Basic Riding Skills and Low-Speed Control
What the exam tests
Low-speed control and basic maneuvers: starting, stopping, turning, swerving, and braking. Examiners look for smooth clutch and brake use, head and eyes up, and controlled speed.
Core skills
At walking speed, use the friction zone: hold the clutch partly engaged, add a little throttle, and control speed with the rear brake. Keep your head and eyes up and look where you want to go. Turn the bars and lean the bike slightly; use counterweighting for tight turns. At higher speed, countersteer: press the grip on the side you want to turn.
Braking and swerving
Use both brakes smoothly, with more front brake as speed rises. Practice a quick stop: straighten the bike, squeeze the front brake progressively, and use the rear brake without locking it. For a swerve, push the grips and keep the bike upright; brake before or after, not during, unless the bike has ABS and the situation demands it.
Worked example
In a parking-lot U-turn, a rider grabs the front brake and the bike falls. The fix: set speed before the turn, slip the clutch in the friction zone, drag the rear brake, look through the turn, and keep the front brake off.
Traps
- Pulling the clutch fully in and coasting through a slow turn.
- Looking down at the front wheel.
- Grabbing the front brake with the bars turned.
- Entering a curve too fast and braking hard mid-turn.