[SnookayDCC]

Bored of the parking lot, i moved onto back roads.

1st off a funny thing... im riding and all of a sudden throttle isnt working im saying WTF in my head. Im slowing down still saying WTF. Backstreet so no traffic, i pull over in someones drive way. it wouldnt restart, 3 minutes of trying starter and getting pissed. Thinkn of the LONG push back home. Swtich pecock to RES still no luck. wait a minute try again RES works, engine is running. BIG sigh of relief. nfloor wanted to kill the guy who sold me the bike. nfloor but then it started.

After just riding roads i didnt know i ended up in Henderson. 30 mins from where i live. On my way back im coming to a stop sign and semi busy highway. I downshift to 1st gear from about 35-45mph. clutch, downshift, REV, released clutch. i saw my RPMs rise which is normal when i downshift but they were HIGH. 8000rpms i swear they were rising but i looked up to watch the road instead. Next thing i know i hear a Screach from the rear, scared the fuck outta me so i grabbed clutch and felt a wobble in right handle bar. Slowed down and stopped. Checked my tires, checked the road behind me and saw nothing. WTF happened.

I'm thinking that most likely while reaching for front brake i pulled down on throttle. Like i had down several times when first riding the bike. I fixed my hand positioning to have my knuckles above my wrist at all times and that fixed that problem. But i also would like to know if dropping from 4th gear to 1st gear at about 45mph would have anything to do with this? ?

thanks for any input.

 

[RACER X]

yup, sounds right, you prolly shoulda only gone to 2nd vs 1st. 1st is pretty short..........

don't watch the tach. so much, "you go where you look", learn to recognize engine speeds.......and if the engine "zings" like that press the clutch quickly, you can destroy an engine if it revs to high.......

 

[SnookayDCC]

oh i didnt mean to make it seem like i was just staring at my tach. I just glanced down to see speed n what not. Then refocused back on the intersection coming.

So you stop at lights in 2nd gear? or are you saying i should go from 2nd to 1st?

 

[RACER X]

NO, i end up in 1st at the light, but you said 45mph......thats a ways away from stopped. you want to shift down while the bike is moving. and i prefer to hold the clutch in and just downshift. and use the brakes for stopping vs engine breaking........unless i wanna make alot of noise.

and you really need to keep it in 1st till you know the car behind you and even him , has come to a complete stop. alot of bikes get rearended. and if your in N your not going anywhere, but if your in 1st, you can get out of harms way.

when's your MSF class?

 

[TemtnF8]

the screech you heard could have been the rear tire locking up from engine braking. I've had the rear chatter at me a couple of times when downshifting to aggressively and not properly matching my revs, but never had it fully lock before. That would explain why you had the wobble when you pulled the clutch, because the rear end was probably starting to drift slightly and pulling the clutch allowed it to 'snap' back in line.

 

[pesticide]

If you shift to first going to fast and let the clutch out fast without rev matching you can def slide the back end.

 

[scorpion12]

Yep, it's all part of learning...

If I'm slowing for a stop sign, traffic light, or whatever, and it's a ways off, I'l roll off the throttle and just cruise on up to it letting the bike slow itself down...the closer I get to stopping, I'll start to apply the front brake, pull in the clutch, and start dropping gears by 2...

I'll drop from 6th to 4th... the slower I get, I'll drop another gear... to 3rd... then apply the brake, and drop to 2nd, and finally 1st...

I usually don't drop into 1st unless I'm below 20 mph...

Sure, my bike will go 70 in first, and it's fun on the way up in gears, but it's really close to the rev limiter then and wanting to shift to 2nd...

It's not a good idea to do that on the way down...


I usually don't even look at my tach anymore either... I shift when it sounds/feels like the bike needs to...


Staying in a gear for the rpm you're at would be a good idea as well... What if you were coming up to a traffic light, slowing down, and you dropped to 1st at 45... the light changes...now what? You're in too low of a gear and have to shift up...

 

[SnookayDCC]

when's your MSF class?

FUNNY man (seinfield joke). my date is Aug/Sept.


here is my reasoning for going from 4th gear to 1st. at about 40mph. when i pull in clutch to shift down i drop about 5+ mph, then i rev and release clutch smoothly. Then im thinkn damn now i have to do this 3 more times in 150 feet. Engine braking with front brake feels smoother and much better than holding clutch and braking to me.

i've went back out to ride since then and started dropping by 2 gears like someone had mentioned up there ^^^.

 

[lawson]

keep up the pracitce and ride safe.

 

[hozhead]

I tend to go down one gear a time when stopping.
My exception to that rule is if I'm slowing down very quickly, I'll drop 2 gears so that I have enough powerband for a getaway if something freaky happens (someone tries to rear end me, etc).

