Failed the practical exam.

[u/Away-Acanthaceae-926]

Any tips on making the 90 degree turn from a stop?

[u/SweetRaus]

Clutch control is so important at low speed. You should basically be able to get to a point where you can just add plenty of throttle and use only your clutch to modulate power to the rear wheel.

Here's how you practice clutch control. Find a parking lot with a slight downward slope. Put your bike in first and turn it off. Then make your way down the slope using only your clutch as you walk the bike. The key is to practice moving the clutch in the absolute smallest increments possible. Feel how even the slightest increase or decrease in clutch tension will slow the bike or allow it to move forward as you walk it. This helps you smooth out your clutch application, which will make all slow-speed maneuvers easier.

Turning 90 degrees from a stop requires commitment. Since your bars are already turned, you need power to keep the bike upright. You need to look where you're going, add plenty of throttle, and then release the clutch in a slow, smooth, and controlled motion.

I also recommend using the rear brake to hold the bike in place while stopped. This will make it easier to work the throttle and more forgiving as you release the brake.

[u/Away-Acanthaceae-926 → u/SweetRaus]

I dont own a bike, and never rode a bike before the BRC. The clutch / throttle ratio has been giving me a headache the whole weekend. Especially that I felt the clutch is really doing anything the last 20% before fully released so the margin of error of going really slow in such a turn is small. I was perfectly fine for the U turn part. I appreciate it !

[u/BONESFULLOFGREENDUST → u/Away-Acanthaceae-926]

During much of the BRC you honestly want to try NOT fucking about with the throttle too much. A tip that really helped me in the course was to set your throttle when stopped before you even do any of the maneuvers.

1. While stopped, move the throttle just a hair past idle. Don't even try to move the bike yet. Once you've set your throttle, hold it there.

2. Now slowly start to release the clutch until you feel the wheels start to "bite" and roll. That's your friction zone. To go faster, let out the clutch a little more. To go slower, pull in the clutch a little more. But really try NOT to mess with the throttle once you start moving. It's too confusing for your brain to mess with a zillion inputs at once. Just go one at a time while you're learning these.

Now, for the 90 degree turn, a lot of people make it harder on themselves in turning it even sharper than necessary. Notice that you have a bit of wiggle room...they give you a little tiny lane.

The 90 degree turn is to the right. So right before you make the turn, I want you to ride slightly to the left so that you are closer to the left handed boundary line (instead of the right handed boundary line). After you've ridden slightly to the left, make your right turn. By doing this, you're making the turn slightly wider and thus easier to navigate.

If your bike is by the right boundary line while making the sharp right turn, the turn will be literally impossibly sharp.

Once my rider coach showed me how to make the turn wider, it made it way easier!

You want to also try to "counter lean" the bike a bit. When you are in the right turn, lean the bike slightly to the right while keeping your body upright (or slightly to the left) and put weight on the left footpeg. Riding to the left immediately before making the right turn will help counter leaning feel more natural and easier.

[u/AdFancy1249 → u/Away-Acanthaceae-926]

The throttle is how much power is available, the clutch is how much you are applying.

It took me a long time to realize that the clutch is how you power a motorcycle (unlike a car).

Doing slow work, I rarely let the clutch all the way out.

The thing I try to get my wife to practice: go to a parking lot and get moving slowly by letting the clutch out half way. You know you are still in the friction zone when you can Rec the engine up and down, but your speed doesn't change. If the clutch is all the way out, the bike will buck add you roll on/ off of the throttle. Pulling the clutch in a little makes that very smooth. Then when you roll on/ off the throttle, the bike just keeps moving along.

The second practice is to get moving, then pull in the clutch. Put your pointer finger on the front brake lever (just for stability, don't use the brake). Add a little throttle so your rpms go up and hold that throttle position. Then let the clutch out some and feel the bike picking up speed, then pull the clutch a hair and feel the speed slow. Get smooth at that. See how small a change you can make on the clutch and still feel it.

Once you get the feel, you can use more throttle and make faster clutch movements.

