Question:
can some explain shifting on a motorcycle? make it easy to understand too?
upshifting and downshifting, how to know when to shift, how to shift when slowing down while applying the brake?
Answer:
The thing that drove me crazy was people always say you'll feel wen you need to shift. When you dont know what your doing that doesn't help lol. Basically as a starter just to get a hang of things figure you can be in first up to 10 or 20, then second, when you hit 30 third, 40 fourth, and 50 and higher fifth gear. This isn't exactly how you should be shifting but its not going to ruin the bike and it will work. Once you learn to ride you'll start to get the feel of when your engine needs to shft. Basically when you feel the engine beginning to work hard shift up to the next gear. One other thing that confused me when I first started riding was the position of the shifter. I guess I though like a car each gear had its own slot where the shifter would go. I guess I thought second gear was a few inches higher than first, third a few inches higher than second, etc if thats makes sense. Basically its like a ratchet the shifter stays in the same place even though you are shifting diff gears.
Some things are easier to do than to understand. Once you start doing them, you'll understand them better. Basically you want to keep the engine in a certain range of RPM. Lower than that range and can feel the engine isn't 'happy', it doesn't run smoothly and it doesn't make a lot of power. Above that range you can damage the engine (or blow it up altogether). So if your engine is 'lugging' (going too slow), you shift down and it instantly feels better. If the engine is screaming, or you're getting near the redline on the tach, you shift up. Engines that will easily go above the redline usually have some kind of electronic limiter on them so you -can't- over-rev them. After a while you can -feel- when you need to shift, and a little while after that it becomes automatic and you might not even realize you're doing it. The clutch simply disconnects the engine from the transmission. You pull it in to shift, then let it back out. You can also hold the clutch in while you're stopped at a light. And to start from a standing stop you pull the clutch in to shift from neutral to first, then let it out slowly and carefully to get moving. You can also downshift to slow down. This is sometimes called 'engine braking' because you are using the engine to slow down. You do this in a corner or a curve, because you need to slow down, then speed up again. So you shift down a gear, or maybe two, and let the clutch back out, and that slows you down. Then when you want to speed up again, you're already in the appropriate gear. As I said, this sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. On a motorcycle, more than perhaps any other motorized conveyance, you are listening to the engine, feeling the engine. The engine is keeping you company! The engine will tell you when you need to shift, and you will gain skill with the clutch just through practice.
these are all good answers. and it's true, it's just something that you get a feel for after riding. as for physically shifting: up-shifting: 1.) pull in the clutch while letting off the throttle. (this should be simultaneous. If you pull the clutch in w/out easing off the throttle youll hear the bike rev to hell likewise, cut the throttle without the clutch and youll feel the bike jerk) 2.) click the shifter up with your foot. ( it's 1-N-2-3-4-5-6. So from neutral you will click down to get into first gear. after that its just click up to get into 2nd 3rd so forth. neutral is a half click between 1-2) 3.) You should have had the clutch still pulled in during step 2. Now you're letting the clutch out slowly and giving it gas at the same time. This will take a while to really get down and be smooth. Its called rev matching, youre trying to get your engine up to the rpm to match how fast wheels would be turning at. A lot of people 'blip' the throttle, just give the throttle a quick twist while letting out the clutch. (just go slow at first though) Downshifting is basically the same process except for step 2, youre shifting down now instead of up. If im slowing down, ill downshift when the rpms start getting into the 3k range. you usually want to keep your bike in the right gear so that you still have power when you need it, see the above posts for the lugging term.
these are all good answers. and it's true, it's just something that you get a feel for after riding. as for physically shifting: up-shifting: 1.) pull in the clutch while letting off the throttle. (this should be simultaneous. If you pull the clutch in w/out easing off the throttle youll hear the bike rev to hell likewise, cut the throttle without the clutch and youll feel the bike jerk) 2.) click the shifter up with your foot. ( it's 1-N-2-3-4-5-6. So from neutral you will click down to get into first gear. after that its just click up to get into 2nd 3rd so forth. neutral is a half click between 1-2) 3.) You should have had the clutch still pulled in during step 2. Now you're letting the clutch out slowly and giving it gas at the same time. This will take a while to really get down and be smooth. Its called rev matching, youre trying to get your engine up to the rpm to match how fast wheels would be turning at. A lot of people 'blip' the throttle, just give the throttle a quick twist while letting out the clutch. (just go slow at first though) Downshifting is basically the same process except for step 2, youre shifting down now instead of up. If im slowing down, ill downshift when the rpms start getting into the 3k range. you usually want to keep your bike in the right gear so that you still have power when you need it, see the above posts for the lugging term.
The thing that drove me crazy was people always say you'll feel wen you need to shift. When you dont know what your doing that doesn't help lol. Basically as a starter just to get a hang of things figure you can be in first up to 10 or 20, then second, when you hit 30 third, 40 fourth, and 50 and higher fifth gear. This isn't exactly how you should be shifting but its not going to ruin the bike and it will work. Once you learn to ride you'll start to get the feel of when your engine needs to shft. Basically when you feel the engine beginning to work hard shift up to the next gear. One other thing that confused me when I first started riding was the position of the shifter. I guess I though like a car each gear had its own slot where the shifter would go. I guess I thought second gear was a few inches higher than first, third a few inches higher than second, etc if thats makes sense. Basically its like a ratchet the shifter stays in the same place even though you are shifting diff gears.
Some things are easier to do than to understand. Once you start doing them, you'll understand them better. Basically you want to keep the engine in a certain range of RPM. Lower than that range and can feel the engine isn't 'happy', it doesn't run smoothly and it doesn't make a lot of power. Above that range you can damage the engine (or blow it up altogether). So if your engine is 'lugging' (going too slow), you shift down and it instantly feels better. If the engine is screaming, or you're getting near the redline on the tach, you shift up. Engines that will easily go above the redline usually have some kind of electronic limiter on them so you -can't- over-rev them. After a while you can -feel- when you need to shift, and a little while after that it becomes automatic and you might not even realize you're doing it. The clutch simply disconnects the engine from the transmission. You pull it in to shift, then let it back out. You can also hold the clutch in while you're stopped at a light. And to start from a standing stop you pull the clutch in to shift from neutral to first, then let it out slowly and carefully to get moving. You can also downshift to slow down. This is sometimes called 'engine braking' because you are using the engine to slow down. You do this in a corner or a curve, because you need to slow down, then speed up again. So you shift down a gear, or maybe two, and let the clutch back out, and that slows you down. Then when you want to speed up again, you're already in the appropriate gear. As I said, this sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. On a motorcycle, more than perhaps any other motorized conveyance, you are listening to the engine, feeling the engine. The engine is keeping you company! The engine will tell you when you need to shift, and you will gain skill with the clutch just through practice.
