Motorcycle Clutch Control: Moving off safely 

@@keith23uk well done 😊👍

Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the channel. We all make mistakes, it's how we learn from them that makes all the difference 😊

Keep on going and things will become more natural to you. Get some lessons from a good local instructor we all learn something good from actual road driving. All the best luck on passing your test when you feel used to it.

@@r.r8314 thank you 😊. Haha, preloading only works if you're opening the throttle. Your bike will say ouch if you try to preload but aren't opening the throttle as it'll change gear (without the clutch as the moment you start preloading is usually just before you pull in the clutch) 😂 whoops! Thanks for the comment 😊

Thank you so much! Them guys were amazing they have great instructor. My intructor used to say typical woman! 😖

Thanks Phil, good advice 😊

Yes, it can be difficult to hold your nerve and machine control when under pressure as a new rider. Learning to hold the bike on the bite point to pull away is invaluable 👍🏻

Excellent news, well done 👍🏻You're most welcome 😊

You're welcome. Glad it was helpful for you 😊 Thanks for letting me know.

@@daron11114 you're welcome 😊 and well done for passing 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

We've all been there! Many thanks for the comments 😊

Learning to hold the clutch on the bite point to pull away is the best skill we can learn 😊

Lovely. I hope it went well 👍😊

Always important not to pull an inadvertent wheelie 😬😂. Thanks for the feedback 😊

You did in in Farborough and you are probably on SV650. You passed your MOD1, I'd think your clutch control is adequate.

@@mdeerocks6792 Z650 and Stockport… but yes looks like I’m barely using the brake

Well done on the mod 1 😊. Always good to keep an open mind and work on developing the best skills possible. A little brake can help occasionally if it goes wrong, but only once you've chosen to use it having already learned how to use the clutch without dragging the brake first. Thanks for your comment 😊

Failed my mod 2 for using too much revs near a pedestrian, making them step back after hearing the noise apparently. I honestly don’t ever remember being in a meeting situation with a pedestrian. Going to practice more moving off manoeuvres and try again

I was also given a minor for doing 36 mph in a 40. I think that was a bit harsh as it was just after a bend going up a hill and I was still accelerating

Thank you 😊

Thank you, sorry for the long absence. I've been a bit under the weather, but will be back to it soon.

Time to shop around and look for a different school. You don't have to stay with the same school if you're not satisfied. Best of luck and thank you for the comment 😊

@@motorcyclelessonsuk i'd love to but these guys have a gotcha where they allow you to PAYG towards DAS other schools want a hefty lump sum

Thanks Phil, work has been very busy, so not much time to film and edit. Will be back soon 👍😊

@@motorcyclelessonsuk ah, lovely. As long as you're okay. Good that work is busy though. Better than the other way around. Take care and see you in RU-vid land soon. X

@@kgba17580 awww I'm sorry Kev, I'm still here. Life has been very busy recently so I haven't had time for editing etc. Thanks for your concern 😊 I hope you're keeping well.

@@motorcyclelessonsuk so longs your fine that all that matters 🙂yes I'm ok thank you! Thank you for getting back to me much appreciated. take care kind regards kev

@@kgba17580 thanks Kev, I'm glad to hear you're keeping well too 😊. Might be a little while before I'm back but I will be back (in my best Arnie voice 😂) Take care 😊

@@motorcyclelessonsuk oh please not the Arnie voice 😂😂 turns out im not a very good stalker as i lost you 🤣😂 look forward to you coming back plus your fan club awaits your return 😄😍 safe ride and stay healthy kind regards stalker kev

@@kgba17580 ha that made me laugh. Worst stalker ever! I'm disappointed 😂 I've been a bit under the weather recently, but am working on getting back to full energy levels. When I do, I'll be back to the filming and editing I promise 😊. Nothing to worry about, just need a bit of a boost/break to get back to normal and add back in the extra things again. Thanks again for the concern 😊

Hi Ian, I'm ok thanks, just having a short time off the filming and editing, very busy at work currently! Will be back soon 😊 Hope you're keeping well.

