Lesson didnt go too well :(

Well, one said about keeping my head up and building confidence, and the other said that i should ride the clutch round the corner to keep the speed steady-

Basically (the practice bit is like a fairly large oval in a car park with cones marking a hairpin/u-turn either end) and going along the straight in second, braking with the front, clutch in, gear down, blip of the throttle and slowly let the clutch out holding the throttle steady as I turned, let off the clutch and increase throttle, change up as I come out of the bend, repeat.

I think the major problem was cornering in first, as the throttle was very on-off and I struggled to keep the bike from surging forwards. Occasionally I would feather the rear brake round the corners to keep the bike steady.

Does that answer the question okay? And do I sound like I'm doing the right sorta thing?

Honestly I think you are being too sensitive. All you have to do is ride a little learner bike around some cones. It is no big deal.

If the basics are causing you nerves/confidence issues then I worry. Why are you learning to ride? Are you being pushed into it by someone else?

dude, wtf? I know it's just riding round cones, but I want to make sure I have riding round cones right. Just double-checking.

I'm learning to ride because I want to ride, nobody has pushed me into it at all. It's something I want to do. It's the second time I've ever been on a motorbike and I feel perfectly confident. I'm not sure where anything about nerves came up- the instructor said to me that the more confidence I build on the bike before the A2 course the better.

Also, I think you're confusing me with the person who started the thread. I sorta hijacked a little.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by chakraist

And do I sound like I'm doing the right sorta thing?

Low speed stuff round a few cones in a carpark, yep slip the clutch and feather the rear brake, perfectly correct IMHO.

Out on the open round at speed, then leave the clutch alone going round corners.

Cheers, it's good to know I'm on the right track. Will report back after theory! Super glad I joined here as I've learned lots by reading here.

Apols - didn't realise you meant slow speed stuff.

I had similar experience when I did my DAS. The instructor was very critical early on and after my CBT day I almost couldn't be bothered to carry on. Things got a bit better towards the end of the week, but I still wouldn't choose to go back with the same guy for any advanced training. I guess some instructors are harsher than others, and they could be having a bad week too!

Yeah- although at really slow speeds (5mph or so) I was finding it hard to turn as, being 6'6" on the CG125, my arms would hit my knees due to lock involved. No chance of fitting into the grooves in the tank either.

Lessons before a CBT? Isn't the whole point of the CBT to teach you how to ride a bike to a certain safe standard.

Originally Posted by Ed

Head up - fine.
But - riding the clutch round corners

Think it should be slow control, maybe when navigating mini-roundabouts and stuff

Matt