[rayngefinder]

I use it at work in the parking lot. I also use it when I come home. I don’t live on a cul-de-sac, but my residence has a gate that requires a “clicker” to enter. I usually come in from the least advantages direction to enter the through the gate, because the traffic flow is better from that direction. Unfortunately, there isn’t a good spot to stop and get the clicker out of my jacket, but there is a good spot if I come from the other direction. So, I go past my residence, u-turn at the intersection, come back to the gate, and stop at the little protected area, where I can stick the bike in neutral and remove the clicker. My bike is 450 lbs—it’s heavier from the little 250 I used in the MSF class, but I’m getting better at the u-turn with every attempt. I’ve found that (unlike the 250) I have to really counter weight the bike. I’ve also found that the friction zone can be your best friend when making a u-turn.

ray

[Dagger]

On my way to work every morning I have to drive through a huge parking lot to get to my work.. So I’ve been making a point to find an empty corner and just do figure 8’s and tight circles on my 650.. It actually seems a bit easier on the 650 in the fact that it doesn’t feel like my bike is going to stall when I take the turns slow.. On the 250 I was riding in the class I always felt like the engine wanted to die on me when I slowed it too much…

Dagger

I just want to make it out of this life alive…

[RobM]

I live on a cul-du-sac and I try to do figure 8’s for about 10 mins when I get home to practice the u-turns. I find that my left u-turn is much better than my right. The only problem is that my cul-du-sac has a slope to it so the up-hill turn is different than the downhill turn. I find that my Ninja 250 is harder to handle than the upright standard Yamaha 250 that I had in the MSF class. I don’t know if it’s a low speed idle problem (need much more friction zone) or just the lower center of gravity. In the class I had no problems with the u-turn box, in fact I generally had 2 – 3 ft of space between the bike and the line in my practice runs. That let me have a lot of freedom and relaxation on the test.

[Author]

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