[bullitt1600]

always wanted 1 but couldn't find a good reason to get 1. Gas helped me decide LOL I got me a 08 cbr 600rr and I'm so new that I don't know how to drive, ride. I havnt been over 70 and I dare not to hit the freeway. I got blisters LOL my back hurts and thumbs 2. I luv it. I got a a. Downshifting gets tuck on me. I come to a stop in 3 and when I want to switch to first it won't let me and I have to baby it from he light. It had 1 mile on it so I'm still breaking it in. I shift at 3 like my car. Is this also bad for normal use

[bullitt1600]

p.s. Sorry for the grammer. My iPhone spell checks real bad and I'm at work driving. So I can't check it.

[ffmedicgerbs]

um, ok, first question..... did u take the class first?

second do u have any prior riding experience?

third thats a really nice bike, be easy on it and break it in properly

4 shifting at 3 is way way to soon, when i ride my girls 600 (2003) i cruise between 4 and 6, doesnt help that that she has new sprockets but there is no power around 3000 rpm..... idk, id find a friend who rides and have him or her show u the ropes

way to much to type
ride safe!

[Twincam]

Originally Posted by ffmedicgerbs

um, ok, first question..... did u take the class first?

ride safe!

Deff take the special courses available, they will help bundles!

[FB1000inPA]

Originally Posted by Twincam

Deff take the special courses available, they will help bundles!

Not if you get a rider coach like me who pulls up next to you and wants to race.

bullitt.

[dicksneeed]

Originally Posted by bullitt1600

p.s. Sorry for the grammer. My iPhone spell checks real bad and I'm at work driving. So I can't check it.

Why the HELL are you driving and texting/typing??? Dont you know thats how motorcyclist get killed. HANG UP AND DRIVE. Oh, welcome.

[slickwill]

Originally Posted by dicksneeed

Why the HELL are you driving and texting/typing??? Dont you know thats how motorcyclist get killed. HANG UP AND DRIVE. Oh, welcome.

and how do you have blisters?

[bullitt1600]

LOL thanx all. I drive a cab all night and I'm careful when I text. Its not like I hit the freeway and do it. In between lights. I don't know a thing is why I said. I have exp on dirt bikes but that was a deckaid ago. I'm not worried about power right naw. I don't mesh it. I'm still breaking it in. It hasn't been over 7rpms. I want to do the course but I don't want to wait 3 months for it. I got a few friends that ride and I'm going with them this sat. The bike feels lighter everytime I ride it. I find myself wanting to switch lanes but I don't risk it. I have a prob. Don't know if I said it already but I seemto get stuck in gear when I come to a stop sign in 3 4 5 or 6 gear. I try to kick it back down to 1st but it won't let me. Sometimes when I'm in nutreal and I turn the bike on . It won't go to 1st. This happens when I turn tv bike off for a quick minute

[scorpi810]

My 07 did some of the same stuff yours is doing, after about 2500 miles it was ok. I had to let out of the clutch some at times to shift into first. Good Luck and welcome

[bettingpython]

You have to down shift 1 gear at a time while approcahing the light hit each gear on the way down. Trying to knock a sequential gearbox down from 6th to 1st is exactly how shift forks get bent.

You seriously need to get a MSF or other beginners riders course in to teach you the basics fast or your gonna have an expensive repair bill, or wind up seriously injured making an easily avoidable mistake.

to the .org,

PS hang up and drive please.

[bullitt1600]

ahhhh so this problem I got should go away. I'm still gonna take it in and have them look into it when I get my car back from he shop. I'm def going to go to that class. Cool so down shift 1 gear at a time.

[Twincam]

Say when I'm in 6th, as I'm approaching the lights from a distance I would drop it into 5th, let the clutch out whilst braking (engine helps slow the bike down too), then same routine for 4th, 3rd etc. Thats how I've been doing it all my life, and I've never had a problem. Be warned, you can lock up the rear tyre if your not careful!

Sometimes I have problems kicking it from 1st into neutral as it sometimes passes neutral and goes into 2nd, all I do is let the clutch out a bit, and then try again.

[ghbzorro]

Welcome

It has already been said, but I agree that the course is mandatory. As is full set of proper riding gear.

[dicksneeed]

My personal opinion is that the class is a waste of time and money. Just find less populated areas and ride. When I was learning I had a couple close calls cuz of shifting, but I learned from them and didn't do it again. When you come to a stop try to be in 2nd and just take off from 2nd rather than tryin to get into first. Never drap to 1st while moving either, just like in a car. When takin off from 2nd just ease out on the throttle and gradually give it gas.

