Thank you for sharing. The best lesson I ever taught my son was to show me how slow he could go around a course, not how fast . His skills increased hugely.
You have great skills at slow speeds. Good write up. Your English was good enough to be understood. Ignore the morons that have grammar problems. Thanks for sharing.
1. We are not morons if we are seriously trying to be better safer riders. 2. If you are so informed in his instructions how about letting the rest of us know what you were taught?
I came back from Metz doing the course last weekend and feel like sharing a few words. If you catch yourself watching Anti Pilote de Ligne Droit videos more than twice, it's time for you to plan yourself a trip to France. :) It will be more than worth it, you will learn a lot and acquire fantastic new skills which may also save you from a possible future crash, if you rely solely on countersteering to turn and one day slippery surface betrays you. This is more than just riding a motorcycle, it's about increasing overall awareness and proprioception about you and your body. If you have ever done any martial art in your life, you'll find strong resemblence, it's about finding that fine delicate feel for things and perfecting it. Yes, this is a martial art, and Clément is a sensei. A motorcycle Yoda which will show you your way to become a Jedi knight. :) He'll take you into the deep dark forest where 2+2=5 and you cannot (!) fall of the motorcycle. You'll be up exploring the uncharted territory through a series of challenging tasks and brilliant exercises and each will grab you way out of your comfort zone but at the end you will manage!!! :) Come fit! The body effort needed to lean the motorcycle Japanese style is very tough on your core, as you need to hold your body yourself at all times, so better come as fit as you can, do stability exercises, planks, side planks and push-ups. Come prepared! Study all the major Anti Pilote de Ligne Droit videos so you can ask all the right questions. Take your girlfriend/wife with you! Metz is a beautiful place and France at its best! The closest international airport to Metz is in Luxembourg, which is only 1h train ride away. That's a convenient way to arrive. My advice: take a week off and do two courses on two consecutive weekends!
This is actually what is taught to me in the Dutch special manoeuvring training, part of your motorcycle driving license exams. To me it felt more natural than it looked, and I never had the feeling I was going to drop the bike. It all comes down to trusting the bike staying in a natural balance, as long as you keep it in motion it will not fall over easily. I'm lucky enough I could learn this using the driving schools bike, rather than my own later down my motorcycle career.
+Ricardo Snoek This is not part of our motorcycle driving license exams :) And a few people are riding like this, this is why I did this movie, to show another way to drive, in which Moto Gymkhana is the "consécration" (in French in the text lol) This is good if you are learning to drive like this, I think :)
I have been riding 14 years now, i know how to turn!! ...but after watching this, I realise I really didn't know how to turn, lol! I love learning new techniques, can't wait to fix my bike and try out some of this cool stuff, good video ..
"But way off alone, out by himself beyond boat and shore, Jonathan Livingston Seagull was practising. A hundred feet in the sky he lowered his webbed feet, lifted his beak, and strained to hold a painful hard twisting curve through his wings. The curve meant that he would fly slowly, and now he slowed until the wind was a whisper in his face, until the ocean stood still beneath him. He narrowed his eyes in fierce concentration, held his breath, forced one ... single ... more ... inch ... of ... curve ... " from page 1 of the book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" or, "Jonathan Livingston le Goéland" :)
Thank you... i'm learning to ride a motorcycle. Just got my licence today. That was a great book; back when i read so much as a kid. I'll read it again. :)
I don't leave comments on TH-cam that often but I just felt that I should give you some credit. this video makes me wanna try it on My motorcycle. It seems like a nice technique to learn. Regular u turns are over rated. I'm sure this one will catch a lot of attention on the street when executed as smooth as you do it. Thanks for sharing. Keep it up.
I've watched your first video a few years back, and thoroughly enjoyed it. After practicing the concepts myself, I think I can make an attempt at a clearer English explanation: 1. Body position can initiate which direction the motorcycle will lean. Place your torso left, bike leans left; torso right, bike leans right. The faster the speed, the smaller the effect. See the hands-off demo. 2. Speed affects how tight the bike will "naturally" turn when already leaned. Slower speeds means the bike will turn tighter, BUT it also turns quicker--the handlebars will turn towards the direction of the lean quicker the slower you go. See the off-bike running demo. 3. Using the rear brake (preferably) as the bike is already leaned, tightens the radius of the turn the more the speed is reduced. As the speed is reduced, the bike not only leans more and turns tighter, but also does both at a quicker rate than at faster speeds. Hence the "brake makes accelerate" comment on the video. 4. Body position begins with center of mass to the inside of the turn to initiate the turn, then shifts to the outside of the turn (counter weight) as the speed and radius of the turn decreases. I thought that the rest of the video was fairly clear. Hope this helps a few people.
Nice work :) Your english is really better than mine. About counter weight: it is not what I wanted to say. For me, You have to turn your shoulders in the same direction than the handlebar. It is not counter weight :)
Finally a video that actually makes sense! I've always ridden my scooter this way. Then I took the MSF class and they were talking pushing the handle bar to counter steer and other unnecessary nonsense! This video shows physics in action. The bike is a gyro once it's moving and wants to stay up. When it leans, the bike tries to change direction so that it can straighten itself up. If, instead you keep it leaned, it will keep going in circles, trying to straighten itself. Without additional input, the bike will lean at an angle that balances its need to straighten vs the weight of the bike and rider pulling it down. the gyro effect gets stronger its speed so at higher speeds, you need to lean into the turn, adding weight to counteract the bike's tendency to straighten up. At low speeds, the weight of the bike is stronger than the gyro effect, so you need to lean out of the corner to help the gyro keep it up. So simple and intuitive. If you understand the physics intuitively (your body already does), you will never drop the bike as long as you have traction and never take an impossible corner. Wonderful video.
Also, all that handle bar input they teach in MSF classes is overblown. You don't need to "do" so much and be that involved in riding and turning. The bike will do most of the work for you if you let it.
+AntiPiloteDelLigneDroite It stands for Motorcycle Safety Foundation. In the United States, there are motorcycle classes offered by various groups. Completing an MSF class usually is enough to get you a motorcycle license, I.e. No need to take another riding test at the license office. www.msf-usa.org
countersteering occurs anytime the bike is in motion. The "gyro" effect and the coutnersteer work together to effect the change of lean angle of the bike.
+Anvilshock Here is my new bike (the second one that will appear during the movie, not the first one) :) as you can see, there is no crash bars lol like with the FJR on the previous movie... But, you need to accept the fall of the bike... It is the price to pay to increase your manoeuvering skills :)
@109420695486532129026 While I do understand the preciousness of such training, I do endeavour to keep said price from needing to be paid at all, given it's a heavy, fully clad Japanese classic with replacement fairing neither common, cheap, nor timely to obtain, adapt in paint, and install.
Anvilshock Hey, I did not see your comment before, sorry :( but I have to be honest, you have better skills in english than me, and I do not understand what you said, sorry :(
+FodderRev Thank you :) I am from France, so speaking english is not easy for us :) Remember that England and us were fighting for the domination of the world in the 18th, 19th centuries, and we lost ah ah
Ha ha! Well, my first guess was Italian but second guess would have been French, looking at the sentence structure. Anyway, the video is still very informational!
Excellent bike control! Interesting watching how your body position shifts from street riding style (lean into the corner) to more of a dirt riding style (push bike down while keeping weight upright) very rapidly. I clearly need to practice more!
Thank you for this. I'm a hard core balance practicer for all the 7 years I've been riding. Of course I admire gymkana riding and wondered how you get those nice tight turns. AH so! braking in the turn to make it tighter. I do that, sort of, but suddenly I'm going to get much better at it. Please make more videos like this. It can only be good for everybody if Americans take an interest in this style of riding.
It may not be available over there, but RLAP is the Ride Like A Pro course. watching the dvd does little good, but getting out in the cone setup (instructions and progression come with the dvd) makes the average clueless rider ride better than 98% of all the street riders today. It does help when there's more than one rider to help set up and restamd cones during the practice.
Great video, subscribed. When I was younger it was all about how fast I could go (with little skill, resulting in a bad crash). With different priorities now, learning these type of skills keeps the challenge of motorcycling there without risking life and limb. I might just get some crash bungs first though!
Paul Robson thanks :) We are doing this kind of driving for the reason you said :) But, now, with the good technik and experience of it, we have lot of sensation, sometimes, I feel a "2g" acceleration during a U-turn :)
Thank you :) Most of the time, I am using them during Moto Gymkhana, because you can do mistakes with no risk of being hurt by other cars or motorcycles ;)
very nice video, thanks a lot there is a "balance" between low speed turn and high speed turn, which depends a lot of the weight of the motorcycle. the lower the speed-turn, the more unstable the motorcycle becomes (there is very few inertia to continue moving the motorcycle forward), that is why you have to compensate with your body weight, shifting it into the outside of the turn and by so given better balance to make the turn. the high the speed-turn, the more stable the bike is (lots of inertia to continue moving forward), so in order to help the bike to turn, you have to offset the weight by putting your body in the same side of the turn.
+Diego Bolanos Thanks for your comment :) but it is not what I am doing... I am not using counter weight... I am just moving my shoulders to have my arm never straight, to be smoth with the handlebar, the trottle, the clutch and the front brake... I am using the fall of my body from the bike to make it lean, using the strengh of my legs to make the bike follow me in my fall, this is why you can see first my body in the same side than the turn...
