Vehicle controls and motorcycle handling (Code 1 specific)
Vehicle controls and motorcycle handling covers the machine itself: the layout of the controls, the pre-ride check, and the techniques the theory paper expects you to describe - pulling away, slow riding, cornering and emergency braking.
Know the controls
Clutch lever: left hand. Front brake: right hand. Throttle: right hand. Gear lever: left foot, one down and the rest up. Rear brake: right foot. Kill switch: right switchgear. On a Code 1 machine the front brake provides most of the stopping power, roughly 70 per cent on dry tar; the rear brake stabilises the bike and is essential at walking pace.
Pre-ride check (T-CLOCS)
Tyres - pressure, tread and cuts; Controls - levers, cables and throttle snap-back; Lights and horn; Oil and fluids - no leaks; Chain - correct tension and lubrication; Stands - the side stand springs up. Add mirrors, fuel and a helmet that fits and is fastened.
Riding technique
Pull away in the friction zone with a little throttle and the rear brake trailing. At walking pace, slip the clutch and use the rear brake to control speed - never the front brake alone. For a corner: slow in, look through the bend, keep a steady throttle. At speed, countersteering initiates the lean.
Worked example
You must stop from 60 km/h on tar. Close the throttle, apply both brakes together and progressively, squeezing the front lever harder as weight transfers forward; keep the bars straight and your eyes up. Grabbing the front brake locks the wheel and can pitch you over the bars.
Traps
Rear-brake-only stops; braking hard on gravel with the front; looking at the hazard instead of the escape route; riding off with the side stand down.