So I went out for a ride tonight...

[bosslady]

don't worry, it was still light out! For those who have read my other thread http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...not-so-newbies I'm starting to feel a bit better and got brave and went out in the traffic w00t w00t then I got confused at an intersection (confuzzles me when I'm driving my car too) and went towards the town centre with twice as much traffic and corners haha uh oh. Anyway I'm still alive, albeit a little bit gross and sweaty, probably nerves. No mishaps except stalling after I'd stopped to give way to a car when I was turning right into my street, the couple of cars behind me probably weren't impressed but hey that's what the big yellow L is for eh... Other then that the hardest thing I am finding is changing down gears, I just don't "get" it! Any advice?

[actungbaby]

don't worry, it was still light out! For those who have read my other thread http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...not-so-newbies I'm starting to feel a bit better and got brave and went out in the traffic w00t w00t then I got confused at an intersection (confuzzles me when I'm driving my car too) and went towards the town centre with twice as much traffic and corners haha uh oh. Anyway I'm still alive, albeit a little bit gross and sweaty, probably nerves. No mishaps except stalling after I'd stopped to give way to a car when I was turning right into my street, the couple of cars behind me probably weren't impressed but hey that's what the big yellow L is for eh... Other then that the hardest thing I am finding is changing down gears, I just don't "get" it! Any advice?

I must admit am not the smootest down shifter either, just take your time u dont have to go through all the gears, in fact i be more just try look ahead and just relax, and give yourself plenty of space to slow down well before you have to stop. and use your brakes u dont have to slow with the gears, the gn should have nice engine breaking if you change down to 3rd and then just pull in the clutch few feet away from stoped and just use you front back brake togther.

In fact cancell all that and just ride and practice one thing at time even if u stay in one gear and just take your time rome wasint built in one day buddy

[bosslady]

I must admit am not the smootest down shifter either, just take your time u dont have to go through all the gears, in fact i be more just try look ahead and just relax, and give yourself plenty of space to slow down well before you have to stop. and use your brakes u dont have to slow with the gears, the gn should have nice engine breaking if you change down to 3rd and then just pull in the clutch few feet away from stoped and just use you front back brake togther.

In fact cancell all that and just ride and practice one thing at time even if u stay in one gear and just take your time rome wasint built in one day buddy

the problem is, and I don't know why, I'm getting confused as hell... like... changing up no problem ok... changing down? off the throttle, clutch in, gear down, uhh then what? and shouldn't there be some braking in there? and how do you know if you're going too fast to change down to a certain gear? I didn't mention but I can't drive a manual car which I would presume would make my understanding of the process a lot easier...

[FJRider]

the problem is, and I don't know why, I'm getting confused as hell... like... changing up no problem ok... changing down? off the throttle, clutch in, gear down, uhh then what? and shouldn't there be some braking in there? and how do you know if you're going too fast to change down to a certain gear? I didn't mention but I can't drive a manual car which I would presume would make my understanding of the process a lot easier...

Look at YOUR L plate ... it explains it all. You have it for a reason.

Keep getting out on the road. It WILL come to you in time. (practice)

Try a quick blip on the throttle before you stomp it down.

Apart from that ... GO GIRL ...

[Maakz]

Good on ya for venturing out and confuzzles aside, which is the norm when starting out, ya got back safe and relatively sound - even if you stepped momentarily out of your comfort zone. Can totally identify-i'm relatively new-ish being that i've only been riding for 3 years now. Still get my kicks everytime i jump on my lady mover and pootle machine. Relax and practice practice practice...baby steps. Just learn how to take ur lines correct if ur not a natural, cos i wasn't, stick to familiar stretches of road if ur still ironing out the confuzzles...and develop a self preservation attitude geared towards both your machine and other road users, add in a smidge of confidence - which increases as you cultivate comptency and voila. Trust me, unless ur totally un-co, kinetically dyslexic or are a nut muffin - one day it all just clicks and ur up off and away. Addictive way to unwind and costly too when ya get all too serious about bikes. Am not a 'smoothe operator', well not as smoothe as i'd like to be, but i used to get anxious about messing up the shift and phased about cars behind me giving me 'raspberries' or playing games - its a mental thing - stop fretting and cringing...maybe sort out the exact method you are using to shift down and stop...throttle off, clutch in, down shift, progressive braking until arriving at a stop...when you venture off. from a stop..clutch easing out with a touch of throttle..analyse yourself, your style, technique and what works for you. Good luck...i'll watch your progress via posts...

[Zamiam]

To understand when to change down / when you may be going too fast for the lower gear get used to hearing what your engine is doing. If its reving hard then changing down isn't likely to be a good idea, if its quiet and sluggish then you need to change down. BUT the best answer is practice practice practice as experience will turn it into second nature.

