HELP !!! I flunked the Illinois motorcycle driving test?

Question

I was very nervos and I did badly on the in and out of the cones. I drove my bike like it was the first time I had ever been on it. Why do they have the cones so dam close together ? It's almost imposible to weave in and out between them. I'm going to try the test again real soon. Is there any advice on getting throught this from anyone.

Grand pa.....I was nervous because of the test.. I'am not nervous being on the road.

Answer 1

Focus on the riding,not the people watching you.
Turn your head more in the turns during the cone weave. Take the MSF Beginner Riding Course and pass, and you don't have to take the state's road test, or take the test on a small scooter 80-125cc.

Answer 2

Illinois Motorcycle Practice Test

Answer 3

I don't know how prepared you were or what kind of bike you used, but even experienced riders flunk the test. Get the DVD called "Ride Like a Pro" by Palladino for beginners, or Ride Like a Pro III if you're experienced. It will teach you everything you need to know and more and how to do it. It's taught by a Florida Highway Patrol motorcyclist who teaches cops how to ride. I believe they're $20 a piece. Or buy off Ebay. It's not a matter of studying, but practicing. I also live in Illinois and appears the smaller towns are alittle more lenient than the big cities. Also, I have a Rebel for sale if you need one! I spent a few days on it practicing (after I watched the DVD) and went right on to my Sportster with no trouble. Like another said, you have to find your friction zone.

Answer 4

Il Motorcycle Test

Answer 5

slow speed manuvering is at first, the most difficult of manuvers. here is the secret to mastering low speed handling with just as much ease as keeping the bike up at speed: the friction zone.

how to get into and use the friction zone: ease off the clutch, and when the bike starts to move, get the feet on the pegs, and release just a tad more clutch....not much, just a little bit. keep ur head and eyes up at all times. keep the rpms at 2x's idle speed, and feather the rear brake just enough to hold the bike back slightly. u know u are fully in the friction zone when u can goose the throttle, and the bike doesnt jump forward on u. all the friction zone is, is the grey area between the clutch fully engaged or disengaged. power is still going to the rear wheels, but only about 1/4th the power u'd get from having the clutch full out. feathering the brake; just enough to slightly hold the bike back, fools the bike into 'thinking' its going faster than it really is.

this is the easiest way to get thru the cones, and this will work with any bike, be it a 125cc 'leaf blower', or a 1800cc gold wing. get into the friction zone immediately, and focus on a spot about 20' in front of the LAST cone. the rest of the cones will be in the periphrial vision. never look directly at the cones or u will surely hit them. the bike will zero in on where u look weather its at high speed or slow speed. the only way a bike can turn is by leaning, allow the bike to lean. as long as power is going to the back wheel, the bike will remain up. if u look at the ground during low speed manuvering, u have a high probability of dropping the bike.

they put the cones close together to test how well u can handle a bike in tight quarters most likely, as well as balance. anyone can keep a bike up at speed. low speed handling is alot tougher.

i took and passed the ohio dmv on-cycle test on my own bike; a 1200cc sportster the first time out. i suggest getting the ride like a pro vids. i have 1 of those, and they do work. it just takes a bit of practice

Answer 6

Ignore the "ha-ha" response, most likely he either lucked out or the examiner was blind. Here's what I did after I'd been riding for several years and believe me, it helped. After hours, find a nice, big, smooth deserted parking lot, one that's free of loose sand, gravel and oil slicks. Just make sure you aren't trespassing, so look for a public one like city hall, city parking lot, etc. Get going in a big circle and keep tightning it up. You'll have to slow down as you do and as you lean the bike further into the circle, keep your body as verticle as possible. Keep cranking the circle down smaller and with your inside toe extended somewhat down and out, pretty soon you'll be able to feel your shoe touching the pavement. That's when you know you've really got it leaned over! Don't watch your foot, but look forward as you normally would. After you've mastered this, change directions and lean teh other directions. Most people seem to be more comfortable turning one direction than the other. After you've touched the pavement going that direction, practice doing figure eights. Not high speed ones, but make several tight circles like you have been and then suddenly flop it over and make some the other direction. Practice this, even by streetlight if necessary and take a break every so often, proudly examining the scuffed edge of your shoe. Pretty soon you'll learn that your bike is capable of leaning over quite far without loosing traction, how the position of your body affects the center of gravity, how to quickly flop the bike over to change direction and best of all, discover you have self-confidence! Lighter bikes are certainly easier to do this on, but I've done this many times on my 720 pound touring bike. I haven't yet tried it with the 960 pounder though because I really need a new front tire first. And if you happen to drop your bike, don't worry. There's two kinds of bikers, those who have dropped their bike and those who will drop their bike.

Answer 7

"Dude...you never heard this from Me ok!? but a close friend of mine who works in the DMV here in California Let Me in some Need-To-Know Info. In all honesty, she told me that the motorcycle test they implement to anyone who wants to take it was designed for the rider to fail it!!! For the rider trying to get a license, He/She basically doesn't stand a ghost of a chance to pass it. Let's face it: the slaloms are less than 3 feet spaced between each cones ( You Must Be Moving No more than 5 miles/hour to do this + balancing your *** + The motorcycle all together,which is next to impossible specially for a beginner rider!) and the turning lane at the end of the test where one has to ride a perfect circle in less than 20 feet to make withboth your wheels must be inside the 2 lines are just next to impossible! Unless of course your'e a trials rider or a Travis pastrana...no way your'e gonna pass this test! She told me that the main reason why they do this is for that rider to enroll in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation: of which is of course they Created & highly recommend + also Endorsed by the California Highway Patrol & The State Of California. I myself took the recommendation and after 9 years of everyday riding...(Never had a car..EVER!) i'm still here. So Now you know the secret..(Just keep it to yourself, O.K.!?)"

Answer 8

It is test nerves. I screwed up on my big bike test so many times it became a standing joke.
I didn't have my own bike so I just booked a few hours a week on the school 500cc. I did OK till I sat the test then my fists went like claws, my a*se closed up like a seacock, the bike felt like a can of nuts and bolts and I was so tense I got muscle strain. I managed to struggle through but put my foot down on the U turn because I was so stiff , I couldn't turn the bike.
Next time I was so nervous, I rode off with the side stand down. Then another time, I missed a speed limit sign that was never there before.
In every test I failed, I only had one major fault and few or no minor faults. In other words, I screwed up because I was so tense.
Solution...... I went out and bought me a cheap 125cc and rode it everyday for two weeks in all conditions and all weathers until I started to actually enjoy going for a ride and feeling quite confident.
I re-booked my test and passed with a clean sheet ( no faults) in torrential rain and gusting winds.
All I needed was practice and a bit of confidence.
( Plus, of course, I practiced every manouvre on quiet side streets till I could do them without much effort)
My advice on the slow manouvres is just practice till perfect.
It will become easier the more you practice

Answer 9

Many years ago I took the test on a bike that was much longer than the one I learned to ride on. The cones are set up to make it difficult for everyone. We don't "get a break" if we decide to ride something bigger. Go back to the lot and practice, like suggested. Practice feathering the clutch as forktail describes. It will help a lot.

Good Luck.

Answer 10

Try taking the test on a smaller CC bike it maneuvers well through the cones. Now that you know how the course looks make you a similar course in an empty lot and practice. What you learn on the test will only prepare you for real life riding situations.