Thank you so much for this very instructive lesson. Having had my first fall after only 10 days of motorcycling, I had lost my confidence - but now I know what I did wrong. Going downhill into a sharp hairpin bend, a) I used the front brake; b) I was leaning to the wrong side (at very slow speed).
Don't be afraid of using the front brake. You actually have more stopping power with the front brake alone than with the rear brake alone. Having said that, it is often recommended to only use the rear brake if going down a steep hill, like you might find in off road or enduro riding. You may have made other mistakes that led your fall that if they were eliminated, you could go through the same turn and use the front brake, and ride smoothly through it. So I hope you weren't hurt and that you'll keep riding and keep practicing.
Thank you; I guess I also pulled the brake too hard because I panicked... The automatic gear box had disengaged (under 20km/h), and beside the bend was a steep precipice without barrier... But thanks to the slow speed I was not badly hurt. Yes, practice will be the main thing. I rode bicycles for some 50 years; they feel like second legs to me, but motorcycles behave a fair bit different. As a matter of interest: Is there a minimum speed, below which a motorbike becomes unstable? I think there must be; however looking at this video, it seems very slow speeds are possible.
featherstone Since you've ridden bicycles for so long, I'm sure you've seen people attempt to stay upright without putting their feet on the ground when waiting at a stop. The same can be done with a motorcycle. So it's a problem of managing stability. It's an object in motion, so all the principles of speed and weight placement still apply. After all, a motorcycle or any object can become unstable at high speeds. However, when it comes to slow speed turns, I do feel one obstacle people find hard to get over that they don't realize is they are so used to doing slow speed, deep lean turns on a bicycle while coasting and they try to carry that over to a motorcycle. And because of the extreme weight difference, they become fearful of how far they can lean over. When in fact the motor continuing to drive the bike is a factor that allows you to stay upright on slow, deep lean turns.
1. Does stiff seat affect difficulty of slow maneuaver? 2. when doing u turn by counter-weighting, a)do you use engine brake + rear brake with squeezed clutch? or just engine brake + rear brake? I learned that for slow uturn, I have to use friction zone + rear brake + little throttle, but I think your way is different. b)I do move my body to opposite direction of turning, but even the handlebar is not in full lock, it's very unstable. Do I have to give pressure on outside peg and outside handlebar? When I rode light tu250x, it was pretty easy, but not now with heavier sv650....
1. I don't think so 2. I am not using counter weight. When I am moving my shoulders, I want them to be parallel with the handlebar, that's all :) a) it depends of your speed at the beginning of the turn. When I am starting the turn, my speed is around 20-25km/h. So I am using front brake, rear brake and engine brake, and trottle. But when I am slower at the beginning, I am using the clutch, the trottle and the rear brake b) If you want not to fall, you need to be full lock, with the good speed. Counterweight or watether is useless : how could you think you can counterweight a heavy bike ? :) Just find the good speed with the full lock, to have enough centrifugal force (which is higher with speed, or small radius). I did a video about this :)
Thanks for that. I've always struggled with slow speed manoeuvres on my big bike, especially when fully loaded for touring...so I shall practice your pointers 👍🏼
If you feel you have an issue with any of these sort of movements, go to an empty parking lot and practice. You should never have to fight the bike or feel uncomfortable. You can work in unison and it should always feel smooth (unless avoiding something in an emergency/hurry) , if it doesn't try something different. It's like a waltz between you and your bike. (Side note: Remember not to focus on the obstacle directly in front of you, but to be preparing for the next one which lies ahead of it. (little trick i was tought as a kid in racing school which may save your life on the road and will definitely improve any offroad riding)
Good vid. Lots of good info here, even for experienced riders. Translation is a bit of a problem though. I was able to get most of it, except "Ignoring the pilot's eye". What does that mean??
really good display of fisics and perfect explanation on actually happend when you turn at different speeds thank you question: what bikes have been used in the video?
You're welcome :) no, I don't think so, as I already tried bike with combinated brakes, and it works too, but you need to use them less and less in the turn, and to have a lot of strenhg into your legs, to avoid to have your load on the handlebar when braking :)
1:25 I've been trying to achieve this manouver with an MT-07 in first gear (aprox 15 km/h) and as soon as I lean the bike (and thus the handlebars alone) the bike tends to get straight again. I can't keep it doing constant circles like you do. Any advice? Thanks!
What you are describing is normal: if you let then handlebar turning, it will create enough force to make the bike straight again, and then, the handlebar will go in straight line again, if there are enough torque (which is the case on the MT07). To compensate, you'll have to be able to slow down the speed a little bit with the rear brake, but be very smooth if you don't want to stall :) Or you can lean more, but again, be smooth, because if you lean more than the handlebar can compensate, you will fall too :)
Great Job! Very detailed explanations. I am planning to record a video to my friends (beginners here in Brazil) trying to explain the best techniques to U-turn at low speed. This video helps a lot to understand the main variables involved. Thanks and hugs from Brazil Guilherme
at last i found an upload explaining the technique thank you, does the bike have to have its independent breaking removed, also do you know what size handlebars are used on the japan police bike. also is there any gymkhana magazine available in the uk.
I don't know if there is any Gymkhana magasine anywhere in the World :) But this is not Gymkhana, this is only about physics, body movements and how to accelerate/brake when the bike is leaned. You can train alone, or you can come here, in France, we are doing training course about this technic. You can even come by train/plane, because we provide motorcycles (BMW 1200RT, GSXR1000, CBR650f and CB500, all equiped with crash bars) during the course :)
Oh, I forget something: as we don't use the handlebar, a small handlebar is better than a big one. But what is important with handlebar, is not really his size, but his form: does it allow you to be smooth with throttle or brake when you are in full lock rotation :)
+Gab Mushakess thanks, but I am a "professional" lol In France, my job is driving instructor, and I have a bachelor in Physics... This is why I think I understand how to use forces to have a safe and fun way of driving, as they are doing in Japan. And I can teach it, thanks to the Educational quality I developped due to my job (driving instructor, and "driving-instructor" teacher lol)
0:00 - This is me, except I'm a lot slower and do a lot more feet-on-ground and back-and-forth action to make the turn. Even after seven years of riding, I'm still no good at u-turns.
Don't worry, I think most of biker are doing uturn like this, but only few of them are ok to say it :) To do this kind if uturn, riding a lot is not enough. You need to understand and try new skills. Then, train a lot. It is not easy, but when you can do it, you'll have lot of fun :)
In Belgium, it's mandatory to learn how to do several "8 shape" u-turns with a very very tight radius, before the actual driving test. This is similar to this video, but performed at a slower speed and much tighter. I've learned riding like that, on a ER6 bike, and let me tell you, the first hours are pretty harsh haha. Many of my fellow 'students' were crashing all the time during the u-turns. (Some people crashed 20+ times per session)
I saw some U-turn that were done in Belgium, by some driving student. And I had a Belgium instructor in one of my training course. What he said about how people learn to ride a motorcylce in Belgium is a little different from what you say. In the driving test, you don't have tighter U-turn than here, as you have to do it in 6m, but outside traffic lanes. In this video, they are made in a 6m wide road, with the FJR, and less than 5m with the XJ6 (but outside traffic lanes in this case). More over, we are not doing them in the same way, this is why these are faster than the one you are doing. And this is why this driving instructor came from Belgium to learn how to do this kind of U-turn. And last thing, if a student could crash more than 20 times per session, the instructor should modifie his way of teaching... Falling when learning is normal, but a few time, only...
Thanks! I just tried this based on your clarification above (letting the handlebars turn on their own (without any steering inputs) as the bike is leaned over; following the natural movement of the handlebars turning with your shoulders as shown and noted in the video). U-turns getting tighter! :) I found that leaning the body forward as the shoulders follow the handlebars turning helps (as shown - but not noted ;) - in the video
So you're using the 'tick over' revs (~1000rpm) whilst applying the rear brake (at slow speeds), • Banking the bike in with your body, • When the handlebars turn in more, as your turn increases in tightness, you straighten your body, and even lean the opposite way of the turn to keep your balance • The bike then somehow doesn't stall and fall over (or are you suing the clutch and acceleration at this point?) • And you straighten up again and complete your turn Sound about right?
1987RaPsCaLLioN Heu as my english is not so good, I hope I correctly understand you :) I am in first gear, but I declutch, to avoid the engine brake of the first gear, which is to strong, when I am doing the u-turn on road. I need to have a few speed, then, I first made the bike to fall with my body. Then, the handelbar wants to turn, and I use the rear brake at this moment, which increase the speed of the rotation of the handlebar. I move then my body to let it turn fully. I do not use my body as a balance... As the bike slows down, during the turn, when it is closed to be stopped, I start to release the clutch to accelerate again, but I keep the rear brake: this way, I can have some speed to avoid the complet fall, and the bike continues to turn. So I have 2 turns in a U-turn: the first one is made with the "fall" and the rear brake of the bike, at the moment when the bike still has a few speed, then there is a second turn, using the release of the clutch, the trottle and the rear brake in the same time, when the bike has no more speed. I hope it is clear lol but it is hard to explain, and to do, because it needs some Required meadow, like leaning to fall, let the handlebar turns alone, etc. That is why we are doing some training course of 2 days long to learn it, but we are in France...
I'm interested on how newer motorcycles with linked (or combined) ABS front and rear brakes handle this type of riding where you cannot control the amount of braking separately?
