Special Riding Situations: Intersections, Curves, Hills, and Slippery Surfaces
This domain tests whether you adjust speed, gear, and lane position before a hazard instead of reacting inside it. Questions cover intersection scanning, cornering technique, engine braking on grades, and traction management on wet or contaminated pavement.
Intersections
Cover the brakes on approach and scan left-right-left, even on a green. Do not launch the instant the light changes - a beat of delay lets cross traffic clear. Watch for vehicles turning right on red, and for the car behind you that expects you to go instantly.
Curves
Set your entry speed before the curve, look through to the exit, press the grip on the inside, and roll on smoothly. A decreasing-radius curve tightens unexpectedly, so enter slower than you think you need. Never brake hard while leaned - braking stands the bike up and pushes you wide. If you are too fast mid-corner, lean more and keep a steady or slightly increasing throttle.
Hills
Downshift before a descent and use engine braking so the brakes do not overheat. Approaching a blind crest, slow down: crosswinds, gravel, and stopped traffic can be hidden on the other side. Uphill, expect to lose speed behind slow trucks and be ready to downshift rather than lug the engine.
Slippery surfaces
The first 10 to 15 minutes of rain lift oil and rubber from the pavement. Reduce lean angle, use every control smoothly, and avoid paint, manhole covers, tar snakes, leaves, sand, and the center of the lane. Cross railroad tracks and metal gratings at 90 degrees and never brake on them.
Worked example. A wet intersection has a painted left-turn arrow across your path. Rather than braking or swerving on the paint, you approach upright in a wheel track, hold a steady throttle across the stripe, and make any direction change before or after it.
Traps. Braking while leaned over; crossing tracks at a shallow angle; accelerating over a blind crest; assuming a green light means the intersection is clear.