lots of folks like me been riding 30+ years and still just have basic skills mainly because I'm just do daily street riding and odd day out. if you don't practice a skill and put outside outside your comfort zone you will never learn. I went to a car park yesterday to practice a u turn. I have never done a full lock u turn. Surprisingly I felt very true wobbly, foot on the ground a lot and my hands when tired from all the tensing up. 20mins and it started to come together but lots more practice needed. Thanks!

After almost 50 years of riding, I’m still committed to learning, developing, and polishing my riding skills and I search out videos like this one for that purpose. I’ve seen a number of these speedy hero cop type u-turn videos lately and I feel that I ‘should be able to’ do these too so I’ve become a little conflicted about the best way to do tight turns. But your video has reminded me that low speed and high speed turns have totally different approaches and skill sets, and that the slow u-turn not only has it’s place, but will work in far more circumstances. So in a way your video has kinda ‘given me permission’ to stick with how I wanna do it. So thank you. Even after riding for almost 50 years I still go to car parks to practice and refine these skills, but just as importantly I use every chance out on the road, to keep these skills as fresh as I can. Loved your precise and carefully worded video. Newbies listen up; this advice is worth gold!! Phil Akl NZ.

The best part about this video on mastering a fundamental of bike control is that it's done with the GS

Many thanks for "if you muck it up it's no big deal"! U turns scare me unreasonably and the pressure to "get it right" is part of that.

The biggest thing for me is mindset. Being able to keep myself calm, control my emotions, and don’t freak out. I had a 12 year break from riding and am just getting back into it. It’s like learning to ride all over again.

A tip I learned when training for my license in France is in addition to two-finger clutch control, use the other two fingers as a counter control to the two outside fingers - this increases the tactile response and the amount of tight control you get over the clutch. I would also advise against use of the front brake in any sort of turning maneuver and use the rear brake only - at least at the start as for any non-experienced rider, use of the front brake during a slow turn is way more likely to do more harm than good.

You made some great points and addressed all the key factors, it did seem very technical with your choice of words, maybe that is how the younger generations are wanting to hear explainations, however for me I've been riding motorized 2 wheel vehicles for about 50 years, and the reason I put that way is I started on a home built mini bike and progressed up with all different kinds of motorcycles, dirt, street, enduro, ect... I currently ride a HD Road King and a HD Sportster 1200 and the simple way I learned "slow speed" u-turns was practicing in a parking lot. Started with getting use to using the clutch with slight pressure on the rear brake, and the reason I choose the rear brake is that using the front one while going slow is more likely to #1 change the direction and degree of how far the handle bars are turn too quickly, which will cause the bike to fall over, #2, you even mentioned it in your video when you explain why you only use two fingers on the clutch, because out of fear you want to grab hold of something and if that "something" is the front brake the bike is going to fall over, so by keeping slight pressure on the rear brake allows you use the "friction zone" of the clutch to keep the bike moving. It's normally only when the bikes momentum is halted at slow speeds that you will drop the bike. So find a parking lot to practice in and start first by going in a straight line at what would be a fast walking speed 4 to 6 mph, do this by using the clutches "friction zone" and the rear brake, once you're comfortable with that use the painted car parking spaces to start practicing u-turns, most people can do a turn within 18 to 24 feet, which is approximately 2 car parking spaces without having to put a foot down, just continue to practice that a get comfortable turning the handle bars and leaning an you'll soon be able to make those turns tighter and tighter, and when you get really proficient at using the clutch and the frictions on you won't even have to use your back brake at all. Good luck to everyone and be safe and watch out for everybody because nobody's watching out for you when you are on your bike.

U-turns are absolutely fear-situations for beginners. Nice done!

So many slow-skill videos out there but you've presented the best one I can find. Fantastically explained and demonstrated, and to also show dropping the bike a couple of times demonstrates how that's part of the learning process - and it's ok! The crash bars on the GSA are there for a reason, but I still don't want to scratch them up, so I've wrapped a bit of corrugated plastic hose around the parts that rest on the ground if it goes over, now I don't care if I drop the bike when I'm practicing, I just learn from it and get to practice picking it up again! Fantastic video, thank you!