+Flash Gordon It works too, as you can use front brake during turns, if you know how to use it. So for these people, they'll need to know how to brake, even they have combined brkaes or ABS (I already tried it with a GTR1400, and a BMW, but I don't remember which one, I don't like BMW lol) Then, it is a little bit harder to do it :)
Nice vid! One question: do you put weight down through your feet? How much, and do you use your weight via feet to help tilt the bike? I find myself using my feet very little, I don't know whether that's for the best though. I ride taller bikes, enduro's. Off-road standing up it's mostly via feet, but once I sit I don't use them that much. On the road, less so. Thx in advance
I don't use feet, or arms. They have to control the speed of the bike, not the leaning. If you are using your feet, you have more chance to fall when the step pegs will touch the ground :)
Thanks for the kind answer! As I stated neither do I use my feet or arms to push or drag the bike, glad to hear it should be correct from an expert. I have heard though that keeping your feet loaded with some weight helps lower the center of gravity of the system rider+bike, and although that might make sense I tried it a few times but didn't feel comfortable or in control, and it is tiring too.
Words of warning, this will only work under about 18mph or even less. As he says in the video "more I run the less it turns" When you're speed picks up leaning will not over come the gyroscopic effect of the bike in motion. that's when counter steering is required.
This is why I said in the title : u-turn :) But about counter steering, I don't agree. You can counter steer at slow speed too (I did a video about that , but it is in French). And at higher speed, I "use" only self counter steer...
Do you understand about counter-steering, throttle control and body position? Do you know this combination are applicable for all type of bike?. Riding like your demonstrated make rider tired.
+brutallife no I am coming from a square planet where counter-steering is not working... Of course, I know them (I did a movie about counter steering, but in French), but I don't say that the solution I propose is the only one, I say it is another one :) And my demonstration is only about U-turn... You can ride different way, of course, but this one allows you to make short and quick u-turn with any kind of bike, and what is for me the most important think, is that it gives you very very great sensations (2g accelerations for me in some U-turns). Then, I can have lot of fun without speed, and this is a good security :)
does this only work for backbone bikes or big bikes? or does this also work for underbone (honda wave, etc.) because from my experience my motorcycle handle bar turns when i put my hand away. and how do you keep accelerating when you aren't using your hands? wont it stall? thanks!
This works with every kind of motorcycle and scooter. Four cylinder bike can't stall when you are at the minimum rotation of the engine, if there is not to much things that brake the motorcycle :) if you want to try, but if you are fearing of stalling, just increase the minimal rpm of your engine :)
great vid, great skills, i am new and inexperienced rider what kind of course teaches those skills? thank you. I'll go anywhere in the to do that course.
my adventurebike weights like 250kilos im way to scared to do all those experiments with it. i had two grom's tho... maybe i should test with them :-D i drive every day... by rain, snow, sun everything but im by far not as good as you are! great werk.
Thank you :) it is not the only way to drive, don't worry, but this kind of driving make me have fun without driving fast. This is why I love it: I have fun with a few risk. I can fall, but as I am leaned, and slow, when I fall, I am not far away from the ground before the fall lol
Wow! Very informative! The trouble however is taht I drive a few self made, one of a kind motorcycles on which I'd hardly dare to practice. Maybe I should start on a bicycle. A question: On a sports bike with limited handlebar travel and thus a relatively big turning radius extra speed would be needed, wouldn't it? Any extra tips about compensating for this during a road turn?
This kind of u-turn is the best for me to do u-turn with sportbike, because they can't turn to much. So you need to lean. This is why I add some stop steer on my bike to make it turn less. So yes, you'll need more speed at the beginning, but you'll need to accept the sensation of fall, to know how to use your front brake before and in the turn, to let the handlebar turns itself, although you are braking, and to use your throttle and your rear brake very smoothly to have a constant speed just before the end of the turn. More over, the hard part is to accept to have to much speed at the beginning of the turn. This is why we are doing training course. It is a completely new way of driving...
Thank you. Like I said: I'll start on a bicycle to see if I can indeed get my mind around doing something that goes so much against my reflexes and then see if I can also use that approach on my motorcycles. Here you can see why I am not eager to break any of my custom made fairings: www.brassee.com/motorcycles.html . I do not even have moulds for them since I actually ride the design prototypes. Gulp!
Thanks for this lesson. So use back brake predominantly and practice, practice, practice. Which I shall. Do you find, however, turning one direction easier than the other.
yes i agree bout the translation or explanation of the terms used...but excellent control ..very impressive..much like on dirt mastering the "dog finger " using the throttle and front brake independently. for 180 degree. turns ......
About the clutch, it depends of the engine brake : too much engine brake is not a good think, because this means that it will be hard to use the trottle enough smoothly... So if you can't do that, use the clutch to have no engine brake, and use the rear brake instead of it. And when you'll use the trottle, continue to use the rear brake too :) About the brakes, it is better to use the front brake before the turns, instead of the engine brake, because, this will reduce the caster angle, this helps to turn...
Does this apply to any bike regardless of point of gravity position? or this works better on bikes with a higher point of gravity? thanks for the video!
1 question btw.. i have 5 years experience in driving bikes and when i speed i use front brake like 80-100 % and rear 10-20% in bad situations, some persons say to use more rear brake and less front one. any opinions about this?
+Goro Goro It depends of the leaning of the bike... The less the bike is leaned the more you can use the front brake. Then, when you are doing a big brake, the rear brake could help the bike to have less pression on the front wheel when you are using the front brake. This will give you less chance to have your front tire to slip on the ground :)
+Crisisbiker I will try to explain myself, but in english it is not easy for me :( Because I am using technics that helps to not fall :) I am not using countersteering, I am letting the bike to fall with my weight and the reduction of the speed. Then, it turns, and thanks to teh centrifugal force, the bike stops to fall: I just have to find the balance between the reduction of the speed and the reduction of the turns, to have a centrifugal force enough powerfull to slow down the fall of the bike in a first part, then I have to find the balance between the increasing of the speed and the increasing of the turns to have a centrifugal forces enough powerfull to stand up the bike, in a second part :) It is easy to say, but not easy to do. In France, I am doing a two days training course for those who want to learn how to do it :)
Thanks for your comment and your English was perfect. I think I have experienced something similar when I felt I was going to drop the bike at slow speed but it actually rolled round on full lock as you described. I would love to improve my slow riding skills to this level, but unfortunately I cannot come to France for your course, so I will do some practice at home and try to improve. Merci beaucoup!
Okay - most interesting, but I do not understand the "Paying no attention of the pilot's eye." - I can't even see his nose let alone his eye. ;-) Please explain.
That level of slow control is obligatory if you wanna pass the Swiss driving test for getting your license. But what's the chiptune you were using in the middle of the video?
Thank you for this video. In my country, when going to driving school for bikes they don't teach you any of this. NONE OF IT. I know, because I have a licence for a bike. I have so much to learn.
+Bane Tudajfor Hey, it is the same in France, you have to know... Only a few driving school are teaching this way of driving, and it is the same in all other the world. Only in Japan they are a lot of driving schnool that working like this :)
I ride a smaller bike; a Ninja 300. Do you recommend using 2nd gear or 1st gear? What are your thoughts on shifting and what gears to use? I usually increase my idle rate to about 3500 rpm for Moto Gymkhana.
When I tried this bike, I used second gear, because engine brake of the first gear is to strong. But at this time, I didn't change the idle rate. So I don't really know, sorry. I think it is better to enter the corner in second gear to have less engine brake, but to re accelerate, it would be better to be in first gear... Shifting gear in the corner may help you, but it will make you losse a little time, so, I don't really know what is the best for you, sorry :(
I used to do these kind of stunts much better than you. But only in GTA.... -__- Lot to learn from you pal.. French people are cool and irresistable You are awesome
one thing that was never mentioned. During your handle gripped turms. was the clutch always out or did you feather. I would be inclinded to say you did not have clutch in as you lose drive. Thus no gyroscope action. To do this manouver takes balls on a 300KG machine. Further more, no SQuared of tyres. I have tried this and cannot even manage this without feathering the clutch during gripped turning. Yes i can get wide turns but with 300Kilos under my arse, makes it very nervous for me. Am i right to assume this is corret.?
+jason puttock I am not sure that I correctly understand you, so please be comprehensive if my answer is not the one you expected. The FJR1300 is a big bike, closed to 300kg. And in this video, while I am doing U-turns, I am using the clutch. The gyroscope action comes from the speed, and you have speed, even you are using the clutch. There is 2 times in this U-turn : at the beginning, thanks to the speed I have (here I am pushing on the clutch command), I am leaning, and using the rear brake (instead of the engine brake, as the clutch is holded). With a good leaning (free fall), and a good use of the rear brake (first strongger, and then less and less), this increases the centrifugal forces by the fast reduction of the radius and the increasing of the mass transfer of the brake, and the bike stands up at the middle of the turn. Then, you have to use throttle and clutch very smoothly to increase the speed, not enough to make the bike go in straight line, but enough to have a centrifugal forces that keep the bike leaned in the second part of the turn. I hope it is clear lol But you have to know that in France, I am doing a 2 two day training course with those who wants to learn that. It is not easy to do :)
really nice! I think you just gave me more insight I can add to what I got from Ride Like A Pro, and might be just enough to help me make tight turn. Thanks again.
