Road works and new skill.....

[Mencius]

So there I was going for my Friday afternoon blat up Old West Road in Palmerston North, when horror of horrors I found that the mean buggers have hacked up the end of the road and resealed it. Now this is a big sweeping corner going up a hill. There is traffic crawling up the hill. "Bugger!" says I.
I slowed down to a sensible speed and started to creep up the hill with the traffic. Everyone grinds to a halt. So here am I on scarily fresh seal, stopped halfway up a hill and I have never done a hill start before.........
Anyway, by some miracle of brake, clutch and throttle control, I managed to get under way again, and maintain the correct orientation of both my shiny and my rubber side!
Woot! Such a little thing but it's nice to know I can do it should the occasion arise


Ang

[Bob]

Well done!

I was taught how to hill-start (when I did my CBT - course of utter basics you need to go on the road, they ran a 6-week follow up where they taught you a lot more of the skills needed to really survive out there), but I can still remember the first time "in anger" and on my own being a slightly scary time!

It always seems to me like some complex tap-dance routine or something... "Cover front brake, put in neutral, cover back brake, release front brake, clutch in and simultaneously cover front brake, release back brake, put into gear, release clutch and front brake and aim gracefully up the hill"!

Once you're used to it? Do it without thinking (I had to think hard about it to write what I just did... and I've probably got the sequence wrong), but the first time or so... eek.

Still, now you've got one out the way, the next time will be so much easier.

[tl_tub]

Back brake? Whats that? Are you trying to tell me that pedal actually does something? I never used mine once while living in Wellington

[Wolf]

Bob, that sounds fiendishly complicated for a hill start. I normally select first while the clutch is in - rear brake is on - and sit at the lights in first with the clutch in. When I go to take off - increase revs a little, ease off clutch until it begins to bite, release brake and smoothly release clutch while opening throttle.

Seems to serve me well enough. I find a hill start on a bike is easier than in a car as your brake, clutch and throttle all have a dedicated limb each - easier to synchronise all three rather than farting about with both the foot brake and the throttle under the right foot, the clutch under the left foot and the hand brake as you do in a car.

[phaedrus]

I normally select first while the clutch is in - rear brake is on - and sit at the lights in first with the clutch in. When I go to take off - increase revs a little, ease off clutch until it begins to bite, release brake and smoothly release clutch while opening throttle.

that's what I do, except I use the front brake. On the off chance my right foot needs to go down to hold me up.

[Bob]

Bob, that sounds fiendishly complicated for a hill start. I normally select first while the clutch is in - rear brake is on - and sit at the lights in first with the clutch in. When I go to take off - increase revs a little, ease off clutch until it begins to bite, release brake and smoothly release clutch while opening throttle.

Seems to serve me well enough. I find a hill start on a bike is easier than in a car as your brake, clutch and throttle all have a dedicated limb each - easier to synchronise all three rather than farting about with both the foot brake and the throttle under the right foot, the clutch under the left foot and the hand brake as you do in a car.

Actually, I think you've just proved my point on how you do it automatically without thinking about it. You said "Select first while clutch is in - rear brake is on". Which means you're selecting gear, with one foot... while the other one is holding the rear brake on! If I try that, I tend to fall over...

As you say though, at least on a bike you have 'dedicated limbs' for each task (front brake/throttle excepted of course).

[crashe]

So there I was going for my Friday afternoon blat up Old West Road in Palmerston North, when horror of horrors I found that the mean buggers have hacked up the end of the road and resealed it. Now this is a big sweeping corner going up a hill. There is traffic crawling up the hill. "Bugger!" says I.
I slowed down to a sensible speed and started to creep up the hill with the traffic. Everyone grinds to a halt. So here am I on scarily fresh seal, stopped halfway up a hill and I have never done a hill start before.........
Anyway, by some miracle of brake, clutch and throttle control, I managed to get under way again, and maintain the correct orientation of both my shiny and my rubber side!
Woot! Such a little thing but it's nice to know I can do it should the occasion arise Ang

Well done, keep practising those hillstarts.... not that there are many hills in Palmie North.

Now question for you.... Where is "Old West Road" I come from Palmie and I don't recall that road at all... or is it a new area....? Cheers.

[MSTRS:Me]

Bob, that sounds fiendishly complicated for a hill start. I normally select first while the clutch is in - rear brake is on - and sit at the lights in first with the clutch in. When I go to take off - increase revs a little, ease off clutch until it begins to bite, release brake and smoothly release clutch while opening throttle.

