I haven't seen any new riding tips posted in awhile, so I thought I would pick a skill that most riders tend to find difficult. U turns on a hill tend to spook riders. Some find it intimidating. Others don't know the proper technique. Here are some simple steps to doing u turns on an incline/decline.
When doing turning maneuvers on an incline, you need three things: Friction zone, rear brake, and proper head/eye. You need to be in the friction zone on the incline and feather the rear brake on the decline. Turn your head 180 degrees and lock the bars and power yourself throughout the turn. The steeper the hill, the more critical it is to have power to the rear wheel by slipping the clutch. If you coast through your turns with the clutch lever fully engaged and the throttle tube closed, you will end up on the ground with your bike. Control your speed by applying the rear brake, not by closing the throttle tube. Don't stab it, just feather it enough to scrub off some speed. You need to be moving at a walking pace through the entire turn. Any slower and you are going to drop your bike. Counterbalance may help out, but isn't necessary on turns less than 18 feet wide. The bike will lean, so let it lean - don't fight it. Maintain your speed and the turn will happen. Left turns seem to be easier for most people, so try practicing those on a driveway or loading dock where the incline isn't very steep. Once you get it, try doing right turns. If you are on a sportbike, you may need to rotate your throttle hand forward (high wrist) when doing right u turns to keep it from getting pinned between the throttle and tank.
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Common mistakes are: not turning your head, staring at the ground (or both), not being in the friction zone, not turning the bars, going too slow, grabbing the front brake, and not committing to the turn.
