Clutch control

Hi guys, took my cbt yesterday, but sadly failed due to my clutch control.
Once i was off and away i was fine, going up and down through the gears and doing the manoueveres i had very little difficulty. I was just crap with starting from a standstill, either i was too hamfisted and shot off quickly sometimes wheelying, or i was on the verge of stalling.
Anyone got any tips to quickly sort out my clutch control and is there anyway i could practise before i retake?

btw, this was my first ever time on a motorcycle so i don't think i did too bad.

Practice makes perfect. I'm not a UK person (we can do our practicing on public roads with an 800 pound behemouth if we really want to here...) but you should be able to practice on private property, (possibly a parking lot?) perhaps. The more you're just used to using the clutch (to a large extent car experience is helpful here as well) and how it reacts, the easier it is. In testing situations, it's beneficial to error on the side of more revs and letting the clutch in slower (slipping it more). The clutch is far more linear and quick to react than the throttle is, so for smoothness the easiest thing to do is ride the clutch (even if that's not at all what you want to be doing on the street).

Don't be so aggressive about dumping the clutch. Just let it in gradually and don't be afraid to give your motor some throttle. If you error on the side of letting the clutch slip a bit (don't go overboard and fry it or anything) you're going to have a much easier time controlling things and it'll be easier to get a better idea of the limits of the clutch approaching from that direction.

Don't necessarily aim for perfection, aim for "good enough" in a way that gives you the widest possible latitude to screw up and still succeed.

when practicing on the clutch, I find it's best to focus on where the clutch starts grabbing first. Start the bike, put it in first, then without moving the throttle, just let the clutch out slowly until the bike cuts out or starts rolling. Most likely the bike will just cut off, but I have seen some bikes where the idle speed was high and they would start going without any throttle applied at all. You can practice doing this on a down hill slope so the bike does start rolling without throttle application. Concentrate on the clutch and learning where it grabs, then you can concentrate on doing both. Very very small inputs on the throttle are all that is needed. Don't make the mistake of revving too high and popping the clutch.
Obviously you want to practice this in a parking lot if possible.
//Good luck

Good luck mate,failed mine twice if thats any consolation.

Ah thanks guys, i'm gonna put all this to good use hopefully. I'm just real nervous about retaking, i've got it booked so fingers crossed.

Thanks Drill, everyone makes out it's nigh on impossible to fail, but if you've never rode a bike beofre it's a hell of a lot to take in. I feel better about it now, its made out to be piss easy, but as you know it's not.

Just to let you know guys, i passed it today. Felt alot easier than before, think it was due to less nerves. But thank you for the pointers, i kept them in mind whilst we were practising.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Craig3089 @ Sep 3 2009, 06:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Thanks Drill, everyone makes out it's nigh on impossible to fail

Thats because technically you can't fail a CBT, its a training course not a test