Learning to ride with gears

[Morcs]

Just gone from bike-shaped scooter (gilera dna) to a bandit 250. The handling isnt an issue, I find the bandit easy to throw around and manoever - apart from power delivery.

Cant practice on the road as im disqualified, so going round my little street is my only option - though i take it easy with the odd spurt hard on the throttle.

I did an initial early morning practice in a car park with my experienced mate, just getting over the stalling, and learning about the use of the clutch..

Well since ive been doing 15 minutes on my street every night i get home from work, just finding out my own way, what not to do and stuff..

Well at the point of smooth shifting - shifting up at low revs is easy, but when at 5k+ the rear wheel is locking, and the same when i downshift quickly.

Just wondering the correct sequence of shifting - clutch disengage, throttle near closed, shift, the clutch slowly back out and power back on?

The same with downshifting - had the rear wheel out wide in the wet from a vigorous downshift

Someone please tell me the correct sequences? so I can go practice some more

[Mr. Peanut]

To shift up, put pressure on the gearchange, let off the throttle briefly and bring it on again (in-out). The bike should change without the clutch.

To shift down, clutch in, quick blip of throttle while changing gear, clutch out.

The rear wheel is locking because you're letting your revs drop too much for your upshifts, and not blipping for your down. You don't even need your clutch for upshifts, just do as above.

[SwanTiger]

Perhaps try riding the clutch slightly when letting it out until you get a feel for it, it shouldn't hurt the bike at all (or much). If you're still having trouble shoot me a PM and I'll come around and help you out if you like, it'll have to be next weekend when I get my license back though!

[Morcs]

Took the bike onto the next quiet street (nice long hill) so I could stretch its legs up and down through the gears - got the hang of it now.

Next up: controlling the power delivery through corners..

Cheers guys

Thanks for the offer swanny, hope to have myself sorted by then, then its just get my damned license back and get some road time in...

[sunhuntin]

for corners...myself, i slow as i get to them, and then accelerate once i can see out the other end. my bike isnt a leaner, lol. but i do try and make her lean sometimes. depends on everything.

someone had a siggy on here : better to go into a corner slow and come out fast, than go in fast and not come out at all.

also read skidmarks thread in biker ravings.

[SwanTiger]

Next up: controlling the power delivery through corners.

A good tip I can give you about this is if you've ever played with a slot car set on a figure eight track you know that you can't just go full tittes the whole way round. Instead you've got to pulse the power and slingshot the slot cars out of the corners and it almost becomes rythmic.

Practise that in a local carpark and keep the above theory in mind.

I use to spend up to 1 - 2 hours a night practising in a local car park and my cornering and throttle control improved very quickly.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the offer swanny

No worries, if you're ever keen on going for a ride let me know.

[Morcs]

Yep its in the respect of the power delivery when ive shifted down - and power back on - one minutes its not there, then its there by the bagfull...

On the scooter, i could come into a corner at speed, front brake before entry, apply a little bit of throttle, slowly increasing until i exit - very smooth all the way through, sometimes feathering the rear brake.

I just need to find some fast corners in my neighbourhood i can do some early morning practice on...

[Morcs]

Last up of the basics: Hill starting.

Tried a few on an extremely steep gradient, couldnt get going...

On a less severe gradient managed too, still finding it difficult...

Any tips would be appreciated

[Wasp]

power on my bandit starts at 5-6k rpm (take off from 4k is possible), most power is between 10k and 12k.

only problem i've ever had is when changing down from 3rd to 2nd resulting in high rpm in 2nd and the bike lurching and threatening to lock the rear.

any questions about the bandit feel free to ask me

also note that these bikes like to have their nuts revved off of them, pootling around at low rpm will foul the plugs and carbs (the main reason why people with 250 bandits buy iridium plugs)

[Morcs]

only problem i've ever had is when changing down from 3rd to 2nd resulting in high rpm in 2nd and the bike lurching and threatening to lock the rear.

Yep, did that the other day doing 100.. but my fresh rubber soon snapped the rear wheel back in place...

Pretty much completely sweet with the gears now, so if anyone in west auckland is keen for a ride, give me a shout - and no i dont ride like a pissy nana - my scooter topped 140 and kicked arse in twisties

[The Stranger:Me]

A good tip I can give you about this is if you've ever played with a slot car set on a figure eight track you know that you can't just go full tittes the whole way round. Instead you've got to pulse the power and slingshot the slot cars out of the corners and it almost becomes rythmic.

Are you saying pulse the power around the corner, like open and close the throttle through the corner?

[Steam]

and no i dont ride like a pissy nana - my scooter topped 140 and kicked arse in twisties

How'dja lose your license?

[Morcs]

How'dja lose your license?

ssssh..

Are you saying pulse the power around the corner, like open and close the throttle through the corner?

You should lay off the power when entering a bend, and not put the power back on until you can put it on hard, and keep it on

[xwhatsit]

Yeah I was told that you shouldn't really play around with the throttle within a corner -- it upsets the balance of the bike heaps. Instead, drive it like an open-wheeler; smoothly start winding on power from the apex, or just before; just don't chicken out and back off suddenly, or you'll end up upsetting the balance again.

Then again I don't know shit about bikes, being somebody who ran off the road on a fairly straightforward corner on a KB 250 ride :P.

[SwanTiger]

Are you saying pulse the power around the corner, like open and close the throttle through the corner?

Haha, no of course I'm not suggesting that, I mean as you go into an out of a corner. Off (not completely off, but off the throttle persey) and then On as you exit out. Hard to explain unless you "get" the slot car thing.