This video is an update to the previous U-turn video i did where I give you seven tips.
Now in this video I'm giving you 10 tips that will help you improve your U-turns,
so if you're having trouble making tight U-turns this video is for you so hang tight.
Hey guys I'm Paul the motor guy and welcome to my channel where I pass on riding tips
practice drills and defensive riding strategies. Now I'm a rider coach a motorcycle sergeant and
owner and instructor at Prorider Central Texas. I've done in-depth videos on each of these tips,
so be sure to go check them out after this video. I will leave links in the description
below. Now tip number one is the friction zone. You need to be in the friction zone all the way
through the turn until you complete the turn and the motorcycle is straight up and down.
Now the sensation that you want is the motorcycle is pulling around the turn
not coasting. Now I recommend being in the friction zone before you start your turn,
that way you already have power to the rear wheel before the motorcycle starts to lean.
By doing this the motorcycle will have a gradual lean instead of that quick dip. Now tip number two
is throttle or rpms. Now you need to have constant rpms through the turn anywhere from 1200 to 1500
but this does not have to be exact, you just don't want to idle through your turn. If you
idle through the turn you risk the chance of stalling the motorcycle while you're in your turn
if you let out too much clutch too fast. And when you have steady rpms it makes the motorcycle more
responsive. Now tip number three is head turns and eye movement. Now many riders have trouble when it
comes to proper head turn and eye movement when it comes to making U-turns. Now I know
this is much easier said than done and it takes practice. Now the common problem I see is that
riders will usually end up making a partial head turn instead of a full head turn. Now this because
they usually end up staring at the opposite wall instead of turning their head looking behind them
which is where they want to go. Now this usually causes the rider to go wide because the motorcycle
tends to go where you look. So let's check out the two different kind of head turns.
So as they're making their U-turns this is where they tend to look.
But you should be looking as far back behind you as you can like in this next video.
Remember you want to look where you want to go, which in this exercise is behind you.
Now another thing is your head turn needs to be what I call quick and precise. Now the reason
is the handlebars will follow your head and your eyes so if I make a slow head turn equals a slow
handlebar turn. Now if I make a quicker head turn that equals for a quicker handlebar turn,
which will tighten up your U-turns. Now let's check out. what this looks like
Now I always say head turn plus proper eye movement equals success. Now let me explain,
so let's say I'm making a left U-turn so I turn my head and put my chin in the direction I want
to go. But my eyes look to the right now the motorcycle will tend to go where I look
which will be to the right. So I have actually counteracted my head turn. Now tip number four
is handlebar turn. Now the more you can turn the handlebars the tighter tighter turns would be.
full lock or close to full lock is the goal, but no matter how far you turn the handlebars
you have to commit to the turns. meaning once you turn the handlebars you have to keep them turned.
now many riders tend to move the handlebars back and forth during their turn which looks like this.
So remember whenever you open up the handlebars it makes you go wider. Now tip number five is
counterweighting. Now counterweighting is when your body stays upright and the motorcycle leans
underneath you. Now you can have a little weight shift to the high side of the motorcycle but you
don't need a lot of weight shift. Now let me say this counterweighting does not keep the motorcycle
from falling. Being in the friction zone and having power to the rear wheel that's what
keeps the motorcycle from falling. So here's an example of what I mean. Now I weigh 200 pounds and
my motorcycle weighs around 700 pounds. So at some point when I lose enough momentum and I lean the
motorcycle to a certain point and I'm not in the friction zone 700 pounds trumps 200 pounds all day
every day. So the motorcycle is going to fall no matter how far I counterweight off the motorcycle.
Now when you keep your body upright and your eyes level with the horizon allowing the motorcycle to
lean underneath you, it does take away some of the sensation of falling. As opposed to leaning with
the motorcycle which changes your horizon and gives you more sensation of falling. Now this
usually spooks riders and makes them either pull the clutch in or put the foot down. Now tip number
six is feathering the rear brake. Now this can be done prior to your turn or during your turn.
If you can control your speed before starting your turn then you may not need any brakes or very
little brake in the turn. If you find yourself going wide while you're in the turn you can drag
the rear brake which will take off speed from the motorcycle make the motorcycle lean more which
will tighten up your turn. Now remember you're trying to slow the motorcycle down not stop it.
So if you need to slow down while you're in the turn you want to drag the rear brake pedal
not stop on it. Now the harder you press on the rear brake pedal it cause the motorcycle
to stand up and come out of its lean, which you don't want. Now the analogy that I give
is that you want to pretend like you have an egg between your foot and the brake pedal. Now you
want just enough pressure where you can feel the back brake engaged but not crush the egg.
Now tip number seven is use all your space.
Remember whatever space you give up on one side will transfer over to the other side.
So if I give up two feet on this side then I made a 20 foot U-turn an 18-foot U-turn
just because my wheel placement was off. When you do this it causes you to have to lean the
motorcycle more to make the turn, but why work harder when you can work smarter and just use
all your space. Now with that being said tip number eight is setting up for your turn.
Now there are two ways you can set the motorcycle up for your turn. Now one way is you can ride
straight in as close to the wall as possible and the other way is you can add a dip before making
your turn. So if you're going to make a U-turn to the left you would ride it at a slight angle
make a quick dip to the right then turn the handlebar to the left to make your U-turn.
Now you do the opposite if you're making a U-turn to the right.
Now the advantage of doing this is it makes the U-turns a little bit easier
because it gives you some momentum and flow for your turns. Now the disadvantage that I
see is that for some riders it makes it hard for them to get their front tire close to the wall
because they're coming in at that angle. And are usually about one to two feet short of the wall.
But with some practice this technique works very well. Now I'm going to show you both ways
doing my demo. Now tip number nine is lean the motorcycle. If you want to tighten up your turns
just turning your handlebars it really isn't enough you need to lean the motorcycle.
Now when you lean the motorcycle in conjunction with turning the handlebars this makes for a much
tighter turn. I did a video where I demonstrated how this works. So if you haven't seen that video
be sure to go check it out after this video, I will also leave a link in the description below.
Now to number 10 is speed. Now you need your speed to be around 8 to 10 miles an hour. Now
this makes the motorcycle feel more stable. If you ever feel like you're balancing the motorcycle
that means you're going too slow, you need to let out a little more clutch to up your speed.
But now remember too much speed will force you to go wide unless you have quick handlebar turns.
Now the U-turn box for my demo will be 20 feet wide. Now I'm going to ride it to the left and
to the right and give you some different views. Now as you're watching I want you to
pay attention and try to notice the tips that we covered. So let's go outside and ride this thing.
Now as I'm riding in look how I'm using all my space.
Now if I stop it here look how my handlebars are turned, I'm looking
back over my shoulder, my body is upright and the motorcycle is leaning underneath me.
Now I'm going to show setting up again for the U-turn but this time using the dip technique.
Now notice how I'm still using all my space.
Now the next video will show my rpms during my U-turn.
So those are the 10 tips to improving your U-turns. Now I recommend you watching this
playlist to see more tips on how to improve your U-turns. Now let me know in the comment section
below which tips help you the most now until next time practice practice practice and ride safe.