Vehicle controls, handling and sharing the road
Vehicle Controls, Handling and Pre-Ride Checks
Know the machine before you ride
Pre-ride checks catch the failures that cause crashes: tyre pressure and tread, chain tension and lubrication, brake operation, throttle return, lights and indicators, mirror adjustment, fuel and oil levels. Know the layout: right hand throttle and front brake, left hand clutch, right foot rear brake, left foot gear lever.
Braking
Both brakes, applied together and progressively, is the standard technique. The front brake provides most of the stopping power because weight transfers forward, but grabbing it on a slippery or turning surface is how front wheels wash out. Use the rear brake alone, or more heavily, at walking pace and in slow manoeuvres, where it stabilises the bike and the front brake would pitch it. Brake in a straight line before the corner, then maintain or gently open the throttle through it.
Steering and corners
At speed, a motorcycle turns by countersteering - a small push forward on the bar in the direction you want to go. At very low speed, steering works the conventional way. Look where you want to go: target fixation on a hazard or on the edge of the road is a genuine crash cause, so turn your head and eyes through the corner. Keep inputs smooth; abrupt throttle, brake or steering movements upset the chassis.
Traps and a worked example
Items often ask which brake to use in a specific situation. Worked example: a slow U-turn in a narrow street - clutch in the friction zone, light throttle, rear brake to control speed, head turned towards the exit. Never the front brake alone at that speed.
Sharing the Road
Be seen, be predictable
Cars have thick pillars and blind spots; motorcycles disappear in them. Avoid riding alongside a car's rear quarter where the driver cannot see you, and if you pass, pass decisively and get out of the blind spot. Within your lane you may ride left, centre or right; choose the position that maximises your sight distance and your visibility to others, and keeps you clear of the door zone of parked cars.
Following and overtaking
Keep at least a two-second gap, and more in rain or dark. Do not ride beside another vehicle in the same lane - sharing a lane is not legal. Overtake only where permitted, and never linger alongside a truck: heavy vehicles have large no-go zones, wide sweeping turns and long stopping distances.
Filtering and trams
Lane filtering is legal in Victoria only for fully licensed riders, only at 30 km/h or less, never in school zones and never between a vehicle and the kerb. Learners and probationary riders must not filter at all. Trams and their passengers have priority: approach a stopped tram slowly and be ready to stop. Cross tram tracks as close to a right angle as you safely can, since a front wheel can drop into the rail groove.
Trap and worked example
Many questions test whether you are allowed to do something, not whether it is wise. Worked example: traffic is stopped at lights and you hold a learner permit - filtering to the front is illegal for you, so hold your position. On a full licence with traffic moving at 20 km/h, filtering between lanes is permitted but still optional; never above 30 km/h.