Round the bays

[DuLuX]

Headed round the bays and over to mirimar today on the Ginny. Can feel my cornering improving a wee bit - still a fair bit to go mind you but happy so far with the progression - bit more confident with every ride - though i did have some stupid lass almost kill me today in haitaiti - she tore round the corner on the wrong side of the road mistakenly thinking it was a one way street and if it hadnt been for her husband shouting obscenities at her when he saw me it might have been a different story!

ah well, still here to tell the tale so its all good and really would have been in more trouble with a car as i wouldnt have been able to go through the gap!

Noticed the wee GN has had an issue a couple of times now - when i come to a stop and change down the gears - sometimes it wong go lower than 2nd - eventually with some pursuasion it will go down - usually if i cycle up through the gears to say fourth and then down again to 1st - but its done it a couple of times at a stop at lights and have had once anyway some bugger beeping at me as i got her into first. anyone else had this problem and know why it does it?

Bought a pair of reinforced RJays trousers off trademe today - so just need a decent pair of boots and im all kitted out - good times.

Fantastic day today - weather was great, rode until my wrists hurt and had a blast!

ps cheers to Rua for taking me round the bays and up to mirimar - was a blast and my first non solo run!

DuLuX.

[Lucy]

Noticed the wee GN has had an issue a couple of times now - when i come to a stop and change down the gears - sometimes it wong go lower than 2nd - eventually with some pursuasion it will go down - usually if i cycle up through the gears to say fourth and then down again to 1st - but its done it a couple of times at a stop at lights and have had once anyway some bugger beeping at me as i got her into first. anyone else had this problem and know why it does it?


ps cheers to Rua for taking me round the bays and up to mirimar - was a blast and my first non solo run!

DuLuX.

Mine does this too sometimes, usually if I let the clutch out halfway you can feel it sort of click, and then you can change down. I also drive a bus, and have to do the same thing, let the clutch out and put it in again before being able to change down.

[twinkle]

Noticed the wee GN has had an issue a couple of times now - when i come to a stop and change down the gears - sometimes it wong go lower than 2nd - eventually with some pursuasion it will go down - usually if i cycle up through the gears to say fourth and then down again to 1st - but its done it a couple of times at a stop at lights and have had once anyway some bugger beeping at me as i got her into first. anyone else had this problem and know why it does it?

Change down through the gears as you slow down, similar to how you change up gears as you accelerate. You should be in first by the time you roll to a stop
If you stop, and then change down through the gears it does tend to jam up a bit
edit: and what lucy said if you get stuck in a gear

[swbarnett]

if it hadnt been for her husband shouting obscenities at her when he saw me it might have been a different story!

Passengers in cages can be really useful at times. I nearly took out a bicycle once that was squarely planted in line with the post to the right of the windscreen until my wife in the passenger seat alerted me. Fewer blind spots on a bike. Good skills to be still alive and unscathed, you're learning fast.

[mazz1972]

Headed round the bays and over to mirimar today on the Ginny. Can feel my cornering improving a wee bit - still a fair bit to go mind you but happy so far with the progression - bit more confident with every ride.

Bought a pair of reinforced RJays trousers off trademe today - so just need a decent pair of boots and im all kitted out - good times.

DuLuX.

I did much of my first riding around the bays in Wellington....good place to get your confidence up and getting the hang of cornering and leaning. If When your mate thinks you are up to it, get him to take you out on Maraka Gorge Road and through to J'ville....unfortunately the road is a bit narrow but it is fabulous for cornering....in my opinion...!

Get those boots ASAP....you need the ankle protection "just in case"

Have fun

[LardEmbargo]

Noticed the wee GN has had an issue a couple of times now - when i come to a stop and change down the gears - sometimes it wong go lower than 2nd - eventually with some pursuasion it will go down

Hiya, don't think it's just an issue with your bike, I've had that happen on a couple of bikes I've trailed around on while I've been learning or trying bikes out. Either when I was trying to tread down to first so I could pull away from a junction, or when I was properly stopped and trying to lift to neutral and couldn't find it because I was still in second.

Anyway, as twinkle and lucy mentioned you can get used to changing down while you're still rolling (so you're already in first by the time you're stopped) or if you're already at a halt and stuck try half releasing the clutch until it frees the gears a bit and will drop into first for you.

One other thing I've found if I get stuck in 2nd when stopped is letting the bike roll forwards a couple of inches (or pushing with a spare foot), sometimes that seems to help treading down into first too. Obviously keep an eye on where you're rolling while you're trying to sort it out :)

[DuLuX]

thanks for the advice folks - i tried the let the clutch out halfway thing and it did the trick - it clicks a little and then lets you change gear like normal. will be useful to know so i dont look like a plonker when the lights change

[Lucy]

thanks for the advice folks - i tried the let the clutch out halfway thing and it did the trick - it clicks a little and then lets you change gear like normal. will be useful to know so i dont look like a plonker when the lights change

Oh yeah nah it doesn't totally cure that - I still often look like a plonker when the lights change!

[Drum]

That problem getting into first is pretty common. Like the others have said, try changing down to first before you come to a halt. Rocking the bike forward and back, or rolling forward/ back a few centimeters does the trick too.

That bays run will be good for improving your cornering. Keep up the good work.

[Kinje]

Yeah that bays run is a nice one. Had one of my best rides around there. Don't think I even went faster then 50 km/hr, but the sun was shining, really warm, no traffic holding me up (probably coz I wasn't going flat out ), the sea looked lovely, and I was in the groove with the bike just flowing though the corners .

What the others have said about downshifting and easing clutch if you do get stuck.