Thank you for the helpful video. The text is very hard to read because of the shadows, contrast, and short time the text is displayed. Please also clarify whether braking is done with front or back brakes. Before I try these experiments, it would be nice to know how often the rider has dumped the bike on the ground before we try it with a 700 lbs Harley Davidson. Luckily I have a beater bike to try this with.
+Rob Miller You're welcome :) it is too late now to change anything on the video, but you can use the "pause" button to stop the movie and to have time to read the texts :) I did never fall with my FJR 1300 doing that, and with all bike I tryied (the biggest was a 500kg Goldwin)... But you have to know that it is better to do a formation to learn it.... In France, I have to do a 2 days formation to those who wants to learn it. So please be careful if you want to try it. Or come in France :)
I live near Washington DC. I have been riding for many years but I am still a novice when it comes to riding. When I moved up from a 400 lbs Yamaha to a 700 lbs Harley, my limited skill became more apparent. I need videos like yours to gain knowledge and to develop confidence that the bike can do what I thought was impossible.
+Rob Miller Oh Washington DC... it is a bit far away from us lol We had somebody who cam from Abu d'habi, but is is not so far away than you :) I home my video will help you. Or you can ask Harley to make me come in Washington DC to do a formation for several people ;)
The last time we filmd, I putted a camera on my body, and then we can see the speed. Now, I am entering the U-turn around 32km/h, and I am ending it at around 17km/h, in less than 6meters wide :)
This is a very interesting concept. It's how riding a bicycle with no hand work. I'm anxious to try out the 1st exercise, but with my hand lightly on the handlebars to start.
With no hands, I couldn't initiate the turn by leaning my body. I ended up weighting the pegs and it worked great regardless of how I leaned my body. Looking at the video again, it seems like you are doing the same. I just remembered that my CBR comes stock with electronic steering dampening. But still, using peg weighting did allow me to do what you were doing in the 1st exercise.
+AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite I'll try the 2nd exercise next. It seems like the first exercise, but you used the rear brake to control the speed and the radius of the turn.
+Mack Lu Hey :) you can lean with your weight, without using the pegs, but you need to accept the sensation of "falling". In fact, you have to lean your body first, then use your weight, but then you will feel you falling, this is why it is difficult to lean the bike. If you are using the pegs, it will be difficult to use the rear brake during the second exercize... The XJ6 is full stock too, and now, my CBR from 2015 is full stock too :)
U deserves it sir. Can u please make a video tutorial how to avoid obstacle for rider? There are some arguments out there and I cant wait to hear it from u :)
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite regarding to how rider avoid a sudden obstacle on street. There are some arguments. Some say its better to countersteer with keep the body upright but there are also people saying its better to lean with the bike when swerve . I'd love to hear it from you as your explanation is the best so far. Thanks a lot sir
I want to have my weight on the back of the seat, and on the side I want to lean. Don't push, just put your weight on the side, and use your 'opposite knee to not fall from the bike to the ground :)
Stefan Schmitt Hi, thanks, you're great :) you can find the titel of the track at the end of the movie, and you can download it form Free Music Archive website :)
+Ali Abbasi I am using the clutch sometimes, but now it is only how I am using the brakes that makes the engine not dying. I never tryed with no street bikes, but it works with scooters for exemple (50 cm3, 15cm3, etc...)
what about doing this on a supersport where my hands hit the tank when turning the handle bars to full lock making it hard to manage the throttle and clutch?
Yes, it is harder, I did it with a R6, a CBR600RR, and a RSV1000. You need to place very carefully your hand before the turn, to avoid the problem of the tank. And with some training, with a 4-cylinder bike, you can use only throttle and reat brake, without the clutch.
+bassistoftheyear No it seems that when you are driving like a japanese, you need to have a sportibike to turn short and fast :) With anotehr kind of bike, you can only turn short...
So can this be done with a r6 ? I'm struggling with right turns and my right hand gets pinned between throttle and tank to the point where I can't even roll throttle
Yes, you can, but it is harder, because of the throttle, as you said. You have to place your hand in a speical way before turning. Or you can move the handlebar a little bit to have more space between the tank and the throttle :)
Thank you for sharing. The best lesson I ever taught my son was to show me how slow he could go around a course, not how fast . His skills increased hugely.
You did a great job with your son, congratulations :)
You have great skills at slow speeds. Good write up. Your English was good enough to be understood. Ignore the morons that have grammar problems. Thanks for sharing.
thank you, you're nice :)
1. We are not morons if we are seriously trying to be better safer riders. 2. If you are so informed in his instructions how about letting the rest of us know what you were taught?
fuck off
I came back from Metz doing the course last weekend and feel like sharing a few words.
If you catch yourself watching Anti Pilote de Ligne Droit videos more than twice, it's time for you to plan yourself a trip to France. :)
It will be more than worth it, you will learn a lot and acquire fantastic new skills which may also save you from a possible future crash, if you rely solely on countersteering to turn and one day slippery surface betrays you.
This is more than just riding a motorcycle, it's about increasing overall awareness and proprioception about you and your body.
If you have ever done any martial art in your life, you'll find strong resemblence, it's about finding that fine delicate feel for things and perfecting it.
Yes, this is a martial art, and Clément is a sensei. A motorcycle Yoda which will show you your way to become a Jedi knight. :)
He'll take you into the deep dark forest where 2+2=5 and you cannot (!) fall of the motorcycle.
You'll be up exploring the uncharted territory through a series of challenging tasks and brilliant exercises and each will grab you way out of your comfort zone but at the end you will manage!!! :)
Come fit!
The body effort needed to lean the motorcycle Japanese style is very tough on your core, as you need to hold your body yourself at all times, so better come as fit as you can, do stability exercises, planks, side planks and push-ups.
Come prepared!
Study all the major Anti Pilote de Ligne Droit videos so you can ask all the right questions.
Take your girlfriend/wife with you!
Metz is a beautiful place and France at its best!
The closest international airport to Metz is in Luxembourg, which is only 1h train ride away.
That's a convenient way to arrive.
My advice: take a week off and do two courses on two consecutive weekends!
Thank you Zeljko, for this kind message :) I am very glad that you understood it as you describe it :)
I enjoyed this...even after riding for a few years in all sorts of weather and conditions, it amplifies the skill of a good rider.
+armarra :)
This is actually what is taught to me in the Dutch special manoeuvring training, part of your motorcycle driving license exams. To me it felt more natural than it looked, and I never had the feeling I was going to drop the bike. It all comes down to trusting the bike staying in a natural balance, as long as you keep it in motion it will not fall over easily. I'm lucky enough I could learn this using the driving schools bike, rather than my own later down my motorcycle career.
+Ricardo Snoek This is not part of our motorcycle driving license exams :) And a few people are riding like this, this is why I did this movie, to show another way to drive, in which Moto Gymkhana is the "consécration" (in French in the text lol)
This is good if you are learning to drive like this, I think :)
I‘ve ridden an FJR for 7 years, doing this tight turns on such a heavy bike takes a lot of training and confidence 😉 👍🏻
Everything can be learned :)
I have been riding 14 years now, i know how to turn!! ...but after watching this, I realise I really didn't know how to turn, lol!
I love learning new techniques, can't wait to fix my bike and try out some of this cool stuff, good video ..
Thank you :) I am glad you enjoyed it :)
"But way off alone, out by himself beyond boat and shore,
Jonathan Livingston Seagull was practising. A hundred feet in
the sky he lowered his webbed feet, lifted his beak, and strained
to hold a painful hard twisting curve through his wings. The
curve meant that he would fly slowly, and now he slowed until
the wind was a whisper in his face, until the ocean stood still
beneath him. He narrowed his eyes in fierce concentration,
held his breath, forced one ... single ... more ... inch ... of ...
curve ... "
from page 1 of the book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" or, "Jonathan Livingston le Goéland" :)
Thank you... i'm learning to ride a motorcycle. Just got my licence today. That was a great book; back when i read so much as a kid. I'll read it again. :)
I don't leave comments on TH-cam that often but I just felt that I should give you some credit. this video makes me wanna try it on My motorcycle. It seems like a nice technique to learn. Regular u turns are over rated. I'm sure this one will catch a lot of attention on the street when executed as smooth as you do it. Thanks for sharing. Keep it up.
deecaliboy Thanks :) I hope it will help you to do it :)
I've watched your first video a few years back, and thoroughly enjoyed it. After practicing the concepts myself, I think I can make an attempt at a clearer English explanation:
1. Body position can initiate which direction the motorcycle will lean. Place your torso left, bike leans left; torso right, bike leans right. The faster the speed, the smaller the effect. See the hands-off demo.
2. Speed affects how tight the bike will "naturally" turn when already leaned. Slower speeds means the bike will turn tighter, BUT it also turns quicker--the handlebars will turn towards the direction of the lean quicker the slower you go. See the off-bike running demo.
3. Using the rear brake (preferably) as the bike is already leaned, tightens the radius of the turn the more the speed is reduced. As the speed is reduced, the bike not only leans more and turns tighter, but also does both at a quicker rate than at faster speeds. Hence the "brake makes accelerate" comment on the video.
4. Body position begins with center of mass to the inside of the turn to initiate the turn, then shifts to the outside of the turn (counter weight) as the speed and radius of the turn decreases.
I thought that the rest of the video was fairly clear. Hope this helps a few people.