[slickwill]

Originally Posted by bullitt1600

I have a prob. Don't know if I said it already but I seemto get stuck in gear when I come to a stop sign in 3 4 5 or 6 gear. I try to kick it back down to 1st but it won't let me. Sometimes when I'm in nutreal and I turn the bike on . It won't go to 1st. This happens when I turn tv bike off for a quick minute

I'm going to try to clarify and elaborate on what BP said up above. Your bike needs to be moving to be able to shift through the gears. That's the way the gearbox is designed. As you are slowing down just downshift through the gears one at a time. If you've had the clutch in for too long things in the gear box will stop spinning and the shift rods won't engage correctly. You can shift more than one at once but only if things are still moving in the gear box. You'll get the feel of it. Just let the clutch out again while you are still moving and it will get things spinning again and you can then shift again. If you are sitting at a stop and it doesn't want to shift in to 1st gear then all you have to do is let the clutch out just enough to get it to move things in the gear box a bit. It is a mechanical system so things aren't always going to come to rest in the perfect position. Almost like a trying to turn the key in the ignition of a car when the steering wheel is locked in the wrong position so you just turn the wheel a bit more and it works. Same idea.

Originally Posted by dicksneeed

My personal opinion is that the class is a waste of time and money. Just find less populated areas and ride. When I was learning I had a couple close calls cuz of shifting, but I learned from them and didn't do it again. When you come to a stop try to be in 2nd and just take off from 2nd rather than tryin to get into first. Never drap to 1st while moving either, just like in a car. When takin off from 2nd just ease out on the throttle and gradually give it gas.

Sounds like you should have taken the class. 1st gear is there for a reason. On a lot of bikes Ducati's, RC-51's off the top of my head, even 1st gear is almost too tall. Going straight to 2nd would be even that much worse. You can shift to first while still moving on any modern bike. It is synchronized just like any other gear. Because it is a bigger change in gear ratio from 2nd to 1st you need to be going slow when you make the shift. On my bike it shifts to first smoothest below 9mph. Just in time to be rolling to a stop. You don't want to stomp it down into first at 30mph but you can def. shift into 1st while moving. It generally a lot smoother to shift into first while moving than from a dead stop (because of the reasons in the above paragraph).

[bettingpython]

Ok off topic here, Will is 30 really too fast on the f4i to be dropping into 1st from second? Nevermind I'll go find out for myself I haven't ridden the wifes bike in couple of months. Time to figure out where the tires slide at.

Anything below 60 is good to slide into 1st on the 954, Riding casually I shift out of 1st into second around 40 to 45 mph. Episodic occurences of hooliganism usually find me shifting to second under hard acceleration around 65 to 70 mph.

Oh yeah your on a 600rr the gear ratios are probably different from mine.

[bullitt1600]

Originally Posted by bettingpython

Ok off topic here, Will is 30 really too fast on the f4i to be dropping into 1st from second? Nevermind I'll go find out for myself I haven't ridden the wifes bike in couple of months. Time to figure out where the tires slide at.

Anything below 60 is good to slide into 1st on the 954, Riding casually I shift out of 1st into second around 40 to 45 mph. Episodic occurences of hooliganism usually find me shifting to second under hard acceleration around 65 to 70 mph.

Oh yeah your on a 600rr the gear ratios are probably different from mine.

wow u guys been real helpful. Slickwill, that makes a lot of sense and yes I think 1st is a useful gear. So let's say I'm in 6th going 100. I let the engine brake for me. Ain't this stressful on tv bike?

[Kaeno]

Welcome Bullitt1600. I'm fairly new to forums myself. And the way Sickwill explained it, with comparisons to locked steering wheel, could not explain it better simpler myself. Great explanation.

[Twincam]

Originally Posted by bullitt1600

So let's say I'm in 6th going 100. I let the engine brake for me. Ain't this stressful on tv bike?

I'm not saying you need to use the engine only to slow you down, but I use it along side the brakes as it is easier, and when I was taught to ride many moons ago was safer than coasting to a stop (e.g. holding the brake in)

Anyone else shed some light?

[Kaeno]

Originally Posted by Twincam

I'm not saying you need to use the engine only to slow you down, but I use it along side the brakes as it is easier, and when I was taught to ride many moons ago was safer than coasting to a stop (e.g. holding the brake in)

Anyone else shed some light?

Same view here. I like to safely downshift and use back and front brakes when I can. Not like a costly harsh downshift, just the other day I skipped a gear at high speeds as I was downshifting and my back end wanted to fishtail, just out of downshift, no back break. I also like to believe the more you do something, more the chances you do it correctly under-pressure, comfortably, safely, efficiently and effectively. To know the limits of your braking power, and distribute that power to where you need it.. Thats resourceful, among other things.

Downshifting alone to help stop the bike may not be ideal. Downshifting from 6th to 1st (even easing off clutch) may put a bit of stress on your engine, correct. But as other riders stated above, dropping one gear at a time with help from your other breaks would probably be what you catch me doing. All in regards as if you are coming to a light/stop/yield.

