U-Turns

[slug]

OK, my mum (wife of who owns this account, my dad lol) has just failed her Direct Access test beacuse she put her foot down (off the foot pegs) on the kerb before she finished the U-Turn, so answer the question above :)

Also, you have to do it on a 500CC bike, on a road which cambers off to each side to cobbles, it is also only just wide enough to peform a u-turn (including the cobbles)

[GarrysPhrogg]

OK when I did my test on a 500 I had to do a U Turn without putting my feet down (I passed) <big cheesy grin>, that was 2 years ago now but I know it's still the same as our nieghbour has failed his twice so far on that very thing.
I have never done U turn since without putting my feet down unless its on a road a mile wide LOL.

[TaxiDave]

I passed my test hundreds of years ago before Direct Access but I thought that you had to push the bike round first while not on it, and in theory if you could do that they expect you to be able to ride round feet up.
In saying that I've had to do 2 U-turns today and if I remember rightly I went round both times with a foot down.

[defarter]

Glad my test was in the sixty's :o


But i think the CBT and rider training these days is a good thing :) ;)

Er in dor's failed her first test on the same thing but got it right the second time round, always trails her feet now though when doing a u-turn and the same with me-self, But on a test i guess they are looking for confidence and control. ;)

[Mitch]

U-turns... Lovely!

*show-off mode*
When I was instructing last year, I was able to u-ey and do figure of eight on my GT750 quite easily, I had to learn a completely different technique on a 125 otherwise I'd make a complete arse out of myself in front of the students.
*show off mode - off*

When I taught Mrs R to ride last year, I had to teach her how to do them on the ZL as that's what she passed on (third time lucky) totally different as to how she was taught by her previous instructors on an ER5. She hasn't done one since though I think she remembers how to do it... Of course her GT's quite a hefty weight.

What I do remember is that if you have a bike with a longer than average wheelbase (or a chop) you can ask the examiner to take you onto a wider road to do the manouvre.

[Mrs Reject]

Yup, my ZL was a chop and quite long so my examiner let me do a u-turn on a road almost as wide as the M1 :D Anyhow since I passed my direct access I've never bothered to do a feet up u-turn, feet down is so much easier, also my frame has been cut down and so the centre of gravity on my GT750 is a bit weird, well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it :)

[Mash]

Yes a feet up U Turn is a requirement for Direct Access, Restricted Access and CBT tests.

The width of the road used will all depend on the examiner.. Where I work there are about 4 differant roads used regulary including the one outside our office, which incidently is the narrowest one on the test routes.

[Nitrowing]

What I do remember is that if you have a bike with a longer than average wheelbase (or a chop) you can ask the examiner to take you onto a wider road to do the manouvre.

I did my test on an RG125 and the examiner took me to a road that was wide enough (no steering lock on them little boogers) :)

[elifan]

wife failed first test (May this year) because she put her foot down during a u turn on a ER5 so i took her out on her ZL6 and got her to do loads of u turns on that, thinking if she could do it on that an ER5 would be a piece of cake, she passed!
you do have to do 1 u turn pushing the bike and one riding.

[Mash]

U-turns... Lovely!

*show-off mode*
When I was instructing last year, I was able to u-ey and do figure of eight on my GT750 quite easily, I had to learn a completely different technique on a 125 otherwise I'd make a complete arse out of myself in front of the students.
*show off mode - off*



For both DAS and Restricted Access Students we demo a U-Turn on a Pan European.. :eek: now that is a big beast to get round, although saying that the center of gravity is very low..

[krammer]

OK, my mum (wife of who owns this account, my dad lol) has just failed her Direct Access test beacuse she put her foot down (off the foot pegs) on the kerb before she finished the U-Turn, so answer the question above :)

Also, you have to do it on a 500CC bike, on a road which cambers off to each side to cobbles, it is also only just wide enough to peform a u-turn (including the cobbles) cobbles? what, like in the hovis ads? :D

[Mrs Reject]

wife failed first test (May this year) because she put her foot down during a u turn on a ER5 so i took her out on her ZL6 and got her to do loads of u turns on that, thinking if she could do it on that an ER5 would be a piece of cake, she passed!
you do have to do 1 u turn pushing the bike and one riding.

SNAP!!!!!!:D I actually did my test on my ZL6 because I couldn't ride that ER500 thing - it's all lying across the tank and arse in the air - impossible!

[TaxiDave]

SNAP!!!!!!:D it's all lying across the tank and arse in the air - impossible!


Ooer missus!!

[elifan]

SNAP!!!!!!:D I actually did my test on my ZL6 because I couldn't ride that ER500 thing - it's all lying across the tank and arse in the air - impossible!

missus disliked the ER5 but didn't want to drop the ZL because all she had ridden previously was a small twist and go scooter. :eek:

[bunbag]

in scotland its illegal i made a ewe turn, made its eyes water :o

[Maggie B]

Go to a supermarket car park

start doing figure of 8's, trying to focus on a point in the middle of your turn-even place a stone or something to turn round.

To go slow enough-use the back brake to slow the bike down, but hover over the clutch to stop stalling.


keep going round-turn the the other way-its amazing how easy it is.


If I can do it on a speed triple, I am sure with proctise your Mum can too

[Mitch]

Would you believe Horsham District Council spent hundreds of thousands of pounds creating a space for Mrs R to learn how to ride a bike... ? :D

They built a park-and-ride just outside town hoping to save Horsham becoming a gridlocked hell-hole (they failed!). Hardly anyone ever uses the park-and-ride and it is closed on a Sunday. We used to just sneak round the barrier (gap wide enough to get a bike in but not a car!!

For some reason, they built it with proper road junctions and a huge great roundabout!! Perfect for teaching someone how to ride! There was even a shelter and one of those superloos, so it was ideal (even better than most training schools!!!)

On one occasion we had a police helicopter flying overhead (OK, we were sort of trespassing :p ) and the cameras on site at first kept zooming round to where we were, but after a while, they gave up!!

I'm surprised one of the local training schools hasn't taken it over on Sundays, they might have earned the council some of the costs back.

[BikerGran]

Luckily I passed my test before DAS and all that - passed it on a tiny 100cc 2-stroke so I could immediately ride anything I wanted!

But I can't see the point of making people do something on their test that they will never ever do again - and when it comes to safety and control, isnt it safer to do a u turn with a foot or feet on the ground?

If I'd had a foot on the ground I wouldn't have a busted leg! - that's if there had been any ground to put my foot on! :eek: lol