 

[NeWb]

ride safe!!

 

[WISPER]

You lock the back, vary dangerous. 40 is way to high for first when down shifting. Not only is the back tire going to try to slow down to 20ish, but your transfering all your wieght to the front and off the rear. Slow down with your brakes and a little with your engine braking....But never from 40 in 1st.

I blew the motor on a very cherrie vtr 250k intercepter doing this very thing. Bounced it off the rev. limiter a couple times, then the back tire slowed down faster then the bike...lots of bouncing of the rear tire(scared the poopsies out of me i'll tell ya). To this day i don't know how i stayed on the bike, but it destroy the motor. Quite an expensive lesson. Use your front brake, save yourself an engine.

 

[TMK]

here is my reasoning for going from 4th gear to 1st. at about 40mph. when i pull in clutch to shift down i drop about 5+ mph, then i rev and release clutch smoothly. Then im thinkn damn now i have to do this 3 more times in 150 feet. Engine braking with front brake feels smoother and much better than holding clutch and braking to me.

i've went back out to ride since then and started dropping by 2 gears like someone had mentioned up there ^^^.

I don't know why anyone would feel the need to go down more than one gear at a time. In the old days when bikes had crappy brakes, engine braking was critical for slowing one down, but these days the brakes are so good the only reason you even need to downshift is so you can accelerate more quickly. You never hear racers downshifting and doing a long, slow engine brake deceleration into a corner, they always brake to the correct speed, downshift for acceleration then get on the gas and power out of the corner.

If you have to stop short for an emergency, pull in the clutch, hit the brakes and worry about getting it into first gear after you've stopped. Otherwise, go down nice and smooth, one gear at a time, matching your revs to second gear and don't even bother with first until you've got the bike stopped.

Skipping around the rear tire like that is a recipe for all kinds of trouble, so do your best to avoid it. It's one reason that so many of the hot new bikes are coming with slipper clutches.

 

[SnookayDCC]

but these days the brakes are so good the only reason you even need to downshift is so you can accelerate more quickly.
.

yes this is/was my thinking as well. i go from 70+ in 6th gear. braked all the way to 40mph. then if i start downshifting 1 gear at a time i keep feeling like ill end up pass where i want to stop. Isnt the downshifting a bit of an annoyance?


i read a lil about slipper clutches, seems nice. Thanks for the tips guys ima go to this straightaway and do a lil speeding then downshifting. Closed road, no ppl. well not closed but unused.

 

[murfnamedsmurf]

We all make absent-minded mistakes like running out of gas from time to time. Keep practicing, stay safe, and don't shift to first until about 5 MPH. 2nd provides plenty of engine braking until you are nearly stopped.

 

[Truck]

First, stop using the damn ? ¿ on every post you make, :lao, its annoying as hell.

Second, like others have said, you should probably be in 2nd-3rd at 40mph. Hell, I don't drop into 1st until I've gotten below 15mph, it saves on gearbox chatter.

 

[TMK]

Hey! That little upside down question mark thingie is cool as hell.

I'm talking Blue Oyster Cult kind of cool - oh, wait a minute, they suck ASS!

 

[Solitude]

Lets say your first gear redlines at 40 mph and you shift into first at say... 45 mph that will pretty much lock up the rear to some extent or another.

Ive done it on occassion when really riding hard... braking down from 100ish into a turn sometimes ill blip it into first a little sooner than i mean to... and it just slides all around. I kind of like the feeling, but it can be scary to someone newer to riding.

When braking from 4th gear to a stop i would recommend going 4 3 2 1 with the gears, blipping each gear as you go... or you could always pull in the clutch and just use the front... but i wouldnt go that route.

 

[MnM]

its something that will come with experience...you'll find say coming to a stop sign youll just brake, pull the clutch in and stop the bike using the brakes while shifting down to first in preperation for accelerating after stopping..

If your coming to a red light that may change to green before you stop, then you might want to do the same process and come to a complete stop...or brake and down shift with plenty of room in front of you and try to just coast a little in case it does turn green so you don't have to shift all the way into 1st.

good luck u'll get the hang of it

 

[Brownilus]

If you have to stop short for an emergency, pull in the clutch, hit the brakes and worry about getting it into first gear after you've stopped.

My post-MSF friend just taught me that today (matter of fact, in the MSF class you upshift to second gear in some exercises, and they will tell you that you can stop in the higher gear if you won't downshift in time, just make sure you are in first before you ride off).

It is possible (I learned, anyone correct me if I am wrong here) to hold in the clutch, stop the bike, and while stopped keep holding the clutch while downshifting repeatedly til you get back to first...