Nice work :) Your english is really better than mine. About counter weight: it is not what I wanted to say. For me, You have to turn your shoulders in the same direction than the handlebar. It is not counter weight :)
Finally a video that actually makes sense! I've always ridden my scooter this way. Then I took the MSF class and they were talking pushing the handle bar to counter steer and other unnecessary nonsense! This video shows physics in action. The bike is a gyro once it's moving and wants to stay up. When it leans, the bike tries to change direction so that it can straighten itself up. If, instead you keep it leaned, it will keep going in circles, trying to straighten itself. Without additional input, the bike will lean at an angle that balances its need to straighten vs the weight of the bike and rider pulling it down. the gyro effect gets stronger its speed so at higher speeds, you need to lean into the turn, adding weight to counteract the bike's tendency to straighten up. At low speeds, the weight of the bike is stronger than the gyro effect, so you need to lean out of the corner to help the gyro keep it up. So simple and intuitive. If you understand the physics intuitively (your body already does), you will never drop the bike as long as you have traction and never take an impossible corner. Wonderful video.
Also, all that handle bar input they teach in MSF classes is overblown. You don't need to "do" so much and be that involved in riding and turning. The bike will do most of the work for you if you let it.
+Cow Rider thanks for your comment :) but what does "MSF" mean? I don't know it :(
+AntiPiloteDelLigneDroite It stands for Motorcycle Safety Foundation. In the United States, there are motorcycle classes offered by various groups. Completing an MSF class usually is enough to get you a motorcycle license, I.e. No need to take another riding test at the license office. www.msf-usa.org
+Cow Rider oh, ok, thanks :)
countersteering occurs anytime the bike is in motion. The "gyro" effect and the coutnersteer work together to effect the change of lean angle of the bike.
Well, I'd sure love to practice that ... If only I could afford to drop my bike getting there ...
+Anvilshock Here is my new bike (the second one that will appear during the movie, not the first one) :) as you can see, there is no crash bars lol like with the FJR on the previous movie...
But, you need to accept the fall of the bike... It is the price to pay to increase your manoeuvering skills :)
@109420695486532129026 While I do understand the preciousness of such training, I do endeavour to keep said price from needing to be paid at all, given it's a heavy, fully clad Japanese classic with replacement fairing neither common, cheap, nor timely to obtain, adapt in paint, and install.
+Anvilshock well seems like it might be cheaper to get a small dual sport or something to practice on.
Anvilshock Hey, I did not see your comment before, sorry :( but I have to be honest, you have better skills in english than me, and I do not understand what you said, sorry :(
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite he said he doesn't want to crash because it's expensive and hard to replace parts.
One of the best slow speed handling applied to day-to-day use I have ever seen on youtube.
Great tips! I'll try to practice.
I hope it helps :)
The occasional bad English makes it bit hard to understand sometimes but the video is still very useful. I will visit again!
+FodderRev Thank you :) I am from France, so speaking english is not easy for us :) Remember that England and us were fighting for the domination of the world in the 18th, 19th centuries, and we lost ah ah
Ha ha! Well, my first guess was Italian but second guess would have been French, looking at the sentence structure. Anyway, the video is still very informational!
FodderRev The movie is in French too, if you want :)
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite Merci beaucoup but I understand very little francais.
Excellent bike control! Interesting watching how your body position shifts from street riding style (lean into the corner) to more of a dirt riding style (push bike down while keeping weight upright) very rapidly. I clearly need to practice more!
oh, at least, somebody who see that I am not doing counter weight, but pushing the bike with my legs :) thank you :)
I hope you'll enjoy it :)
Thank you for this. I'm a hard core balance practicer for all the 7 years I've been riding. Of course I admire gymkana riding and wondered how you get those nice tight turns. AH so! braking in the turn to make it tighter. I do that, sort of, but suddenly I'm going to get much better at it. Please make more videos like this. It can only be good for everybody if Americans take an interest in this style of riding.
It may not be available over there, but RLAP is the Ride Like A Pro course. watching the dvd does little good, but getting out in the cone setup (instructions and progression come with the dvd) makes the average clueless rider ride better than 98% of all the street riders today.
It does help when there's more than one rider to help set up and restamd cones during the practice.
I love this video since it covers all types of turns, and with style!
Thank you :)
Great video, subscribed. When I was younger it was all about how fast I could go (with little skill, resulting in a bad crash). With different priorities now, learning these type of skills keeps the challenge of motorcycling there without risking life and limb. I might just get some crash bungs first though!
Paul Robson thanks :) We are doing this kind of driving for the reason you said :) But, now, with the good technik and experience of it, we have lot of sensation, sometimes, I feel a "2g" acceleration during a U-turn :)
great techniques! when do you use both front and rear brakes?
Thank you :)
Most of the time, I am using them during Moto Gymkhana, because you can do mistakes with no risk of being hurt by other cars or motorcycles ;)
very nice video, thanks a lot
there is a "balance" between low speed turn and high speed turn, which depends a lot of the weight of the motorcycle.
the lower the speed-turn, the more unstable the motorcycle becomes (there is very few inertia to continue moving the motorcycle forward), that is why you have to compensate with your body weight, shifting it into the outside of the turn and by so given better balance to make the turn.
the high the speed-turn, the more stable the bike is (lots of inertia to continue moving forward), so in order to help the bike to turn, you have to offset the weight by putting your body in the same side of the turn.
+Diego Bolanos Thanks for your comment :) but it is not what I am doing... I am not using counter weight... I am just moving my shoulders to have my arm never straight, to be smoth with the handlebar, the trottle, the clutch and the front brake...
I am using the fall of my body from the bike to make it lean, using the strengh of my legs to make the bike follow me in my fall, this is why you can see first my body in the same side than the turn...
In spite of the music (!!!!) and the ESL text, this is an excellent instructional video. Thank you for posting!
lol Thank you for watching this movie, although the music and the texts ''hurts'' you :)
OK, this was very helpful. Thank you
+Blissfully_Kryptic you're welcome :)
R2Mintus Nice :) hope you'll enjoy it again :)
Thank you so much for this very instructive lesson. Having had my first fall after only 10 days of motorcycling, I had lost my confidence - but now I know what I did wrong. Going downhill into a sharp hairpin bend, a) I used the front brake; b) I was leaning to the wrong side (at very slow speed).
I hop eit will help you to go back on the road :)
Don't be afraid of using the front brake. You actually have more stopping power with the front brake alone than with the rear brake alone. Having said that, it is often recommended to only use the rear brake if going down a steep hill, like you might find in off road or enduro riding.
You may have made other mistakes that led your fall that if they were eliminated, you could go through the same turn and use the front brake, and ride smoothly through it.
So I hope you weren't hurt and that you'll keep riding and keep practicing.
Thank you; I guess I also pulled the brake too hard because I panicked... The automatic gear box had disengaged (under 20km/h), and beside the bend was a steep precipice without barrier... But thanks to the slow speed I was not badly hurt.
Yes, practice will be the main thing. I rode bicycles for some 50 years; they feel like second legs to me, but motorcycles behave a fair bit different.
As a matter of interest: Is there a minimum speed, below which a motorbike becomes unstable? I think there must be; however looking at this video, it seems very slow speeds are possible.
featherstone Since you've ridden bicycles for so long, I'm sure you've seen people attempt to stay upright without putting their feet on the ground when waiting at a stop. The same can be done with a motorcycle. So it's a problem of managing stability. It's an object in motion, so all the principles of speed and weight placement still apply. After all, a motorcycle or any object can become unstable at high speeds.
However, when it comes to slow speed turns, I do feel one obstacle people find hard to get over that they don't realize is they are so used to doing slow speed, deep lean turns on a bicycle while coasting and they try to carry that over to a motorcycle. And because of the extreme weight difference, they become fearful of how far they can lean over. When in fact the motor continuing to drive the bike is a factor that allows you to stay upright on slow, deep lean turns.
Amazing lesson. Between what we ear and what we see it is fantastic
Thank you :)
This new video I just released can help you too, I think : th-cam.com/video/7Im3eU9LBZ0/w-d-xo.html
I found this video really interesting and learnt a lot from it. The riders have so much confidence. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for your comment :)
Bro wtf you make me want to let go of the handlebars on my motorcycle and lean over. You make it look so easy wtf!!! Good job!!!
I hope you will do it :)
1. Does stiff seat affect difficulty of slow maneuaver?
2. when doing u turn by counter-weighting,
a)do you use engine brake + rear brake with squeezed clutch? or just engine brake + rear brake?
I learned that for slow uturn, I have to use friction zone + rear brake + little throttle, but I think your way is different.
b)I do move my body to opposite direction of turning, but even the handlebar is not in full lock, it's very unstable. Do I have to give pressure on outside peg and outside handlebar?
When I rode light tu250x, it was pretty easy, but not now with heavier sv650....