Seems to serve me well enough. I find a hill start on a bike is easier than in a car as your brake, clutch and throttle all have a dedicated limb each - easier to synchronise all three rather than farting about with both the foot brake and the throttle under the right foot, the clutch under the left foot and the hand brake as you do in a car.

1. Hmmmmm???
2. If you need the footbrake, then your handbrake must be shite & wouldn't pass a WOF. Personally, I use neither, just clutch & throttle hold. And no, it hasn't meant a new clutchplate every 5mins. One of my cages has done 280,000km and still on original plate.

[Ixion]

So there I was going for my Friday afternoon blat up Old West Road in Palmerston North, when horror of horrors I found that the mean buggers have hacked up the end of the road and resealed it. Now this is a big sweeping corner going up a hill. There is traffic crawling up the hill. "Bugger!" says I.
I slowed down to a sensible speed and started to creep up the hill with the traffic. Everyone grinds to a halt. So here am I on scarily fresh seal, stopped halfway up a hill and I have never done a hill start before.........
Anyway, by some miracle of brake, clutch and throttle control, I managed to get under way again, and maintain the correct orientation of both my shiny and my rubber side!
Woot! Such a little thing but it's nice to know I can do it should the occasion arise


Ang

Well done ! (I was initailly surprised to see you say that you'd never done one - then I saw Palmerston North )

Your next challenge is doing it on gravel, before the seal is laid.

For what it's worth I no longer bother with complex routines - just hold the bike on the front brake, into gear in the normal way, and roll the throttle on with the palm of my hand while letting off the front brake. And clutch of course, as normal.

Except on the T500. Then I must use the foot brake. Front is 2LS. They don't work in reverse. Front brake hard on and it will just roll gently backward. I suspect that is where the gospel about using the foot brake came from. With disk brakes it's not worth the bother.

[Mencius]

Well done, keep practising those hillstarts.... not that there are many hills in Palmie North.

Now question for you.... Where is "Old West Road" I come from Palmie and I don't recall that road at all... or is it a new area....? Cheers.

No, it's one of the things I like about Palmie

If you go past Massey along Tennent Drive, and keep going past the Turitea Sawmill then a little further on is a left hand turn which is Old West Road. It probably changes name somewhere to confuse me but if you follow it you end up back at Summerhill Drive.

Nice little piece of road, a few corners and a couple of hills, just enough to keep things interesting :-)

Ang

[Storm]

And cops dont often hang around on the nice little straight before/after Tiritea school

[Wolf]

You said "Select first while clutch is in - rear brake is on". Which means you're selecting gear, with one foot... while the other one is holding the rear brake on! If I try that, I tend to fall over...

Dunno about you, but I tend to change into first while I'm slowing to stop - so I'm usually still moving (albeit slowing) when I change into first. I tend to stop with weight on "gear" foot (I used to ride a Zundapp that had gears on the right and brakes on the left) and keep the other foot on the rear brake.

[Wolf]

1. Hmmmmm???
2. If you need the footbrake, then your handbrake must be shite & wouldn't pass a WOF. Personally, I use neither, just clutch & throttle hold. And no, it hasn't meant a new clutchplate every 5mins. One of my cages has done 280,000km and still on original plate.

Front brake is disc and works fine - and should not be held on according to one of the other posts as it causes uneven cooling which in turn causes warped discs. I tend to use engine and both brakes to stop.

just hold the bike on the front brake, into gear in the normal way, and roll the throttle on with the palm of my hand while letting off the front brake. And clutch of course, as normal.

I have done this quite frequently - though apparently I shouldn't as I shouldn't leave the front brake on. I typically use it if the road dictates I use my brake foot or both feet to keep the bike upright.

Also occasionally use the clutch and throttle hold but don't like doing so too often as I fear I am wearing away my clutch.

[MSTRS:Me]

Front brake is disc and works fine - and should not be held on according to one of the other posts as it causes uneven cooling which in turn causes warped discs. I tend to use engine and both brakes to stop.


Also occasionally use the clutch and throttle hold but don't like doing so too often as I fear I am wearing away my clutch.

Ah so sorry, you misunderstand...was referring to technique in a cage. As for a bike, I tend to use the front brake only.

[Bob]

Dunno about you, but I tend to change into first while I'm slowing to stop - so I'm usually still moving (albeit slowing) when I change into first. I tend to stop with weight on "gear" foot (I used to ride a Zundapp that had gears on the right and brakes on the left) and keep the other foot on the rear brake.

Yup, exactly what I do - down into 1st while I am slowing down. To be honest, I almost never use the rear brake, unless I'm on a slope.