones and not plank lol ...even after lesson they say eyeline just look straight at slalom cones when on plank

so i never really see plank T_T (only small bit from bottom of eyeline :S )

only see the slalom cones in front and pray that i dont fall off plank and its easy to do so only with accleration lol

slalom is okie bro i like to speed up and do the turns tightly so far all good cause maybe i did lots of figure 8 and crank lol ( 3 times prac 3 lolx)

i think now i know why i drop plank already ... :S

im gonna see the plank lol

thanks a million [ now cant wait to go do try that plank again ]

 

if he scold you say why u look down,u tell him the reason...very easy...

say if i look straight,i won't know whether i'm still on the plank or not...hehe...

[taaouicha]

i just went through the practical test checklist

they cant deduct points for looking at plank when on plank , no such thing as incorrect posture on plank lol

i wonder y they try to make things harder than it should be ... now thinking abt it its like when i do plank im doing it blindfolded... i feel kinda dumb for listening to them instead of following the theorey book which states look at a distance on the plank while on the plank ...

yep and im gonna give them the answer you told me

[i won't know whether i'm still on the plank or not.] lol

[vTech]

for the practical test they won't bother bout ur eyepoint...they just check the timing and whether u're still on the plank....i suggest u just look down as long as u got the right timing for the plank course...i dun think they can fail u for that...