Exam U turn road width

[TSM]

What is the minimum road width that an examiner will take you to when doing a U-turn?

I can do a U-turn in less than three car spaces without a problem in the local car park. And thats with my faired SV on full lock.

[Viney]

Thats one of the reasons they make you do the walk around, to make sue it fits. Naked biks would it in less than an faired sv. I dont however think that there is a minimum/maximum

When I did my test (did it on a Varadero 125), they did the whole walk round in the road with the bike thing.

On full lock walking, the bike barely scraped it round. I bolloxed it up by putting my foot down (usually a fail). My examiner obviously took pity as he asked me to perform 2 subsequent U-turns at a different site.

After the pass certificate was written, and firmly in my hand, I asked him why that wasn't a fail.

He said that it was probably unfair to have picked the road he did, as he most probably wouldn't have been able to u-turn it. He also said it was quite evident that I was nervous in the first ten minutes of the test, and that could have been contributary. He said there was no need not to pass me, having watched me perform 2 subsequent u-turns very tightly and in control, and also after observing my general riding once I had chilled out a bit. He also mentioned that he was impressed that I got the back wheel off the deck in the emergency stop!

This was in Norwich by the way.

Dan.

I failed my test last week because of the U-Turn (see post in idle banter).

I'm surprised it's that easy on the faired SV

It's a shame i sold my 125 or i would go out and practice ready for my next test

Originally Posted by Cos

I'm surprised it's that easy on the faired SV

It isn't.

What the Squirrel said, in my limited experience

[TSM]

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

It isn't.

As you said it is not easy, the good bit in your favour is that the bike has more torque and is less lighly to stall unlike the IL4s.

Once you can master U turns on the SV you should be able to U turn anything (apparently).

Originally Posted by Dan_SV

When I did my test (did it on a Varadero 125), they did the whole walk round in the road with the bike thing.

On full lock walking, the bike barely scraped it round. I bolloxed it up by putting my foot down (usually a fail). My examiner obviously took pity as he asked me to perform 2 subsequent U-turns at a different site.

After the pass certificate was written, and firmly in my hand, I asked him why that wasn't a fail.

He said that it was probably unfair to have picked the road he did, as he most probably wouldn't have been able to u-turn it. He also said it was quite evident that I was nervous in the first ten minutes of the test, and that could have been contributary. He said there was no need not to pass me, having watched me perform 2 subsequent u-turns very tightly and in control, and also after observing my general riding once I had chilled out a bit. He also mentioned that he was impressed that I got the back wheel off the deck in the emergency stop!

This was in Norwich by the way.

Dan.

Proof that you should never "give up" on a test, because you think you've failed. Keep going and if you do well they may well overlook it if the rest of your riding is good enough.

I messed up my emergency stop on my car test (we did it downhill. in the wet, unsuprisingly it skidded ever so slightly). He let it go due to me doing everything else being fine and I explained why I skidded/how I corrected it, back at the test centre.

If you can't walk it round standing on the outside of the bike, then you can't ride it round. Reason being is when you walk it like that, the bike is leant over the wrong way, and therefore steers less.

Remember when you park it after the walk, park it right close to the curb to give yourself most space.

I'll give the u-turn a try behind my house when they deliver the SV in a couple of weeks then.

If i can master it on the SV then i will be more confident on the retest.