New to shifting.

[Emma]

I had a very interesting experience and improvements to my riding out on the street.

Weeks before I got my first new bike, I made a promise to my Mother.

That promise was that she would be my very first passenger on my bike.

That promise wasn't easy to keep, but I kept that promise.

I took her out today and stayed on the best roads for my comfort with my current skill level.

The ride was very enjoyable for the two of us. I think my 69 yo Mom had more fun than I did, but that is something up for debate.

Anyway, I noticed something with myself as we rode and wanted to pass on a tip that might help someone new to riding.

I noticed that I need quite a bit of practice with shifting gears smoothly. I'm not bad, I just need more work on it.

While I had my Mom with me, I was more aware of my shifting technique more than I have been by myself.

Once you feel comfortable enough to take a passenger with you, take your Mom or Dad for a ride on the back of your bike.

It will up your learning curve for shifting at least ten fold. Because for me, my biggest fear was having my 69 yo Mother tumbling backwards off my bike as I accelerated from a stop or when I shifted to hard when accelerating from 4th to 5th gears going around 45.

 

[Superzoom]

Yes, riding with a passenger is a real test to one's smoothness. I've noticed exactly what you have, which is that having a passenger amplifies any rough technique that you might have. I ride two-up with my wife on the back quite a bit, and I've definitely improved my shifting to the point where my shifts are almost imperceptible. I find I do a lot of clutch feathering and very quick shifting to keep things smooth.

I also brake as smoothly as possible.

I would also add that riding two-up is definitely not for beginners.

 

[BluePill]

Chain slack also has quite an effect on apparent shifting smoothness. Excessive chain slack makes for more jerk when shifting. I always keep mine at minimum, as well as keeping the chain clean and lubed. I spray WD-40 on the chain and then wipe it off after every ride. Keeps it clean and rust-free.

 

[BzB]

mastering the friction zone and being comfortable with slipping the clutch is also key to smooth shifting. a little counterintuitive compared to a car clutch since slipping those too much will burn it out. our bikes can take it though.

 

[Emma]

Superzoom, I agree with you that riding two up is not for beginners. But I will add that everyone progresses at different speeds in different areas.

I would only recommend that if someone is going to ride two up for the first time that they make absolutely sure they are ready for it and that they stick to roads with lighter traffic and the speed limits are not very high. Also that their passenger has experience with riding on the back of a bike in the first place.

My breaking is great, my Mom hardly noticed by breaking at all. Even when I used engine breaking.

BluePill, I'll keep that in mind about my chain. I was wondering though, if one does not have something to put their bike up on; how would one do this properly?

I don't have a lot of room for doing a lot of maintenance, but I can do most of it. Just not inside a garage.

BzB, thanks for that info about the clutch. I'm so used to the clutch on a car that I thought it was just like that. Now I can make a lot of improvements with starting on an incline as well as smoothing out my technique.

 

[nismos14]

With a passenger I never engine brake, it's instinctive to the rider, but not the passenger.

 

[Rumpig]

Try clutchless changes next time your riding by yourself. Going up the gears I only use the clutch for 1st to 2nd, all the other gears I just put a bit of upward pressure on the shifter as I accelerate, then back off the throttle a touch which takes the pressure of the gears and it goes straight in to the next gear.

 

[Superzoom]

Chain slack also has quite an effect on apparent shifting smoothness. Excessive chain slack makes for more jerk when shifting. I always keep mine at minimum, as well as keeping the chain clean and lubed. I spray WD-40 on the chain and then wipe it off after every ride. Keeps it clean and rust-free.

BluePill, I'll keep that in mind about my chain. I was wondering though, if one does not have something to put their bike up on; how would one do this properly?

I don't have a lot of room for doing a lot of maintenance, but I can do most of it. Just not inside a garage.

If you are asking about checking chain slack, I believe you can check chain slack while the bike is on the side stand.

