Class 2B from Class 3 (SSDC): Revisiting the school for Class 2A, spotting common mistakes

At time of writing (18 Apr 2015), I am waiting for my Class 2A TP test. Whilst doing my revision for my Class 2A, there are also others revising for Class 2B and 2. I spotted this particular lady, obviously must be attractive that is why I spotted her right? hahaha. Anyway, I noticed for all of the stations, she had trouble with the narrow plank.

Hence, at the end of the lesson, I decided to strike a conversation with her and let her know her mistakes so she can improve from there. Ms Chan, here are the common mistakes not only you, but others (including me sometimes) made:

Common mistakes:

1. Narrow Plank

Move and twist shoulders to balance body weight against the bike. Avoid this because it would make you wobble and get off course, thus immediate failure. The trick is, I repeat again, 

• Look straight ahead, and far ahead (as if you saw a friend you are going to approach).
• Relax your shoulders, move only your elbows to balance the handlebar (because your bike is moving at such slow pace)
• Keep the momentum going by controlling the clutch (not the throttle). Controlling the biting point and the brakes will make sure you cross the narrow plank more than 6 secs. 

2. Crank course

• Position your bike as straight as possible at the starting point. I find this very useful now. When turning left into the starting point, do not cut the corner near the curb. Take a slightly wider left turn, and position bike STRAIGHT at the starting point. The PLUS side of this is, when you move off, you are well balanced instead of awkward position. 
• Too much turns, too many things to remember, too short a time? All these make me even more anxious. My trick is to keep my mind level, and don't rush to do all things at one go. Go through the steps again and again, and do it at 1 go. While practicing, do not mind all the mistakes first (e.g. wobbling, hit curb), ensure you get the steps right. After you get the hang of it, you will realise the mistakes will be gone by themselves. Even at Class 2A, I fell off my bike before, ha!

more common mistakes to come if I spot more. :-)