Regaining confidence after a fall

[cbfb]

If I need to do it I would be travelling between 20-30 km and if you thought I was going much faster that would be why you would say it is dangerous.

If there was a bus coming the other way when you fell off it would be pretty fucking dangerous

[bosslady]

There is nothing wrong with not knowing what went wrong, but the "cold tyres" thing draws a knee jerk reaction...because it's bulshit.

Those people you think are being helpful. If they were to lead you astray in a nice and friendly fashion, are they still helpful?

I have a genuine question.

I feel uneasy going around roundabouts and turning into streets on my new bike. 1st seems too little and 2nd too much. So, I've been in 2nd, pull in the clutch only slightly while still on the throttle so that I don't "coast" hope that makes sense. I feel confused though, feel like I'm doing the wrong thing?

[Drew]

I have a genuine question.

I feel uneasy going around roundabouts and turning into streets on my new bike. 1st seems too little and 2nd too much. So, I've been in 2nd, pull in the clutch only slightly while still on the throttle so that I don't "coast" hope that makes sense. I feel confused though, feel like I'm doing the wrong thing?

Sounds spot on to me.

'Slipping the clutch' is a great skill for this application.

In the lower gear, you can do the same exact thing. It will be more ready to give power if you need it, and the clutch not fully engaged will soak up the jerky jerky thing.

[bosslady]

Sounds spot on to me.

'Slipping the clutch' is a great skill for this application.

In the lower gear, you can do the same exact thing. It will be more ready to give power if you need it, and the clutch not fully engaged will soak up the jerky jerky thing.

Phew, thanks, that's a relief, finding the height of the bike and how different it is makes me feel like I only just started riding for the first time again and I keep doubting myself. Cheers.

[Drew]

Phew, thanks, that's a relief, finding the height of the bike and how different it is makes me feel like I only just started riding for the first time again and I keep doubting myself. Cheers.

Welcome.

I'm no expert, but someone offering flat out wrong advice grinds my gears.

[Drew]

You sound like you do similar to what I do where 1st gear would cause you a loss of balance and second would be going too fast. The most important thing is that if it feels safe to you and me we keep doing it I feel.
Maybe we have just never owned bikes where it would be unsafe to do this on.

You guys are not doing the same thing, and her bike would fall over in a heartbeat if she lost too much speed and let the clutch out from a 'coast'. Mid size single cylinder like, the motor won't catch up with ground speed from idle very well at all.

[bosslady]

You sound like you do similar to what I do where 1st gear would cause you a loss of balance and second would be going too fast. The most important thing is that if it feels safe to you and me we keep doing it I feel.
Maybe we have just never owned bikes where it would be unsafe to do this on.

I don't coast around corners though, ever, feels unsafe to me,I don't like it.

[Drew]

Her comment made more sense to me than yours so maybe we are but have just expressed what we do differently eh!!!

I suppose it's possible. Except I have said earlier that holding the clutch in a little bit is the best way to solve the issue you have, and you didn't seem to latch onto the idea then.

You did flat out state that you "coast" for a portion of the turn with "the clutch in", after all.

[bogan]

Disengaging the gearbox will result in a "coast" untill its engaged again I would have thought. Holding the clutch in a little bit will still result in a coast would it not? I only do it as I said on about the mid quarter
of "Tight" (hairpin type) bends. Hope the riding instructor can explain it in a way the lady is happy with eh.

Slipping the clutch is not a coast as you still use the engine to increase/decrease speed as required. The slip is there to make the speed adjustments smoother in situations where snatchy chain/driveline or twitchy throttle would otherwise result in jerky speed corrections. Coasting is different in that the rider has no fine speed control at all; all you can do is either engage clutch again with a jerk as motor rpm matches gearbox rpm or apply brakes, neither is ideal when you just want to change speed a smidge.

[bosslady]

Disengaging the gearbox will result in a "coast" untill its engaged again I would have thought. Holding the clutch in a little bit will still result in a coast would it not? I only do it as I said on about the mid quarter
of "Tight" (hairpin type) bends. Hope the riding instructor can explain it in a way the lady is happy with eh.

No coasting when you get it at the right spot, the clutch I mean, and keep the gas coming, if you let off the gas and coast around the corner, will likely fall, well I might anyway...

[swbarnett]

Disengaging the gearbox will result in a "coast" untill its engaged again I would have thought. Holding the clutch in a little bit will still result in a coast would it not? I only do it as I said on about the mid quarter
of "Tight" (hairpin type) bends. Hope the riding instructor can explain it in a way the lady is happy with eh.

There's a difference between holding the clutch lever fully in and slipping the clutch. When the lever is not fully in the clutch plates are not disengaged, they're just not held together as tightly and, therefore, allowed to slip past one another while still allowing some of the engine power through to the drive chain.

[haydes55]

I have a genuine question.

I feel uneasy going around roundabouts and turning into streets on my new bike. 1st seems too little and 2nd too much. So, I've been in 2nd, pull in the clutch only slightly while still on the throttle so that I don't "coast" hope that makes sense. I feel confused though, feel like I'm doing the wrong thing?

My KLX300 might be similar and I found on those awkward speed corners just hold the back brake on and no clutch worked for me.

So enter the corner under brakes (or if its an intersection take off and get into second). As soon as the bike is leaning into the bend, I had the rear brake on and the throttle open only slightly, if I felt like I needed to slow down I would use more rear brake and hold throttle constant. The single cylinder is torquey enough to let it run at quite low RPM and still handle it fine. 2nd gear at 15km/h is easily done with back brake.

The DRZ is different so maybe it needs first gear, higher RPM and rear brakes. Or maybe you're more comfortable with using no brakes in the corner and just clutch slip, but what ever you do, never coast when you're riding.

You're a competent rider, you have enough knowledge now to know what is and isn't comfortable for you and your bike. It's just a matter of trying a few different techniques.

[haydes55]

I just checked a motorcycle riding school website and they talk about using the clutch on corners as "power tuning" as opposed to "slipping" or as I said "coasting" I guess the word coast does create an illusion of holding the clutch in for a large part of the turn which is not what I do at all and I am able to engage the gears smoothly on exit, although with a new bike and getting to know the power band some snatch or jerk does happen which maybe the problem
poster 1 was having as I have had the same issue with new bikes.

"Power tuning" is clutch slip. Power tuning is basically increasing the engine revs into powerband without increasing speed by slipping the clutch to increase RPM while maintaining drive. (Well that's my understanding anyway).

Stop trying to justify coasting, it's wrong. End of.

[nerrrd]

1st seems too little and 2nd too much.

Sounds like similar behaviour to my single. Stay in first and I feel like I'm wringing the bike's neck and backing off even the tiniest amount on the throttle induces a mini bunny-hop from engine braking, clunk into second and the bike is lugging. Judicious application of the clutch is the only way I've found to smooth things out.

Not sure if you's is fuel injected? From the research I've done it seems fuel-injected singles can all be a bit rough at low speeds (I've even seen it mentioned in reviews of the new Duke singles). In BMW's case the consensus seems to be they have to run the bikes lean at low speed to meet ECU emission standards or something. Japan may have similar regulations.

[shflbm]

Yes you seem to understand athough its more of a gear ratio thing than a rev thing. and its in between 1st & 2nd that
I would do it. Hopefully the lady will post why her husband does it. He may do it for a completely different reason for all we know eh.

We have talked about it and don't know exactly why my husband does it and I don't. But as I said we will hopefully glean more info on Sunday and I can post here what the other riders and Karel and Kevin say.