1. I don't think so
2. I am not using counter weight. When I am moving my shoulders, I want them to be parallel with the handlebar, that's all :)
a) it depends of your speed at the beginning of the turn. When I am starting the turn, my speed is around 20-25km/h. So I am using front brake, rear brake and engine brake, and trottle. But when I am slower at the beginning, I am using the clutch, the trottle and the rear brake
b) If you want not to fall, you need to be full lock, with the good speed. Counterweight or watether is useless : how could you think you can counterweight a heavy bike ? :) Just find the good speed with the full lock, to have enough centrifugal force (which is higher with speed, or small radius). I did a video about this :)
Thanks for that. I've always struggled with slow speed manoeuvres on my big bike, especially when fully loaded for touring...so I shall practice your pointers 👍🏼
:)
If you feel you have an issue with any of these sort of movements, go to an empty parking lot and practice. You should never have to fight the bike or feel uncomfortable. You can work in unison and it should always feel smooth (unless avoiding something in an emergency/hurry) , if it doesn't try something different. It's like a waltz between you and your bike. (Side note: Remember not to focus on the obstacle directly in front of you, but to be preparing for the next one which lies ahead of it. (little trick i was tought as a kid in racing school which may save your life on the road and will definitely improve any offroad riding)
Good vid. Lots of good info here, even for experienced riders. Translation is a bit of a problem though. I was able to get most of it, except "Ignoring the pilot's eye". What does that mean??
probably dont look where you want to go. You could see it on one scene he was looking right and turned left
Can't wait to try this! Slow-speed maneuvers are my bane.
+Ron Stewart Have fun :)
really good display of fisics and perfect explanation on actually happend when you turn at different speeds
thank you
question:
what bikes have been used in the video?
+je jee I am glad that you liked it :) it was Yamha FJR (my personal bike), and Yamaha XJ6 (my driving school's bike)
Thanks for the video. I have a CBR1100XX with linked brakes and was wondering if you would modify your technique for a motorcycle with linked brakes?
You're welcome :) no, I don't think so, as I already tried bike with combinated brakes, and it works too, but you need to use them less and less in the turn, and to have a lot of strenhg into your legs, to avoid to have your load on the handlebar when braking :)
1:25 I've been trying to achieve this manouver with an MT-07 in first gear (aprox 15 km/h) and as soon as I lean the bike (and thus the handlebars alone) the bike tends to get straight again. I can't keep it doing constant circles like you do. Any advice? Thanks!
What you are describing is normal: if you let then handlebar turning, it will create enough force to make the bike straight again, and then, the handlebar will go in straight line again, if there are enough torque (which is the case on the MT07). To compensate, you'll have to be able to slow down the speed a little bit with the rear brake, but be very smooth if you don't want to stall :) Or you can lean more, but again, be smooth, because if you lean more than the handlebar can compensate, you will fall too :)
Great Job!
Very detailed explanations. I am planning to record a video to my friends (beginners here in Brazil) trying to explain the best techniques to U-turn at low speed. This video helps a lot to understand the main variables involved.
Thanks and hugs from Brazil
Guilherme
+Guilherme Moto Relax hey :) I am glad if I can help you :) I will probably do another movie about this U-turn, to explain how to accelerate :)
at last i found an upload explaining the technique thank you, does the bike have to have its independent breaking removed, also do you know what size handlebars are used on the japan police bike. also is there any gymkhana magazine available in the uk.
I don't know if there is any Gymkhana magasine anywhere in the World :) But this is not Gymkhana, this is only about physics, body movements and how to accelerate/brake when the bike is leaned. You can train alone, or you can come here, in France, we are doing training course about this technic. You can even come by train/plane, because we provide motorcycles (BMW 1200RT, GSXR1000, CBR650f and CB500, all equiped with crash bars) during the course :)
Oh, I forget something: as we don't use the handlebar, a small handlebar is better than a big one. But what is important with handlebar, is not really his size, but his form: does it allow you to be smooth with throttle or brake when you are in full lock rotation :)
To tell the truth i am so glad to subscribe on your channel😊you look proffessional and that was so helpful for me as a beginner
+Gab Mushakess thanks, but I am a "professional" lol In France, my job is driving instructor, and I have a bachelor in Physics... This is why I think I understand how to use forces to have a safe and fun way of driving, as they are doing in Japan. And I can teach it, thanks to the Educational quality I developped due to my job (driving instructor, and "driving-instructor" teacher lol)
I am from jordan and nice to meet you 😊vous ete tres gentil merci beaucoup
+Gab Mushakess You're welcome :)
0:00 - This is me, except I'm a lot slower and do a lot more feet-on-ground and back-and-forth action to make the turn. Even after seven years of riding, I'm still no good at u-turns.
Don't worry, I think most of biker are doing uturn like this, but only few of them are ok to say it :) To do this kind if uturn, riding a lot is not enough. You need to understand and try new skills. Then, train a lot. It is not easy, but when you can do it, you'll have lot of fun :)
In Belgium, it's mandatory to learn how to do several "8 shape" u-turns with a very very tight radius, before the actual driving test.
This is similar to this video, but performed at a slower speed and much tighter.
I've learned riding like that, on a ER6 bike, and let me tell you, the first hours are pretty harsh haha. Many of my fellow 'students' were crashing all the time during the u-turns. (Some people crashed 20+ times per session)
I saw some U-turn that were done in Belgium, by some driving student. And I had a Belgium instructor in one of my training course. What he said about how people learn to ride a motorcylce in Belgium is a little different from what you say. In the driving test, you don't have tighter U-turn than here, as you have to do it in 6m, but outside traffic lanes. In this video, they are made in a 6m wide road, with the FJR, and less than 5m with the XJ6 (but outside traffic lanes in this case).
More over, we are not doing them in the same way, this is why these are faster than the one you are doing. And this is why this driving instructor came from Belgium to learn how to do this kind of U-turn.
And last thing, if a student could crash more than 20 times per session, the instructor should modifie his way of teaching... Falling when learning is normal, but a few time, only...
Very well explained! I knew the technique, but always had problems explaining it to my pupils. Thank you!
I hope it could help :)
Thanks! I just tried this based on your clarification above (letting the handlebars turn on their own (without any steering inputs) as the bike is leaned over; following the natural movement of the handlebars turning with your shoulders as shown and noted in the video). U-turns getting tighter! :)
I found that leaning the body forward as the shoulders follow the handlebars turning helps (as shown - but not noted ;) - in the video
+2391jessie :) I am glad if it helped :)
You can see here a training race with a XJ6 first, then a CBR :)
th-cam.com/video/cT6JhVIx0LU/w-d-xo.html
So you're using the 'tick over' revs (~1000rpm) whilst applying the rear brake (at slow speeds),
• Banking the bike in with your body,
• When the handlebars turn in more, as your turn increases in tightness, you straighten your body, and even lean the opposite way of the turn to keep your balance
• The bike then somehow doesn't stall and fall over (or are you suing the clutch and acceleration at this point?)
• And you straighten up again and complete your turn
Sound about right?
1987RaPsCaLLioN Heu as my english is not so good, I hope I correctly understand you :)
I am in first gear, but I declutch, to avoid the engine brake of the first gear, which is to strong, when I am doing the u-turn on road.
I need to have a few speed, then, I first made the bike to fall with my body. Then, the handelbar wants to turn, and I use the rear brake at this moment, which increase the speed of the rotation of the handlebar.
I move then my body to let it turn fully. I do not use my body as a balance...
As the bike slows down, during the turn, when it is closed to be stopped, I start to release the clutch to accelerate again, but I keep the rear brake: this way, I can have some speed to avoid the complet fall, and the bike continues to turn.
So I have 2 turns in a U-turn: the first one is made with the "fall" and the rear brake of the bike, at the moment when the bike still has a few speed, then there is a second turn, using the release of the clutch, the trottle and the rear brake in the same time, when the bike has no more speed.
I hope it is clear lol but it is hard to explain, and to do, because it needs some Required meadow, like leaning to fall, let the handlebar turns alone, etc. That is why we are doing some training course of 2 days long to learn it, but we are in France...
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite Excellent - thank you for helping me understand.
1987RaPsCaLLioN You're welcome :) this means that my english is not so bad :)
I'm interested on how newer motorcycles with linked (or combined) ABS front and rear brakes handle this type of riding where you cannot control the amount of braking separately?
+Flash Gordon It works too, as you can use front brake during turns, if you know how to use it. So for these people, they'll need to know how to brake, even they have combined brkaes or ABS (I already tried it with a GTR1400, and a BMW, but I don't remember which one, I don't like BMW lol)
Then, it is a little bit harder to do it :)
Nice vid! One question: do you put weight down through your feet? How much, and do you use your weight via feet to help tilt the bike? I find myself using my feet very little, I don't know whether that's for the best though. I ride taller bikes, enduro's. Off-road standing up it's mostly via feet, but once I sit I don't use them that much. On the road, less so. Thx in advance
I don't use feet, or arms. They have to control the speed of the bike, not the leaning. If you are using your feet, you have more chance to fall when the step pegs will touch the ground :)
Thanks for the kind answer! As I stated neither do I use my feet or arms to push or drag the bike, glad to hear it should be correct from an expert. I have heard though that keeping your feet loaded with some weight helps lower the center of gravity of the system rider+bike, and although that might make sense I tried it a few times but didn't feel comfortable or in control, and it is tiring too.
:)
Words of warning, this will only work under about 18mph or even less. As he says in the video "more I run the less it turns" When you're speed picks up leaning will not over come the gyroscopic effect of the bike in motion. that's when counter steering is required.
This is why I said in the title : u-turn :)
But about counter steering, I don't agree. You can counter steer at slow speed too (I did a video about that , but it is in French). And at higher speed, I "use" only self counter steer...