I am missing one very convenient and often overlooked technique. Next to using the clutch + throttle to control the bike at slow speeds, add some rear brake. What this does is keep the rear chain in tension, making the power delivery much much smoother, plus being able to give even finer control of the bike's speed.

Latest GS's will brake on the rear wheel first (until short before loosing grip there) whenever you pull the "front"brake lever (Integral braking system). Thats a great help in slow U-turns since (i.m.o.) braking on the rear is stabilizing more compared braking the front wheel. Especially on a regular fork without telelever....And often your foot will often not be in a perfect position to operate the rear brake lever. Great video

Agree completely with Aunty Mary below. Probably the best explanation for how to do a U-turn I've heard.

Thank you...this is much easier to understand...

I’m sold, you covered the procedure very clearly.

Different philosophy about incorporating the front brake in a U-turn from any other such videos on KZfaq. Everyone else is saying don't touch the front brake under any circumstance. Good Video.

Thanks for the tips and advice.

Lell’s advice from 2:50 I believe is critical. My experience is that smooth and continuous use of power all the way through the turn is a crucial skill.

one of the best things is to preload the motor while using the friction zone, slightly drag your rear brake, which will make you more stable and you should be able to drag peg almost under 10mps and over 5MPH for U-Turns. I'm shocked he doesn't focus on using the rear brake so you can lean more while in the U-turn good video overall!

Excellent point at the 6-minute mark on 'counter weighing', I forgot this last summer and dumped the bike, such a crucial step and SOOOO important. Good job for mentioning it!

One of the best explanation ive watched. Good job

Pure gold, thanks mate.

Well Done!!!....staying in the friction zone helps immeasurably

good technique. thanks a lot!

Awesome thanks for this video. I can now u turn with a lot more confidence knowing that it can be done slowly and its ok if I don't get all the way around and need to stop and back up. Good one!!!

Very important skillset. Use of both brakes, body balance, stance, good clutch feeling will make the difference in tricky maneuvers or just ease handling everywhere. I remember a path where not had a 20-24° climb in Italy around Varese. Streets were a little over 2m wide and turns had a radius a hardly more than two meter and were falling to the inside. Stopping on a turn left without putting your weight to the outside so you could decide if you make that turn in one go or stop with the foot to the outside raised part of the corner... Felt just brilliant. A thing I trained which brought me there was doing figure 8 on parking lot from lock to lock. Around two half tennis balls distance ~ 3m between them.

I am being watching many videos on U turns, yours is one of the best, thank you!!!

I never brake during a u turn. I do it all with the clutch. It 100% controls the speed for me. Ooh... And love the mini tip Mondays!

bum to the outside of the saddle - brilliant! that's the key!

Thank you, great video so I'll get out & start practicing

Brilliantly explained, great job.

Amazing explanation with emphasis on details with a nice demonstration 💯

Thanks for that . Very well explained

Wow, I’ve just started watching these videos and hadn’t realised who you were. You were probably 15 when I last bumped into you in Swansea bowling alley. Great videos and good to see that the business is still going strong! Might try and come back this year!

It as very good. Thanks for the slow motion clips also. I'm practicing this now on my new Rebel 1100cc Honda in the manual mode and it worked for me every time. Great video. Hope to see more from you. Greetings from the US.

Great reminder of basic techniques again. Many thanks.

Excellent stuff. I’m not bad at this, but there’s still a lot to learn in here and stuff to go practice. One thing I’d add is that for road use there’s a critical observation stage which you don’t really cover. Yes, you assess the terrain and where you’ll be turning, but before that you need to assess other traffic and hazards. Trying to check if there’s something coming up behind as you start the turn is hard and wrecks all that careful vision placement you stress. If you try to look over a shoulder at the commencement of a turn it can throw the whole thing. Need to get that done before and choose a place where it’s safe and you have time to do the turn as you need to, not being rushed because another vehicle appears unexpectedly etc. Other example…If you’re turning, is a pedestrian going to step off pavement in front of you causing you to brake? They haven’t seen, anticipated you turning or are just, well, you know, a 2021 pedestrian.

