Riding Skills Series: Dealing With Hills

Getting stuck at a traffic signal or stop sign is frustrating enough, but it’s even more frustrating when that traffic signal is halfway up a hill. For some, coming to a complete stop on a hill and starting smoothly off again is more than frustrating; it’s downright scary.

These situations put a rider’s control actions to the test, and if you’re not able to cover the brakes, smoothly disengage the clutch, and apply the throttle, you could easily be thrown off balance. Worse, the bike could stall, catching you out so badly that you drop it.

As with any stop, when coming to a stop on a hill your primary concern is to make sure you’re in first gear with the clutch fully engaged and the throttle closed. A steep grade adds the obvious risk of rolling backwards, so it’s important to make sure to apply the brakes and maintain pressure even after you come to a complete stop. Since your right hand will be used to apply the throttle when it comes time to get underway, it’s easiest to use the rear brake to hold position on the hill.

With the bike at a standstill, the best way to then maintain your balance is to plant your left foot firmly on the ground. As soon as you are ready to get rolling again, begin slowly disengaging the clutch until you feel the friction zone, where the clutch begins to “bite.” You’ll feel the bike want to creep forward slightly. Now begin to gently apply the throttle. As you continue to disengage the clutch, you’ll begin to feel it working against the rear brake. At this point you can smoothly release the brake and apply the throttle as necessary to move forward.

As you already know, no two hillsides or inclined streets are the same, and there will come a time when to your left foot is on a patch of gravel or other obstacle that prevents stable footing. If you find yourself in this situation, you’ll need to apply the front brake and use your right foot to maintain balance. This technique requires more coordination, and in turn, more practice, because it forces you to use your right hand to simultaneously keep pressure on the brake and apply the throttle.

With that in mind, before you find yourself facing a steep grade, practice your control actions on flat ground. As you become more and more comfortable with simultaneously releasing the brake, disengaging the clutch, and applying the throttle, move your practice area to sections of driveway, parking lot, or deserted road with more of an incline.

But this pratice is not all about what you do once you have come to a standstill. What you do as you come to a hill stop is equally important. Even under ideal conditions, your hands and right foot will be busy covering the controls, and you’ll find it difficult to search the gearbox with your planted left foot. So it’s worth repeating: make sure you’re in the proper gear some distance before your stopping point. If you’re one gear too high, you’ll be forced to rev your engine to a higher rpm and slip the clutch longer as you proceed up the hill, even if you don’t come to a complete stop. If you’re unable to keep the rpm up, you run an even greater risk of stalling your bike as you proceed uphill.

The rpm range you need to use to easily climb a given grade will vary depending on what bike you have. For instance, if you have a V-twin motorcycle with a good deal of low-end torque, you may find it unnecessary to get too aggressive with the throttle. Instead, you can use your bike’s low-end torque to lug you forward. If you’re on a smaller displacement machine like a 250, you’ll find it crucial to apply much more throttle and use a lot of clutch slip. If you’re not already comfortable with your bike’s power delivery, be sure to pay attention to it as you practice your control actions.

While practicing, take the time ro concentrate on the location of your bike’s controls. Make certain your clutch lever and brake levers are in a comfortable position and are properly adjusted; while you’re at it, make sure all of your cables are lubed and in good condition. After all, sitting at a stop sign on a steep hill is not the best place to realize that you can’t easily grasp the levers or get good footing on the rear brake pedal. And while practicing, get in the habit of knowing where the controls are without looking; this may seem like obvious stuff, but you’d be surprised how many riders look at the controls in stressful situations instead of keeping their eyes up and looking where they want to be.

Additional practice with working your motorcycle’s controls isn’t just beneficial when dealing with hills, but also when executing various additional slow-speed maneuvers. Practicing the techniques listed above will also help when it comes to executing U-turns and turning in restricted areas.

Sometimes even more frustrating than having to get going on a hill is parking on a hill; steep inclines can often leave you wondering if your bike will still be upright when you get back to it. Fortunately, there are a handful of tricks for making sure you don’t come back to a tipped-over motorcycle.

Obviously, one of the main concerns when parking on a hill is that the motorcycle will roll backward or even forward and right off its sidestand. To guarantee this doesn’t happen when parking your motorcycle, simply leave it in gear. In doing so, you will effectively be using the engine’s compression and internal friction to keep the bike from rolling away. Ideally, park your bike facing slightly uphill, with the rear tire up against the curb. Avoid parking your motorcycle facing downhill, as the chance of it rolling forward off the kickstand is still possibleeven if it’s in gear.

Because kickstands are different in design and length, it’s also important to make note of your bike’s stance when it is parked on level ground. That way, when it is parked on a hill you can tell if it is off-axis and susceptible to gusts of wind or other conditions that could put it on its side. And remember, the kickstand of your motorcycle should always, always be pointed downhill.

If for any reason your gut instinct says the bike isn’t securely parked, remember it won’t hurt to park the bike somewhere else. The bottom line, as always, is that you’re better safe than sorry.

The truth is there’s little physical skill required to park your motorcycle effectively. Just think it through, take the time to do it properly, and you won’t have to experience the frustration of coming back to a tipped-over motorcycle.