Basic Riding Skills and Maneuvers
This domain tests whether you understand what the motorcycle is actually doing in a maneuver - not only what to do, but why it works. Delaware's knowledge test and riding test both reward riders who know that speed, sightline and available traction decide every turn and every stop.
Slow speed is clutch work
At walking pace, keep the clutch in the friction zone, hold a steady throttle, and govern speed with the rear brake while the engine keeps pulling. Turn by looking where you want to go - head and eyes lead, the bike follows. Do not pull the clutch all the way in during a slow turn; you lose the drive that keeps the bike stable and it drops into the turn.
Cornering: slow, look, press, roll
Slow to the right entry speed before the curve; look through to the exit; press the inside grip to countersteer and lean; roll on the throttle smoothly through the turn. Above roughly 12 mph the bike steers by countersteering - push right, go right.
Braking and swerving
Use both brakes together, with a progressive squeeze on the front lever: the front does most of the stopping, but grabbing it locks the wheel and puts you down. Brake in a straight line; if you are leaned over, straighten first, then brake. A swerve is a separate maneuver - push hard in the direction you want to go, stay off both brakes, and swerve once for a given hazard; a second swerve the other way needs a pause first.
Worked example
A car backs out of a driveway 40 feet ahead as you ride at 30 mph. There is no room to stop. You push the right grip, snap the bike around the car's rear bumper, then straighten. You did not brake and swerve at once, which would have stood the bike up and pushed you wide into the car. Once clear, check mirrors and resume your lane position.
Traps that cost marks
Braking mid-corner instead of straightening first; staring at the hazard (target fixation) instead of the escape path; using the rear brake alone in an emergency; rolling off the throttle in a turn, which unloads the front; and treating a swerve and a stop as one combined maneuver.