Quote: (03-20-2014 11:37 AM)TonySandos Wrote:
Quote: (03-18-2014 08:40 AM)jamaicabound Wrote:
I found the hardest part of learnign to ride was wrapping my head around shifting. It's frustrating because you ask people and everyone says...you'll know when to shift. Of course you've never ridden a bike before so its like no I don't know hwat to feel for I've never ridden lol. Once you learn you understand why people say that but its tough at first.
I think a good lesson for beginners is 0-20 mph first gear, 20-30 2nd gear, 30-40 3rd gear and so on. It's not necessarily the proper way to ride but its a good guide to usee and once you start riding you'll start to feel when the engine is working harder and when you need to shift.
that's a good standard of approach.
an even simpler way to remember- watch your rpm's
no one knows to do this because it's not as necessary in a car, but it's the reason why all bikes come with tachometers.
listen and feel for a noticeable change in engine pitch. when the high pitched "vroom" sound changes tone and becomes more strained sounding, that's the first cue.
when you pass a certain rpm, you'll notice your bike doesn't tolerate a certain level of rpm's at a constant. it'll begin to vibrate more and with stronger vibrations. this is more noticeable at lower speeds and in general acceleration/throttling. that's the second cue while watching where your rpm's are.
man, I fell so many times, nearly every time at speeds below 45mph because I never was taught how to shift a car or bike before then.
also worth noting; if you've been caught by surprise or need to brake immediately, don't get caught up in down-shifting lunacy. pull the clutch in to disengage the engine and apply the brake uniformly, letting off if the back tire starts to come out from behind you.
Yeah, RPM is a great way for beginners, my problem was my 1994 Suzuki Intruder is a really stripped down kinda classic cruiser type look so only speedometer no rpm gage. This bike in the pic isn't mine personally but basically exact same bike I have.