[hayd3n]

the problem is, and I don't know why, I'm getting confused as hell... like... changing up no problem ok... changing down? off the throttle, clutch in, gear down, uhh then what? and shouldn't there be some braking in there? and how do you know if you're going too fast to change down to a certain gear? I didn't mention but I can't drive a manual car which I would presume would make my understanding of the process a lot easier...

when changing down, clutch in blip the throttle slightly it helps to smooth out the gear change

[TheTengTheory]

I practiced my downshifting by starting to slow down quite a distance away...more than enough with only little input form brakes. I'd downshift, release the clutch, let it slow down till it was low enough for the next gear. After I got use to downshifting, I added blipping the throttle to smooth the transition. Still taking a big distance to slow down but that was the point. Once I had that I start adding the brakes inbetween gear changes and slowly reducing my length taken to stop. So far, I'm okay till first gear and I start to mistime the blipping and end up releasing the clutch off time.

Now I'm practising it with the brakes applied progressively. Getting better each time I ride. Don't have to think or be so deliberate about it as much as before.

[Subike]

Find yourself a quiet straight section of road over the xmass holidays. somewhere . Where you can start off from stationary, comfortably accelerate to 50kph, then practice coming to a stop using the gears and your brakes. Experiment with how the bike feels, the sound of the engine relative to the speed, the ""Pull"" of the motor as it slows you down. By going up and down in the gears this way, you will develop a reflex action quickly, and find your gear changing confidence improve. Going up and down on an industrial access road, away from traffic, allows you to make errors without risking an incident, which could happen riding on busy roads. An afternoon, say 3 hrs, with a few stops to think about whats the bike is doing, what you are doing , and to relax you mind and body, will soon see a big improvement in your gear changing abilities.


Once you confidence improves, and you will know when, combine more aggressive use of the brakes and gears together, to see how quickly you can stop. Again you want to develop this to a reflex action. With practice ,this will happen. and your confidence on busy roads will leap forward .

Most of all relax and enjoy what you are doing, like any learnt thing in life, practice makes it more fun, Good riding skills come with time and practice.

[bosslady]

All very good advice thanks everybody

Find yourself a quiet straight section of road over the xmass holidays. somewhere . Where you can start off from stationary, comfortably accelerate to 50kph, then practice coming to a stop using the gears and your brakes. Experiment with how the bike feels, the sound of the engine relative to the speed, the ""Pull"" of the motor as it slows you down. By going up and down in the gears this way, you will develop a reflex action quickly, and find your gear changing confidence improve. Going up and down on an industrial access road, away from traffic, allows you to make errors without risking an incident, which could happen riding on busy roads. An afternoon, say 3 hrs, with a few stops to think about whats the bike is doing, what you are doing , and to relax you mind and body, will soon see a big improvement in your gear changing abilities.


Once you confidence improves, and you will know when, combine more aggressive use of the brakes and gears together, to see how quickly you can stop. Again you want to develop this to a reflex action. With practice ,this will happen. and your confidence on busy roads will leap forward .

Most of all relax and enjoy what you are doing, like any learnt thing in life, practice makes it more fun, Good riding skills come with time and practice.

I like the way you think... don't know any industrial areas close by I'll have to have a look hmmm

[Ender EnZed]

Another exercise to try is changing up and down the gears without changing your speed. That way you don't need to worry about braking.

I.e. get up to 30kph in 2nd gear then change up to 3rd, 4th, back to 3rd, 2nd, while maintaining a constant 30kph. Try and match your engine speed to your road speed to get everything nice and smooth.

[catharsis]

All very good advice thanks everybody



I like the way you think... don't know any industrial areas close by I'll have to have a look hmmm

You're on the Shore right?
There are some great spots in the industrial areas round Albany that will be really quiet over the break. I know I will be heading there to get time on the bike every day these holidays so hit me up if you want company. (I live in Milford and work in Albany industrial area)
Starting a new job in the city after the break and going to commute on the bike so this holiday period is my crash course in riding

[Maha]

when changing down, clutch in blip the throttle slightly it helps to smooth out the gear change

.......or dont use the clutch at all (Only on the up and 1st gear down selection) sounds amazing and no jerky clutch release moments.

[Stirts]

You're on the Shore right?
There are some great spots in the industrial areas round Albany that will be really quiet over the break

Yups, great place is that massive carpark up Oteha Valley Road up from the North Shore Stadium.



That is where I did alot of my practice.

[caspernz]

Yups, great place is that massive carpark up Oteha Valley Road up from the North Shore Stadium.

That is where I did alot of my practice.

But don't go there this weekend 'cause you'll get several KBers around to cheer you on