@@motorcyclelessonsuk Hi, yes thanks all good here. New job going well. Looking forward to seeing you back soon 🙂

@@motorcyclelessonsuk Hi mrs, how’s it going, it’s time you were back online 🙂👍

@@iansheff Hi Ian, thanks, it won't be long 😬😂👍

@@motorcyclelessonsuk I’ve got my stopwatch going 🤣 It’s national bring back Leanna week 🏍️ Hope you’re keeping well 🙂

Haha, they passed a while back (the footage is quite old), but I appreciate the sentiment thank you 😊

😂😂😂😂😂 it's not on the curriculum

Yes absolutely imo, most of the time when you're riding the ball of the foot is on the peg. When you need to brake you can move your foot forward to brake, it doesnt matter if you dont have movement in the ankle as long as you can apply the brake.

I can't see why not. The rear brake lever usually adjustable so if you find you can't flex your foot enough, have it adjusted up /down a little to suit your needs.

Trail braking isn't necessary on the public road. As you've seen, it's designed for racing riders to help them take the bend as fast as possible. This simply isn't needed, nor is it safe on public roads due to unseen hazards and road conditions. There's a lot of misinformation on RU-vid suggesting the general public riding on public roads should trail brake. It really isn't necessary nor safe. Slow down before the bend and hold a steady, suitable speed around the bend until you can see the road ahead is clear and safe, at which point you can smoothly and gently start to accelerate. Your speed should be dicataed by the view you have around the bend. If you can't see, slow down. If you can see, then you can speed up if it's safe. Try to question what you see on RU-vid in terms of whether what is being told as "fact" or "expert" advice: ask yourself, is it safer to brake in a bend or not brake in a bend? Many thanks for the question 👍

@@motorcyclelessonsuk Thank you for that, could you talk about airbag vests for the street thether vs electronic pros and cons? cause im thinking of getting one.

@@steve00alt70 hi, I can't really comment on them as have never had one. I don't see that it's a bad idea at all. I would suggest if you haven't already, invest in advanced training, to try to prevent the necessity for such things in the first place. Still not a bad idea however. Thanks 😊

@@motorcyclelessonsuk yes I'll try to keep doing drills and training prevention is better than cure but a vest as backup is a good second assurance 😁

@@motorcyclelessonsuk YES and double YES! I'm seeing these YTs showing people how to trail brake on twisties yadda yadda its jut mind blowing that someone young could pick this up in the UK think to themselves yep i'll try that and end up having a bad time so quickly because they didn't understand the nature of trail braking and its purpose. They might even do it on the twisties in the states where the roads are vastly different and its useful to a degree, but for that margin of use its not really worth it. Rant over. I just hope these YTs put more context into the videos but that doesn't get clicks so i won't hold my breath.

Ah yes, sorry about that, I'm on hols for a week or so and haven't had time for editing recently. I'll get back to it in a couple of weeks. Thanks 😊

@@motorcyclelessonsuk Hi Leanna, glad you’re ok. Have a good holiday, hope you’ve gone somewhere nice. Take care 😊

@@iansheff thanks Ian 😊

@@motorcyclelessonsuk Hi Leanna, longtime no see, hope you and everything are ok. Hope to see you posting soon, take care 😊

@@iansheff thank Ian, all is well. I'm just having a little time off from editing as time is tight. I'll be back on it soon, don't worry. Hope you're keeping well 😊

Trail braking is unnecessary for road riding, despite numerous others on RU-vid advocating it. Use the simple rule of braking before you lean, & ensuring your speed is appropriate to the view you have approaching the bend. If you can't see around the bend, slow down, until you can. Trail braking was designed by racers to take bends as fast as possible under safe, track conditions. The unknown elements on the road, such as surface conditions, oncoming hazards, or other unknown hazards that cannot be seen on the approach to a bend make this an unnecessary and more dangerous thing to do. Quite simply, braking into a bend is neither needed, nor as safe as not braking into a lean. The phrasing of your question makes it sound as though you're asking how we know how much to lean in a bend on a wet day. Watch my uploads on riding in the rain. Don't "test" your tyres to see how much they will lean, take the bends at a sensible speed for the conditions & be sure to treat the road as a road with all it's inherent hazards rather than believing other people's assertions that trail braking is either safe or necessary. Many people will advocate it, but ask yourself whether it's safer to brake whilst leaning, or not, especially in wet conditions. Thanks for the comment.