Do you understand about counter-steering, throttle control and body position? Do you know this combination are applicable for all type of bike?. Riding like your demonstrated make rider tired.
+brutallife no I am coming from a square planet where counter-steering is not working... Of course, I know them (I did a movie about counter steering, but in French), but I don't say that the solution I propose is the only one, I say it is another one :)
And my demonstration is only about U-turn... You can ride different way, of course, but this one allows you to make short and quick u-turn with any kind of bike, and what is for me the most important think, is that it gives you very very great sensations (2g accelerations for me in some U-turns). Then, I can have lot of fun without speed, and this is a good security :)
does this only work for backbone bikes or big bikes? or does this also work for underbone (honda wave, etc.) because from my experience my motorcycle handle bar turns when i put my hand away. and how do you keep accelerating when you aren't using your hands? wont it stall? thanks!
This works with every kind of motorcycle and scooter. Four cylinder bike can't stall when you are at the minimum rotation of the engine, if there is not to much things that brake the motorcycle :) if you want to try, but if you are fearing of stalling, just increase the minimal rpm of your engine :)
great vid, great skills, i am new and inexperienced rider what kind of course teaches those skills? thank you. I'll go anywhere in the to do that course.
Thank you :) Anywhere, really? lol we are in... France. But I think you can learn it in Japan too :) Where are you from?
my adventurebike weights like 250kilos im way to scared to do all those experiments with it. i had two grom's tho... maybe i should test with them :-D i drive every day... by rain, snow, sun everything but im by far not as good as you are! great werk.
Thank you :) it is not the only way to drive, don't worry, but this kind of driving make me have fun without driving fast. This is why I love it: I have fun with a few risk. I can fall, but as I am leaned, and slow, when I fall, I am not far away from the ground before the fall lol
Wow! Very informative! The trouble however is taht I drive a few self made, one of a kind motorcycles on which I'd hardly dare to practice. Maybe I should start on a bicycle.
A question: On a sports bike with limited handlebar travel and thus a relatively big turning radius extra speed would be needed, wouldn't it? Any extra tips about compensating for this during a road turn?
This kind of u-turn is the best for me to do u-turn with sportbike, because they can't turn to much. So you need to lean. This is why I add some stop steer on my bike to make it turn less.
So yes, you'll need more speed at the beginning, but you'll need to accept the sensation of fall, to know how to use your front brake before and in the turn, to let the handlebar turns itself, although you are braking, and to use your throttle and your rear brake very smoothly to have a constant speed just before the end of the turn.
More over, the hard part is to accept to have to much speed at the beginning of the turn. This is why we are doing training course. It is a completely new way of driving...
Thank you. Like I said: I'll start on a bicycle to see if I can indeed get my mind around doing something that goes so much against my reflexes and then see if I can also use that approach on my motorcycles.
Here you can see why I am not eager to break any of my custom made fairings: www.brassee.com/motorcycles.html . I do not even have moulds for them since I actually ride the design prototypes. Gulp!
Thanks for this lesson. So use back brake predominantly and practice, practice, practice. Which I shall. Do you find, however, turning one direction easier than the other.
You're welcome :) yes, for me, it is easier to turn on the right lol
Can I also perform these exercises with my FJR 1300 AS? (electronic switching system with fully automatic clutch)?
+Paul Vlake Thanks :) yes, you can, I already tryed a bike with an automatic clutch, and it works :)
Awsome vídeo, thanks alot for sharing that information! Don't suppose there's a translation of the book to english or portuguese any time soon?!
What are the front and rear crash bars that are installed on the FZ6? I would love to put them on my FZ6R.
-Thanks.
+G It is a XJ6 :) and I don't know the name for the crash bars. It is done for french driving school. You should ask for them in a yamaha shop :)
Excellent Video. Will be trying this on my 05 zx636 when my broken pinky heals!
+Travis khan Nice :) hope you will succeed in doing it, and have fun :)
yes i agree bout the translation or explanation of the terms used...but excellent control ..very impressive..much like on dirt mastering the "dog finger " using the throttle and front brake independently. for 180 degree. turns ......
Thank you :) now, with a little more training, I can do shorter turns with my CBR :)
I have a question do you use the clutch while turning or just cut the gas of before the turn, brake and at the turnpoint give gas ?
Cheers mate :)
About the clutch, it depends of the engine brake : too much engine brake is not a good think, because this means that it will be hard to use the trottle enough smoothly... So if you can't do that, use the clutch to have no engine brake, and use the rear brake instead of it. And when you'll use the trottle, continue to use the rear brake too :)
About the brakes, it is better to use the front brake before the turns, instead of the engine brake, because, this will reduce the caster angle, this helps to turn...
But this video is about how to do U-turns, not wide bends :)
+AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite thanks for the answer going to try both ways tomorrow :)
Alpcan Önür Have fun :)
Does this apply to any bike regardless of point of gravity position? or this works better on bikes with a higher point of gravity? thanks for the video!
You're welcome :) It works on any bike, even scoot, 50cm3, 125cm3...
1 question btw.. i have 5 years experience in driving bikes and when i speed i use front brake like 80-100 % and rear 10-20% in bad situations, some persons say to use more rear brake and less front one. any opinions about this?
+Goro Goro The front brake is more powerful so I wouldn't use less of it - just don't grab a fistful all at once. =P
+Goro Goro It depends of the leaning of the bike... The less the bike is leaned the more you can use the front brake.
Then, when you are doing a big brake, the rear brake could help the bike to have less pression on the front wheel when you are using the front brake. This will give you less chance to have your front tire to slip on the ground :)
Great video and very impressive skills but the question is how do you reach that level without dropping your bike many times?
+Crisisbiker I will try to explain myself, but in english it is not easy for me :(
Because I am using technics that helps to not fall :) I am not using countersteering, I am letting the bike to fall with my weight and the reduction of the speed. Then, it turns, and thanks to teh centrifugal force, the bike stops to fall: I just have to find the balance between the reduction of the speed and the reduction of the turns, to have a centrifugal force enough powerfull to slow down the fall of the bike in a first part, then I have to find the balance between the increasing of the speed and the increasing of the turns to have a centrifugal forces enough powerfull to stand up the bike, in a second part :)
It is easy to say, but not easy to do. In France, I am doing a two days training course for those who want to learn how to do it :)
Thanks for your comment and your English was perfect. I think I have experienced something similar when I felt I was going to drop the bike at slow speed but it actually rolled round on full lock as you described. I would love to improve my slow riding skills to this level, but unfortunately I cannot come to France for your course, so I will do some practice at home and try to improve. Merci beaucoup!
Okay - most interesting, but I do not understand the "Paying no attention of the pilot's eye." - I can't even see his nose let alone his eye. ;-)
Please explain.
+Peter Riis lol it is a bad translation I did :( my idea was the folloowing: I don't need to look at where I go to go there :)
That level of slow control is obligatory if you wanna pass the Swiss driving test for getting your license. But what's the chiptune you were using in the middle of the video?
All music are given at the very end of the video :)
Thank you for this video. In my country, when going to driving school for bikes they don't teach you any of this. NONE OF IT. I know, because I have a licence for a bike. I have so much to learn.
+Bane Tudajfor Hey, it is the same in France, you have to know... Only a few driving school are teaching this way of driving, and it is the same in all other the world. Only in Japan they are a lot of driving schnool that working like this :)
Is there a translated to English version of the book?
no, there is not, my english skills are not good enough to translate it :(
Thanks. Time for me to learn French :D at least read French. Merci'
lol "bonne chance" :)
I ride a smaller bike; a Ninja 300. Do you recommend using 2nd gear or 1st gear? What are your thoughts on shifting and what gears to use? I usually increase my idle rate to about 3500 rpm for Moto Gymkhana.
When I tried this bike, I used second gear, because engine brake of the first gear is to strong. But at this time, I didn't change the idle rate. So I don't really know, sorry.
I think it is better to enter the corner in second gear to have less engine brake, but to re accelerate, it would be better to be in first gear... Shifting gear in the corner may help you, but it will make you losse a little time, so, I don't really know what is the best for you, sorry :(
Ok. That makes sense. Thanks for your thoughs :)
you're welcome :)
I used to do these kind of stunts much better than you.
But only in GTA.... -__-
Lot to learn from you pal.. French people are cool and irresistable
You are awesome
+Mohamed Naveed lol thank you :) I was a gamer when I was younger, I worked for Electronic Arts, so I know what you feeel in games :)
one thing that was never mentioned. During your handle gripped turms. was the clutch always out or did you feather. I would be inclinded to say you did not have clutch in as you lose drive. Thus no gyroscope action. To do this manouver takes balls on a 300KG machine. Further more, no SQuared of tyres. I have tried this and cannot even manage this without feathering the clutch during gripped turning. Yes i can get wide turns but with 300Kilos under my arse, makes it very nervous for me. Am i right to assume this is corret.?
+jason puttock I am not sure that I correctly understand you, so please be comprehensive if my answer is not the one you expected. The FJR1300 is a big bike, closed to 300kg. And in this video, while I am doing U-turns, I am using the clutch. The gyroscope action comes from the speed, and you have speed, even you are using the clutch. There is 2 times in this U-turn : at the beginning, thanks to the speed I have (here I am pushing on the clutch command), I am leaning, and using the rear brake (instead of the engine brake, as the clutch is holded). With a good leaning (free fall), and a good use of the rear brake (first strongger, and then less and less), this increases the centrifugal forces by the fast reduction of the radius and the increasing of the mass transfer of the brake, and the bike stands up at the middle of the turn. Then, you have to use throttle and clutch very smoothly to increase the speed, not enough to make the bike go in straight line, but enough to have a centrifugal forces that keep the bike leaned in the second part of the turn.
