Low speed handling

[planowayne]

Okay, I'm taking the advice from one of the previous threads and working on my low speed handling in anticipation of the MSF class. I'm a newbie to the scooter world, but raced bicycles and did a little autocrossing with my Integra GS-R a few years back. I only mention this to say I'm not a total klutz.

My low speed skills are pretty weak, by my assessment. I'm especially poor at tight left turns. ??? I don't know why they should be any harder than tight right turns (and I'm not too chilly red hot at those either).

I know when I took my autocross school, the instructor I had (national champ running a modified Neon) was big on developing a mantra as you went through the course. Basically, you talked yourself through the box turns, sweepers, etc. He was big on the anticipation aspect of autocross.

Is there some type of beneficial head game like this for low speeding the Buddy? Any tips, tricks, or drills you can pass along to boost me up the learning curve? I am most appreciative of any help you can give me!!

[jrsjr]

It's hard to say without watching you ride, but here's something we've heard before. At low speeds, the auto clutch engages and disengages with engine RPMs, so the power kicks in and drops out spontaneously which can upset your balance. There's a coolio little trick to fight this. What you can do is drag the rear brake a little bit while you're going slow. That way, you can keep the engine revs up a little so the clutch stays engaged.

This trick requires concentration to learn, so practice in an empty parking lot away from traffic. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[planowayne]

Ahha, I wasn't sure to what to attribute the slight lurching I was getting at low speeds. Thanks for that tip. I'll bundle up tomorrow, hope the wind dies down, and head for the parking lot down at the elementary school to try that out!

[gt1000]

If you want to handle the figure 8 in the box, another good tip is to practice your counter-balancing. In these sorts of low speed antics, leaning your body away from the turn can really increase stability. Also remember that the box is about the same size as 2 normal parking spaces end to end. Find an empty parking lot and practice until it's 2nd nature.

[ericalm]

I had a harder time with the rear brake trick on the Buddy than on the Vespa thanks to the Buddy's much more "responsive" throttle. It even took me a while to hit the circles on the DV test course when I took my wife out to practice. Kind of took me back to basics, though: look through the turn; if you start to lose balance, probably not enough juice; if you miss your line, probably too much.

The other thing that works for me on left turns is to accelerate through the turn—basically, at the apex of the curve I accelerate a touch more, which pushes the scoot through the turn.

[AxeYrCat]

The only thing that I thought was at all tricky about the motorcycle test here in Ohio was the cone slalom, and for the same reason that's mentioned: the engagement of the clutch.

Since you're a cone-dodger, you know how important it is to maintain a consistent throttle input... Really, a little trail-braking will go a very long way.

Also, I practiced low speed stability by simply going as slowly as possible and maintaining balance. The Buddy is a very neutral little bike, so you can actually come to a complete stop without putting a foot down.

After a little seat time, the Buddy will become an extention of you. It's the Buddy-ism that's been mentioned before.

[sunshinen]

I'm especially poor at tight left turns. ??? I don't know why they should be any harder than tight right turns

This is true for most people. One side will be easier than the other. It has to do with right/left handedness, I think. If you are right-handed you tend to be much more comfortable at doing things on the right side of your body (turning a bike, doing cartwheels, whatever). From the time you learn to walk on, your right (or left) side is always picked first when your brain has to make a decision about which side to use, and therefore gets all the practice unless you conciously work to use your other side.

[BoneGirl]

I really had no trouble with the tight turns during the MSF (I used my Buddy). I mountain bike as well, and love the right turns but have trouble with the left. The MSF Instructor said it works like that with motorcycles as well; a preference for one way or the other in a tight turn situation. They teach you over and over during the class to look out ahead of the turns. You do it for them a zillion times and they are on you if you are looking down at the turn and not out and around the turn. I think that was what breezed me through the box; really turning my head and looking over my shoulder to where I wanted to go and not where I was. I would touch-n-go the throttle amd give it more as I was going through the turn, just as mentioned above. Just go with the flow and learn during the class. You don't want to practice something that may be considered a bad habit or incorrect. That's why you are going to the class: to learn the correct skills. They give you ample time to practice during the course.