If you have your own bike to practise on, go to a car park and practise just moving forward a small distance, slowly ok the bite point itself and using the rear brake to stop gently. It sounds to me like you may not have mastered the art of a slow pull away, so will pick up speed quickly, then fear stopping. Practise pulling away really slowly, and then throttle off, clutch in and rear brake to stop. Thanks 😊

Not sure yet. Life has been very busy recently and I haven't had time to film or edit. Sorry about that. Good to know people are looking for the next upload however, thank you 😊 I'll do my best and get back to it as soon as I am able.

@@motorcyclelessonsuk as long as you're rubber side down then we can all wait. Hope alls well. You are missed. :-)

Currently in Nottingham 😊

On many you don't and some new Hondas even have "throttle assist" which helps by raising the revs slightly. Problem is if people start to get into that habit, they're risking stalls on slight hills etc. Best just make the noise before clutch.

In my opinion it should be mastered on a 125cc first. However, sometimes the learning curve isn't a smooth linear progression, so students may be showing consistency on a 125 but then once on the big bike there are setbacks along the way and that's what practise and gaining experience on the bike is all about. This is one of the reasons we prefer not to do intensive courses, because they don't allow people the time to master and become consistent in their machine control skills alongside the road procedures. Thanks for the comment 😊

@@motorcyclelessonsuk You have an excellent teaching style . As a person who did a DAS COURSE I can vouch for what you say about not doing an intensive course. Despite a pass first time on both my MODS , I think a good few lessons would have been beneficial. As I car driver of 37 years I did understand clutch control and the road structure. I did have a great ride today with curvy rds becoming less challenging. Turning right on those stupid mini roundabouts with the painted circle is my least favourite. I want to ride across it, but do not want to lose traction so I go around it whilst hopping the car i front opposing me won’t think I’m going straight ahead. ( I approach in pos. 1 so I can get around it )

Haha, do bear in mind, firstly sometimes I can't remember their name quickly enough (I teach numerous students each day), and secondly, it sometimes helps to be less formal. Weirdly, I've never had a student complain. Thanks for the comment though.

I think you might be mistaking the need to correct what would be an otherwise dangerous use of the clutch with "patronising". Misuse of the clutch on a large motorcycle can result in a very quick, very uncontrolled crash with serious injuries for the rider. If you don't like my tone, it's because I need to correct someone who who needs immediate, concise and strict correction to ensure they don't do anything dangerous. If you don't like my humour there's not much I can do about that other than suggest you stop watching the channel 🤷‍♀️

​@@motorcyclelessonsukwell I'm glad to hear that your intentions are sound. I apologise for the standoffish direction of my original comment, but there are too many riders and instructors out there who aim to dissuade newcomers in the moto community.

@@atticusjones thanks for the reply. My entire working days are spent welcoming people into riding, but riding safely. What you're probably also hearing is a level of stress in my voice perhaps as I realise this rider needs more correction than I was aware of when the lesson started (this was the first time I had seen them ride, having not completed any of their prior training), in order to be fully safe. The hill start for example with the double "too much clutch too soon" moment can quickly turn into a nasty crash. As instructors we have to pick up on something like this very quickly to try to prevent the student from injuring themselves or others and to be honest it can at times be a touch stressful, as we are not actually in control of the machine. All we have to control the situation is our voice and this can feel rather insubstantial at times when we are concerned the student is showing errors that could be problematic/dangerous if allowed to continue. I appreciate your viewpoint though with regards others in the profession. My aim is simply to ensure maximum safety and that our students become excellent riders, not just good enough to pass the test, but good and safe enough to ride safely for life. Thanks again.