I hope it is clear lol But you have to know that in France, I am doing a 2 two day training course with those who wants to learn that. It is not easy to do :)
+AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite Yes this is the answer I am looking for. Thank you and wow. 300KG is alot of weight..... Good Job on the video... :)
+jason puttock Thank you :)
really nice! I think you just gave me more insight I can add to what I got from Ride Like A Pro, and might be just enough to help me make tight turn. Thanks again.
queasyRider3 thanks for your comments :) It is cool that this video could help you :)
Faster inclined, slower turned. Beautiful.
thanks
Thank you for the helpful video. The text is very hard to read because of the shadows, contrast, and short time the text is displayed. Please also clarify whether braking is done with front or back brakes. Before I try these experiments, it would be nice to know how often the rider has dumped the bike on the ground before we try it with a 700 lbs Harley Davidson. Luckily I have a beater bike to try this with.
+Rob Miller You're welcome :) it is too late now to change anything on the video, but you can use the "pause" button to stop the movie and to have time to read the texts :)
I did never fall with my FJR 1300 doing that, and with all bike I tryied (the biggest was a 500kg Goldwin)... But you have to know that it is better to do a formation to learn it.... In France, I have to do a 2 days formation to those who wants to learn it. So please be careful if you want to try it. Or come in France :)
Thank you for the response and invitation! I will study your video on a bigger screen.
+Rob Miller Nice :) It seems that it already helped a rider, you can see his comments. His surname is Augusto Cotelo :)
Where are you from?
I live near Washington DC. I have been riding for many years but I am still a novice when it comes to riding. When I moved up from a 400 lbs Yamaha to a 700 lbs Harley, my limited skill became more apparent. I need videos like yours to gain knowledge and to develop confidence that the bike can do what I thought was impossible.
+Rob Miller Oh Washington DC... it is a bit far away from us lol We had somebody who cam from Abu d'habi, but is is not so far away than you :) I home my video will help you. Or you can ask Harley to make me come in Washington DC to do a formation for several people ;)
Haha, je me sens pas encore prêt à essayer ça sur mon fazer, et tu fais ça sur un xjr comme si de rien n'était ! Chapeau, belle maitrise.
Merci :) maintenant, suis passé à un CBR, pour que ça braque moins au guidon ;) mais ça tourne quand même aussi court lol
+AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite I want to know what speed is the motorcycle while its in the turn and at the beginning and end of the turn.
The last time we filmd, I putted a camera on my body, and then we can see the speed. Now, I am entering the U-turn around 32km/h, and I am ending it at around 17km/h, in less than 6meters wide :)
This is a very interesting concept. It's how riding a bicycle with no hand work. I'm anxious to try out the 1st exercise, but with my hand lightly on the handlebars to start.
+Mack Lu Hey :) the very first one, you can do it in 3rd or 4th gear to start :)
With no hands, I couldn't initiate the turn by leaning my body. I ended up weighting the pegs and it worked great regardless of how I leaned my body. Looking at the video again, it seems like you are doing the same.
I just remembered that my CBR comes stock with electronic steering dampening. But still, using peg weighting did allow me to do what you were doing in the 1st exercise.
+AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite I'll try the 2nd exercise next. It seems like the first exercise, but you used the rear brake to control the speed and the radius of the turn.
+Mack Lu Hey :) you can lean with your weight, without using the pegs, but you need to accept the sensation of "falling". In fact, you have to lean your body first, then use your weight, but then you will feel you falling, this is why it is difficult to lean the bike. If you are using the pegs, it will be difficult to use the rear brake during the second exercize...
The XJ6 is full stock too, and now, my CBR from 2015 is full stock too :)
Thank you for the detailed explanation... Now, it is time to go out and experiment.. 🙏🙏🙏
You're welcome, good luck :)
Amazing and helpful video, thank you!
You're welcome :)
one of the explaination and demo for bike's uturn on youtube. genius!
luqman mustapa Thanks, man :) Hope it's helpfull :)
U deserves it sir. Can u please make a video tutorial how to avoid obstacle for rider? There are some arguments out there and I cant wait to hear it from u :)
luqman mustapa Do you mean that you want a video that explains the countersterring ?
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite regarding to how rider avoid a sudden obstacle on street. There are some arguments. Some say its better to countersteer with keep the body upright but there are also people saying its better to lean with the bike when swerve . I'd love to hear it from you as your explanation is the best so far. Thanks a lot sir
luqman mustapa I've already done a movie abvout this subkect, but it is in French. I will translate it in english, but you should be patient lol
Vraiment rafraîchissant! Comment peut-on se procurer le livre et/ou vidéo? (Au Canada)
Merci, c'est genitl :)
il est possible de le trouver ici :
www.thebookedition.com/fr/motards-d-un-autre-monde-p-121478.html
when you're doing the really sharp u turns at high lean angles. where is most of your weight? outside peg? seat?
I want to have my weight on the back of the seat, and on the side I want to lean. Don't push, just put your weight on the side, and use your 'opposite knee to not fall from the bike to the ground :)
Great video.
+Steve Maggers Thanks :)
I really like the music! What is the name of the track at 2:55 ??
Stefan Schmitt Hi, thanks, you're great :) you can find the titel of the track at the end of the movie, and you can download it form Free Music Archive website :)
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite Awesome, thank you!:)
Stefan Schmitt I am glad to helped you :)
Excellent presentation and very helpful, thank you mister.
You're welcome, thank you :)
How is your engine not dying? Throttle mod? and also can you do these manoeuvres with any bike or just the street bikes?
+Ali Abbasi I am using the clutch sometimes, but now it is only how I am using the brakes that makes the engine not dying. I never tryed with no street bikes, but it works with scooters for exemple (50 cm3, 15cm3, etc...)
Please I must know the author of the music. Chip tune is on point
+James Spencer lol you can see at the very end of the movie, in the credits, the names of the musics :)
Nicely shown. Some people have a lot of problems with these types of moves.
Thank you :) Yes, i saw that with some kind of comments lol
This is amazing :) im going to find someone that trains people to ride like this in Australia ありがとうございました
Thank you, I hope you'll find it :)
Very helpful! Also shows me how much I have to learn! Impressive.
You're welcome :)
Way Better and better music too aha thanks for this 👍🏾
:)
what about doing this on a supersport where my hands hit the tank when turning the handle bars to full lock making it hard to manage the throttle and clutch?
Yes, it is harder, I did it with a R6, a CBR600RR, and a RSV1000. You need to place very carefully your hand before the turn, to avoid the problem of the tank.
And with some training, with a 4-cylinder bike, you can use only throttle and reat brake, without the clutch.
would this work on a sport bike? I'm new to them but it doesn't have much of a turning radius. It's not my first bike but it is my first supersport.
+bassistoftheyear Yes, Japanese high level riders are used to drive CBR600R, GSXR, and ZX10R. I do it now on a CBR650F :)
cool I was just afraid the little movement allowed would be a hindrance
+bassistoftheyear No it seems that when you are driving like a japanese, you need to have a sportibike to turn short and fast :) With anotehr kind of bike, you can only turn short...
when you say braking during a turn, which brake do you use? front or rear?
The answer at this question is at the end of the video ;)
Good VDO. Love it !
Thank you :)
So can this be done with a r6 ? I'm struggling with right turns and my right hand gets pinned between throttle and tank to the point where I can't even roll throttle
Yes, you can, but it is harder, because of the throttle, as you said. You have to place your hand in a speical way before turning. Or you can move the handlebar a little bit to have more space between the tank and the throttle :)
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite thank you for the reply. This has been driving me crazy , I'll get some more practice in.
Last solution is to buy a new handlebar. Not a straight one, but a higher one. For example, ABM are doing great adaptable handlebar :)
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite ABM gotcha thanks again , I'll look them up 👍🏿
Does the leaning reduce the minimum turning circle of the motorcycle?
Yes, it does :)
When you're braking in the turn are you using the front or rear brakes? Or does it matter?
Never mind. I just read the comment at 5:39
lol oki, sorry if I don't answer you before, but it takes time to read all the comments and mails :(
No attention to pilot eye was given in the making of this video
+David Ammerlaan ? really ?
"the motorcycle goes where you're watching" says any monitor. But of course, its only makes thing easier
Pilot = motorcycle rider.
It's even terrible to see, that apparently only in NL this is a common part of the exams.
Can anybody figure out what they mean when they say "paying no attention of the pilot's eye"? (Also, great video footage.)
Thank you :)
This is a great video. I only had one problem while doing this, coping with bike stalling. Sometimes the engine died while cornering.
Thank you :) maybe you can use the clutch? Or you'll need to be very smooth with the brake and the trottle :)
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite Maybe that's the problem, too much braking. I'll have to use the rear brake more or i'll risk dropping the bike. Thanks ;)
This one of the first things you learn in the Netherlands when taking driving lessons.
What bike was the white one that was used in the experiments?
It is a Yamaha XJ6 :)
AntiPiloteDeLigneDroite Thanks! I really like how it looks