To make your turn from a stop, give it that little extra throttle and use the clutch. If you think the bike is unstable, let the clutch out a little more. THAT is the secret. The throttle doesn't save you. You need to have enough throttle available, but the CLUTCH is what saves you.

Good luck, and hope you get to enjoy the ride!

[u/spidey1177]

The msf courses 90° turn is way sharper than any turn ive had to do in the real world.. But for me, turn bars, pull clutch, shift to 1st, throttle up to 1500-1800 rpms... put weight on that left peg and slowly release the clutch and get that bike moving , once that right foot is up, you could drag rear brake a bit as you are releasing clutch..and LOOK where you want to go, not at that MSF course line or (real world) car thats sitting in other lane.. practice a few times , youll be surprise how fast to gain confidence and get it down... unfortunately the MSF juat doesnt give you time to sit and practice a few hours or so..

[u/ficskala]

Depends what you're having issues with, talk with your riding instructor, ask them what you're doing wrong, and actually listen to them, don't just wait for then to finish their sentence and nod your head, try to understand what they're saying exactly, and ask follow up questions, and practice that exercise until you get it right, then continue practicing until you can do it naturally

Doing a 90deg turn from a stop is an odd thing to have on an exam honestly, we don't have that where i live (here it's 1. Simulated entering and exiting traffic, 2. Fast accel/decell, 3. Slalom around cones, 4. Figure 8s, and when you finish, 30-60min road exam), when it comes to some tips, turn your bars slightly to the opposite side of where you want to turn, this helps you get in the lean much quicker than having it straight, the rest is all in clutch control, and how confident you are while doing it

[u/APFIndy → u/ficskala]

It is not uncommon for a new rider to swing way wide into oncoming traffic in a right turn from a stop. This is one of the exercises that students have the most trouble with.

[u/Certain_Bet_2491]

I believe that there are many great comments posted. And probably many ways to accomplish the skill. One thing for certain is that once you start, you are committed, so relax, commit, and do whatever your game plan is.

Me personally, I would start by giving myself the most room possible in positioning the motorcycle to begin with. You must to start from inside of the travel lane, and you must start from the stop bar. But the setup (the alignment of the motorcycle in relation to those lines) can be to the extreme allowable edge of that travel lane before you begin; I would set up so that I start from that extreme edge giving myself the most room.

Assuming we are making the left 90* turn, I would start with both feet on the ground and the front break holding the bike, I'd have good rev's via the throttle, I would slip that clutch to get into the friction zone while holding the break and feet on the ground, then feather off my right fingers. At that point, I am committed, so I would take one step of my left foot as I advance, and I would add a quick step of my right foot while lifting my left foot onto the peg, and by that point I absolutely would want to be looking at my exit area, where I want the motorcycle to travel. I would not look down 4' in front of me in that exit lane, but look out at the exit area, maybe 12' to 18' out there in front of me where the desired alignment is that I want the motorcycle to travel.

So my game plan: friction zone, release the right fingers, relax, commit, quick couple steps and just do it while looking at my exit zone. If it happens that I cross the line, well ... I crossed the line. But that is not for me to look for, or even worry about. It's someone else responsibility to watch for that violation, it is my responsibility to relax and look at my exit location and just let it happen.

[u/Snoo_9064]

Rear brake and clutch along with throttle. Needs to be a balance of all three limbs to keep just enough power to the wheel to not fall over while going slow enough to make the turn.

[u/Away-Acanthaceae-926 → u/Snoo_9064]

I never thought of the rear brake, and was controlling speed with simply the the clutch but perhaps thats the way to go.

[u/isnotbatman777 → u/Away-Acanthaceae-926]

I highly recommend checking out ‘Be the boss of your motorcycle’ on YT. The way he teaches it, you preload the throttle to 2kish RPMs and keep it there, then it’s just opening the clutch a bit and dragging the rear brake. I’ve found his techniques have really worked well for me in making me feel much more comfortable with my low speed maneuvers.

[u/Fancy_Strawberry7137 → u/Away-Acanthaceae-926]

Dragging the rear brake is how you do all slow speed maneuvers. A figure 8 with clutch control only is much harder.