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New Rider question? Clutch and Brake Techniques?

Just got a new motorcycle (used) and am relearning to ride before I take my MSF course. My questions are:Looking for advice on how to use the clutch when starting from a complete stop. I've practiced a little and am looking for some good tips to get better with the clutch and throttle. Either I overrev the throttle or kill it with the clutch.Brakes: the front brake is really grabby. An experienced rider told me two things: use two fingers for the front brake and to try to use the back brake instead of the the front brake. Another rider told me to use both, but didn't say much about technique.I want to have a bit of practice and be smoother before attending the course. Appreciate your advice.

Answer:

Regarding the brakes, you should practice using both for stopping at the same time. Most new riders use the front brake too much and risk going over the handlebars. As to the clutch, what you're really looking to get a feel for is what's called the Friction Zone. That's where you gradually ease out the clutch to you feel it start to grab. You should just by practicing finding that point (friction zone) where it grabs then pull it back end. Do this back and forth till you know where the clutch will start to engage. Practice from a stand still, ease the clutch enough to let the bike start moving just a few feet then pull the clutch in so you never get going enough to need the brake. Do this process over and over and you'll be on your way to clutch mastery. Later you can learn to start from hills and curves! Congrats on taking the MSF Course. Enjoy!
The way you grip the throttle often dictates what kind of rider you end up being. Your knuckles should always be even with the brake. Unless you want intense speed your knuckles shouldn't be in the space between the throttle/grip and brake lever. When starting off learning to ride I would suggest letting the clutch out half way(50%) and pulling the throttle a tiny bit about 25%. On a motorcycle you don't need a lot of gas to take off, as you may have already noticed. After you pick up enough speed that your feet are off the ground release the clutch and the rest of your speed control relies on the use of your throttle. Use 2 fingers on the front break and it's always good to use both breaks when learning how to ride. When you are using normal breaking, it should be smooth and gradual. Be careful though, because unless your bike has ABS, if your grip either brake too hard and too suddenly you could cause the wheel to lock up. If you lock up the front tire you tend to fly over the bars and if you lock up the rear wheel which is most common, you could fall off as well. If you lock up the rear(when the rear wheel locks up the rear of the bike moves so that the motorcycle isn't lined up straight) you should not release the rear break unless your able to straigten out the bike because if you release the rear break in the situation the bike will quickly and violently line up again you could fall off the bike. Just hold to rear brake until you stop if you find yourself in that situation. You will be fine just practice away from traffic and enjoy the class it's really useful. Invest in quality gear as well and dress for the crash not the ride because it's a very risky world and it happens. Good luck and Happy Riding.
Most new riders don't use the front brake (not break!) enough and run off the road or into things. Just remember the clutch isn't like a light switch that's either on or off, it's more like a dimmer switch that you can turn on part way before turning it on all the way. If you want to practice using the clutch, from a stand still reve the engine to say1500-2000 rpm and use the clutch to maintain the rpm while getting the bike moving. This means you're going to have to modulate the clutch by engaging it, releasing it slightly, re-engaging a little more and so on. Clutches are made to be slipped, so don't worry about it because that's the secret to smooth starts. After you get good at this, practice letting the clutch out faster and rolling back on the throttle at the same time to keep the rpm the same. Eventually you'll be able to let the clutch out much faster, roll on the throttle at the same time and take of much faster. It doesn't matter if you're taking off in traffic at 2500 rpm or drag racing at 10,000 rpm, the technique is the same.

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