Great explanation , thanks!

Excellent, intelligent explanation and very helpful. Thanks from Australia.

Excellent advice!!

Excellent advice

Very well explained, free advice, for a beginner like me is gold. Thank you

Thanks for that! I'd just like to make an observation that you might consider. When doing the u-turns to the left in your video, your back is bent to the left because your left arm is bent. This is pulling your upper body to the left and the counterbalancing looks a little awkward. In u-turns to the left, try straightening your left arm and bending your right. This will push your upper body into a counterbalanced position allowing you to do tighter turns. It feels a bit weird at first, but really works well with some practice.

Wow, Great Video. Excellent details; I'm a competent driver but your tips much appreciated.

Good explanation - I fully underline this procedure

very nice vid and explanations. I just figured in a nice course by last year. That by standing up, I was able to turn even slower and on also a smaller circle then by sitting on the bike. Of course, with no heavy load on the bike. Keep the nice work up. Cheers from Switzerland.

Great advise! Thank you very much.

Brilliant tips. I downed the bike in training and the instructor completely omitted to mention about shifting my weight in the seat to counterbalance :-)

Good job. Thank you. I’ve seen a lot of Jerry Palladino vids (all high grip maneuvers) and, while they’re valid and everyone should see them, yours gives a broader perspective.

Thank you! Well done!

Thank you sir It's great experience 😊

The one or two finger clutch has always worked for me, the same for the front brake, I'm a big fan of shortie levers. It's easy enough to lock the front with one finger, still have control of the throttle and have a solid grip on the bar, even on a 750lb Harley. Great vid BTW, subbed.

Your videos are always outstanding! They are clear, very easy to understand and the information makes sense to me. This video was no exception. I always look forward to Mini Tip Monday! Thank you!

I liked this vid and many of your others. Thanks.

Thanks for making this video. This is exactly what I have been looking for :)

Liel,,, this is an excellent video,, the best video for u-turn i hae seen,,,thank you,,, you explain in deep details,,,and not boring,,,and i like your humility,,,I will watch more of your videos,,, take care !

Well presented vid mate and one of the best on the subject. Every bike riding technique is easily understood on YT but seldom replayed accurately in real life so practice, practice and more practice. The only way to gain confidence and cement muscle memory. I think a perfectly executed U turn on a big GS is a sight to behold especially with an audience waiting for you to cock it up. 10 mins in a parking lot is all you need but performed regularly. Thanks for posting....

Yeah u gave it away calling a wrench a spanner. . .U R cool man 2 thumbs up, and thanks again!

I've been having problems doing u-turns on my GSA. I'll give these tips a try and see how it works out.

Watching videos like this make me happy I made the progression from pedal bikes, to trail and dirt bikes, before moving to street.

Well done, articulated and cut really well. I understood every word. Thanks for your effort. Many people will benefit from your lesson. I subscribed and look forward to your next tip. StayUpOn2 Mate. ✌️😎🇨🇱

Great video, thank you for this.

Really nice video thanks

That was probably the best explanation I've heard in the U turn technique...good job...

THANKS AWESOME TIPS

new rider... and I 'cover' my clutch lever all the time, habit from cycling off-road and urban of always covering what would be a brake lever. Also, in a quick stop, cutting power to aid in braking.

Thank you for the excellent video. Detailed but concise. Excellent use of graphics. Nice aerial view to better show the big picture perspective. Outstanding pedagogy.

Well Llel, what a great instructional video. Well structured with the right amount of information and with appropriate terminology. I'm a police trained rider (now retired - yippee!) and I've got to say that any rider - novice or 'experienced' can take a lot from this footage and practice, practice and practice. Well done mate - keep up the good work.

