Clutch and Throttle
I hear from so many riders with heavyweight bikes such as Harley Ultra’s, Honda Goldwings, Yamaha Ventures, etc., that these bikes are heavy and clumsy. A lot of riders tell me they’ve been riding motorcycles for 20 or 30 years and just purchased their big dream bike but believe they may have made a mistake as they find the bike nearly impossible to handle at low speeds, especially when creeping through traffic or maneuvering through a crowded parking lot. They all want to know what they can do to make maneuvering the bike less of a handful. The answer is right there in their hands.
It’s the clutch and throttle. I’ve seen so many riders make the same mistake over and over again; and that mistake is, letting the clutch out all the way and opening the throttle while attempting to turn from a stop. Once the clutch is fully engaged or released, the slightest movement of the throttle will cause the bike to leap ahead. Let’s say a rider is making a right hand turn from a stop sign. He smoothly releases the clutch all the way out, feeds a little throttle, the bike leaps forward even if the rider had his head and eyes turned to the right. When the bike leaps forward instinct tells the rider to look straight ahead. Since the bike goes where you look, you’ll be going straight instead of turning.
To overcome this, simply stay in the friction zone, feed a little throttle and look where you want the bike to go. The clutch should never be fully engaged until the turn is completed. This technique can also be called “slipping the clutch”. That’s exactly what you have to do at low speeds to smooth out forward progress. Most riders, even ones that have been riding for many years have it in their head that the clutch should be released as soon as possible. While that works fine if you’re starting off from a start and going straight, if you’re attempting to turn from a stop, you must slip the clutch. Also, if you’re maneuvering and turning in a crowded parking lot, use that friction zone and throttle the entire time. If you put a little bit of pressure on the rear brake while slipping the clutch, you’ll have even more control. If you’ve ever witnessed a slow race, that’s exactly what the riders are doing. However, even if you’re not going extremely slowly, say, 8 to 10 mph, that clutch and throttle will be your best friend if you learn to coordinate them well.
Learning to use the friction zone and the rear brake properly will also keep you from having to drag your feet along the ground in an attempt to balance the motorcycle. Dragging your feet, especially on a heavyweight motorcycle, that is, anything over 300 lbs. is not going to help you. In fact, if you’re going slow and turning and your feet are dragging on the ground, you may find yourself having to stop quickly. If your foot is not on the rear brake, you’ll have to use the front brake. Of course, if you use that front brake with the handlebars turned, you’ll quickly find yourself and your motorcycle flat on the ground.
Easy ways to practice using the clutch, throttle, and rear brake is while riding in traffic and approaching a red light. Simply slow down a little sooner than you need to and leave four or five car lengths between you and the car in front. Then try to inch your way up toward that vehicle with your feet on the pegs or floorboards and manipulate the clutch and throttle to maintain your balance. Make sure to keep your head and eyes UP. If you look down at the ground directly in front of the motorcycle, you will have to put a foot down.
With a little practice, you’ll find that you can almost bring the motorcycle to a complete standstill with your feet still on the pegs and the rear brake. Once you feel comfortable doing that, try turning the motorcycle while going as slow as possible and keeping the bike straight up. When you can complete a 24’ circle at 2 mph without leaning the bike and without dabbing a foot to the ground, you’ll have a good handle on clutch and throttle control. For more tips, tricks and techniques, log onto www.ridelikeapro.com