Make sure not to adjust the chain any tighter than minimum. A too tight chain affects the suspension, and wears (stretches) prematurely.

 

[Emma]

Thanks Superzoom. I was asking about chain slack and I was also asking about cleaning the chain too.

I know that if I had the bike up on something, I could put it into neutral and move the back wheel by hand and get the entire chain.

I know that I could roll the bike a little and do it that way, but I don't have a lot of room to actually move the bike around for cleaning the entire chain.

Hmmmm, clutch-less shifting? I think I may have stumbled onto this quite by accident the other day when I hit a bump in the road and it went into neutral from second gear, Rumpig. I had my toes resting almost on the shift lever when it happened. It never crossed my mind to actually do it on purpose. Thanks. It's not bad for the bike, is it?

 

[Rumpig]

I only do it going up the gears not down. The manual does say not to do it but it won't damage it. Race bikes fit a "quickshifter" which is just a switch fitted to the gear lever which cuts the ignition momentarily as you change gears, which is the same as backing off the throttle

 

[Rumpig]

For working on your bike you could get a centre stand, not really cheap though. SW-MOTECH Centerstand Yamaha FZ6R 2009-2015 - RevZilla

 

[Superzoom]

Thanks Superzoom. I was asking about chain slack and I was also asking about cleaning the chain too.

I know that if I had the bike up on something, I could put it into neutral and move the back wheel by hand and get the entire chain.

I know that I could roll the bike a little and do it that way, but I don't have a lot of room to actually move the bike around for cleaning the entire chain.

I've got a center stand, SW-Motech, and it's awesome. Makes lubing the chain a snap.

You can maybe get a device like the PackJack. It's like a better version of sticking a tree branch under your swingarm.

I actually got one many years ago, but could never get it to work. Maybe the newer models are the correct size for our bike.

 

[Superzoom]

By the way, when adjusting chain slack, you actually want the bike on the side stand and NOT on a center stand or rear stand. If the rear wheel is elevated, the axle will move forward and backwards while you are trying to adjust and tighten it.

 

[Emma]

Superzoom.

For me I think it would be best for me to have the bike elevated to adjust that chain slack.

I was looking at the swing arm and the two axle bolts an I noticed the way it all goes together.

The technique would be just like adjusting the tightness on my bicycle chain.

I don't know what it would be called for a motorcycle, but on my bicycle it's called walking it. What you do is only loosen one side and sort of push the front of the wheel to one side, watching the chain slack. Once you push it far enough, tighten that side and then loosen the other side to center the wheel or go further than center to allow yourself to tighten the chain further and repeat the process on the other side. Repeating all this until you have the chain slack where you want it. Sometimes you have to do all this in reverse to slacken it too.

I realize that on a motorcycle you have to use a lot smaller increments than a bicycle to do this because you are also dealing with the breaks, and the tolerances are a lot smaller than a bicycle. But the concept seems exactly the same.

 

[Superzoom]

Interesting technique. If that's what you are used too, then you should certainly do it.

I only suggested doing it while on the side stand because I found when I had it on the centre stand and loosened both axle nuts and then carefully turned the adjustment nuts, once I started tightening the axle nuts, the axle would shift out of alignment. I first tried to keep pressure on the tire so that it wouldn't shift, but it just didn't work.

I found through trial and error that by leaving the bike on the centre stand, the axle wouldn't shift out of alignment once I began tightening the axle nuts due to the constant natural pressure on the rear tire while the rear tire is on the ground.

So if your technique manages to avoid the axle shifting unintentionally, it sounds like a good plan.

 

[Emma]

That is what the technique is for.

The other day I was watching some videos online for adjusting chain tension for motorcycles and it is almost the same exact technique. Things do work differently, but the concept is there.

I also figured that alignment was a lot more critical for a motorcycle than it is on a bicycle. Because on bicycle you can just eyeball the wheel alignment. Where as a motorcycle you need to measure your distances on both sides.