Coming in and out of corners/curves, from High to low/mid speeds and vise-versa, I may not be as skilled and qualified rider to advise on that. But I know what I do. In regards to downshifting and which brake to use, how much power, and when.

Anyone else interested in elaborating some?

[bettingpython]

A skilled racer can achieve deceleration rates of 1.0g when slowing, a good street rider can usually achieve around .7g deceleration rates using proper down shifting and even an average rider should regularly see seceleration rates around .5g.

In comparison a car under full panic conditions can decelerate around .3g's

I will give you a scenario for stopping. Bear in mind you do not want to be looking at your gauges when stopping in traffic.

Your cruising along in 4th gear about 5000rpm on the tach and you need to come to a stop.

Begin by rolling off the gas and applying the brakes at the same time begin to
pull the clutch in and click down once to third. Ease the clutch out let the bike slow, by this time the throttle should be fully closed and you should be progressively applying more pressure to the brakes

once again around the midpoint of your engines rpm range in third gear around 5k to 6k rpm slide the clutch in click down into second gear slide the clutch out quickly but smoothly, don't just let go of it. Do all of this while still braking.

once again around the midpoint of your engines rpm range in second gear around 5k to 6k rpm slide the clutch in click down into 1st gear slide the clutch out quickly but smoothly, don't just let go of it by the time your engine drops below 5k rpm your probably going to be easing off the brakes and sliding the clutch back in so that you don't stop 3 to 5 car lengths short of your intended stopping point.

Beware that you do stop faster than a car following you at the same speed, this will get me down to a complete stop from 75mph faster than I can think about it.

Find a nice abandoned runway or stretch of road to practice braking on using this technique. You'll be stopping like a pro and never having to try to get your bike down into it's proper gear to take off from a standstill again.

If the rear tire begins to slide just keep the bike pointed straight and ease off the foot pedal and maybe slip the clutch in if it's still sliding. In extreme circumstances the rear tire may come off the ground in that case ease off the front brake a little.

[Kaeno]

Awsome! This is well explained. I'm going to share this with friends.

[bettingpython]

cornering is easy all your braking should be done by the time you turn in. I know someones gonna come back and say thats not what Rossi says but we are talking street riding here.

Once you tip in to the turn and follow your line through the turn should be slightly feeding the throttle power this helps to decompress the front suspensin and settle the bike down.

Slow in fast out makes for a smoother street rider and eventually leads to a faster more skilled rider than someone who tries to be fast from the get go.

[Kaeno]

Originally Posted by bettingpython

cornering is easy all your braking should be done by the time you turn in.

Agreed.

Lets say, While IN a turn, lets say 3rd gear. better to be slightly higher in rpms so as engine slows bike down, front tire bites down a little giving front tire wee bit more traction? or lower in rpms so back don't spin out giving rear wee bit more traction?

I wont put to much thought into it in the heat of the moment, just something I would like to think about to pass the time. I'm sure theres a ton of variables, road tempature, tire tempature, tire traction, road traction blah blah blah..

[bettingpython]

You never want to need to decelerate in a turn, transferring weight to the front wheel by slowing down is bad, it is the leading cause of lowsides in turns when a rider is to fast for their skill level.

Ok that being said I usaully enter my turns around 7500 to 8500 rpm roughly 75% of my available engine. By the time I am exiting I will usually be somewhere close to 11500rpm or roughly 95% of my available engine rpm's

99.9% of the time I never ever need to adjust my line or bleed speed in a turn. Remeber slow in fast out, if you exit a turn and stand the bike up going "I coulda entered that turn faster", your usually in good shape. Remeber on the streets you want enough traction available to you to change direction in your line in case you round the bend and a vehicle or animal or hay bale is in your way.

If I hit a bump and the bike gets a little upset I will trail brake with the rear ever so gently to settle everything down and may ease off the accelrator to a neutral throttle or maintenance throttle, (your feeding the bike gas so it doesn't slow down but not enough for it to speed up). Do not hit the brakes or get completely off the gas. Lean more do everything you can to make that turn at the speed you entered it at because if you went in that far over your skill level odds are you will panic and do something wrong trying to get out of it.

When you hit the front brake or get completely off the gas in a turn the bike tries to stand up thus widening out the line of your turn, it adds additional load to the tire than leaning more does, this means if your close to the traction limit of the front tire it could be the move that causes the front to slide out and you to wreck.

Almost everyone who makes fun of a rider for having chicken strips or for being the slow guy on the ride will never really get much faster. The guys who start easy and become very smooth will always be faster safer and more fun to ride with.

Don't push your limits always come out of a ride going I coulda been faster because your limits will increase and so will your pace with much less risk than trying to be fast, you'll just never notice till one one day someone new is going damn your fast I don't think I can keep up with you. then it's time to payback all the guys who took the time to help you by giving back to the riding community.

Here read this.
The Pace - Nick Ienatsch - Motorcyclist magazine