Yes, thanks for the informative tutorial. It was very helpful. I would add these tips: practice, practice, practice, and practice left & right handed turns equally. Happy Trails

This is just magnificent! Very well covered. I am going to try a few of the skills and build on what I already have. I am still a learner hough I have been riding for the 2 - 3 years. Thank you for a very well presented video, demonstrations and explanations. Keep it up.

I just recently started riding myself, already dropped the bike twice trying to do low speed u-turns. Your video was a solid break down of information and I believe will help me out alot in practice. Thank you for breaking it down to this level.

A fine tutorial. There are always minor variations or techniques one can add to the tool box, but your offering here was quite good. I am of the opinion that there's nothing better than a few years of dirt bike riding to develop techniques that can cross over into a lifetime of safe street riding. If one is setting out to learn riding from the start, a smaller cc dual sport bike used regularly on the trails can yield excellent skills for managing maneuvers required for survival on the street. Thanks for your work here.

This is the best U turn video I've seen. I'm sharing it! Thanks so much.

Good tip here, thanks for the video. A good rider can control his bike on the road, a great rider can control his bike at less than walking speed. When I was driving an E scooter on campus due to knee surgery, I rode across the parking ramps, in classrooms, up wheelchair ramps, down hall ways, in offices, elevators, in a crowd, usually with a large desktop computer or old heavy CRT monitor strapped to the deck. torque balancing was key in moving slow. turn the bars in the direction, lean it a bit and use throttle /tourque to pick up the scooter and keep it from falling. Slow speed expertise is a wonderful tool for all riders. I could drive into an empty elevator and turn around in it without touching a foot to the floor.

You make good tutorials 👍thank you - makes me Motivation to train !

6.46, at last someone who won't look at me like I'm alien, for using front brake on U turns. Might not work for beginners but I've done it comfortably all my riding life.

Great video, many thanks! It helps a lot. 🙂

Well composed vid and great way to share those tips! Thank you!

Nice control.

You say some of this is controversial... It all looks perfectly sensible to me. This makes me want to go out and ride my bike:)

The body position was like a light turning on. Many thanks. 👍🏻👊🏻

This is the first u-turn/sharp turn video I've come across that accepts the fact that not all roads are spotless. Every other ones shows a person practicing on a super clean parking lot or road. I live in a state where it snows a lot and I have not found an empty parking lot that doesn't have sand all over it, even in the summer time.

absolutely love the tutorial!👍🏼

great video! great advice! this is a massively important skill to have regardless of what you ride! nice one!! :)

that was awesome thanks from a learner rider. have subbed x

I went to practice just after watching this video. I only implemented his version of how to “look” when doing a U turn, as a result my U turns and figure 8s were tighter than ever before. This was on a V Star 1100. Thank you!

Thanks fella. I'll go practice. 😊

Excellent lesson and agree 100% on 1 or 2 fingers for clutch actuation as overall I feel I have better modulation. I would add that practicing in both directions would be wise.

Excellent job on this!!!!

Brilliant, I'm a learner and this tutorial is just what I needed.

This is the best tutorial I’ve seen on this subject. Thanks!

all makes good sense. Thank you.

Lock up rear wheel with clutch in, turn while sliding, hold throttle to 7000 rpm & dump clutch to complete 180 turn

I love this video now understand clutch or break how you properly manipulate. As first time rider or beginners some time we are able to use the clutch but understanding how it works. On this video ilike exact this details the video . This video most detail I watched

Thanks for the tips!

Excellent explanation, will practise myself.

Very clear, very concise well done

Well and clearly explained! Personally I like to keep a light pressure on the rear brake all the way through the turn, just to have instant control of both drive and stop force.

What an excellent video. I've been riding for 45 years, accident free, and thought I knew pretty well all there is to know, but I really feel I've learned something. Clear analysis and a skilful delivery, capturing just the right tone. Great stuff.

Thank you for helping us all oit's all out 40 years of riding on the road it's odd it's a challenge to ride off road now

Always good to learn alternatives. Becoming familiar with your controls inputs, effects and friction points is much more important than been told not to use front brake. The both brakes work depending on situation appeals to me much more so. Thank you sir