What Gear RU in & other Noob ?’s

[Sandman]

Or another title might be… Questions newer riders might have but are too embarrassed to ask.

Hey, I don’t mind telling on myself for the sake of finding out if this is a normal progression, or if I need to walk my bike the next MSF refresher course.

Do you always know what gear you’re in? - I imagine you’re supposed to, but sometimes in the process of coming to a stop I’ll be in the next higher (or next lower) gear than I think I am. I always engine brake through 2nd gear, then keep the clutch in until stopped. I never engine brake in 1st as I find it too jerky. So here is where I discover sometimes that there is an extra gear to shift through, OR clunk into 1st at above 20 mph, and boy does the gearbox whine when you do that (dead giveaway to not let out the clutch)! No biggie, just makes me feel dumb.

Do you always come to a smooth stop? It’s been 10 months and 5500 miles, and I still have issues with coming to a smooth stop every time. Smooth meaning balanced with no lean in either direction. I would say that 90% of my stops are textbook, 5% are ok, but the remaining 5% make me feel like an idiot. I find that from about 10 mph on down, if I apply more back brake than front, I am more apt to come to a perfectly balanced stop. If I use more front than back, for whatever reason the bike starts to lean to the left, so I end up having to stop more abruptly before the point of no return. When this happens it is a complete mystery to me as to why.

Those are my 2 nagging questions for now, I appreciate any insight you can provide! Thanks!

[Rickster]

No, and no.

Even after 30 some years, I still sometimes find myself in a different gear than I thought I was in. When I come to a stop sign, I just keep down shifting till it won't shift anymore.

Stops, and starts are tricky, and no one does them perfect every time. If you are leaning to the left when you use the front brake for stopping, it's probably from pulling back on the whole right side of the bar, instead of just the brake lever.

[TL chris]

yes and yes

[SVZuki]

yes and no

[reddeth]

Yes and yes.

I just got a feel for what gear I"m in, occasionally if I bang through the gears a lot going through some twisties I'll be off a gear or two but for the most part I just know what gear I"m currently in.

[jackM50black]

Every now and then, I'm not sure of what gear I'm in. I always come to a smooth stop .....at least 95% of the time anyway.

[kstateskier]

I'm on mile 16 on my bike and YES I forget which gear I'm in... And my stops aren't that great at the moment... I almost forgot which foot to put down first tonight...

[jackM50black]

Originally Posted by kstateskier

I'm on mile 16 on my bike and YES I forget which gear I'm in... And my stops aren't that great at the moment... I almost forgot which foot to put down first tonight...

He's the one who just puts his foot out to brake the car to a halt.

[inspiron]

Yes, I'm always wearing full gear - textiles at the moment (still too cold and wet for leather).

Oh, you're talking about the transmission.

I usually can tell what gear I'm in, but occasionally I still try to upshift from 6th ...
As for my stops, about 99% are okay. The occasional "oops" comes out when I put my foot down on a spot of oil or so...but my balance and reflexes are still pretty good, so I tend to "recover" from this quickly.

[Sandman]

Whew! Thanks for the feedback! Now I don't feel quite so bad.

Rickster - (pulling back on the bar along with the brake lever) that's one thing I didn't think about, I'll try and be mindful of that next time and see what happens.

inspiron - I too look for that 6th gear from time to time, but as I've read on many posts here it's a fairly common occurance with the C50's. It's only when I'm downshifting and don't know what gear I'm in that it's irritating.

kstateskier - I went back and glanced over a few of your posts, you have ridden bikes before, but this is your first bike, right? Just focus on what you're doing and not on the newness of your bike. That was almost my down fall many times as a first time rider with a brand new C50. I was thinking/worrying more about dropping it than what I should be doing to keep it upright.

[kstateskier]

Yes Sandman you are correct this is MY first bike, but I've ridden several over the years. Thanks for the tip I'll really focus on that stuff! I've been just reading everything I can over the last few days, from msg boards to my motorcycle safety book just to try and refresh my brain of all the important things. I'm really looking forward to more seat time! 60 today!!!

[919Hooligan]

On my M50 I was always looking for a sixth gear, but on my 919 I'm usually up to highway speeds by the time I get halfway through third, so I just do three quick stabs into sixth.
As for stopping, I feel the 9'r is balanced so well that I rarely get the wobbles.

[Louis]

No (but rarely) & yes.

[SoCalCruisin]

No and almost always yes. I'm looking for 6th gear often enough to get frustrating at times. Wish I had a tachometer. The smooth stops are the norm, but there's times I get sloppy.

If I remember correctly, I think my '82 Suzuki GS850 actually had an idiot light that said what gear I was in.

[ORBrit]

No (in higher gears) and mostly yes. I've only got 1000 miles or so under my belt so still learning and practicing.
I always end up in 1st at a stop - but I've often tried to upshift and I'm already in 5th.
My stops are 90% good - I glide in smoothly, with no lean and stop exactly as I place my left foot down. I've only had about 4 two footed stops since I took my MSF. I think a lot of that has to do with the bike I ride - a Suzuki boulevard S50 which is really light. (454 lbs dry)

[themeatmanlandry]

It took a few thousand miles to get used to it, but I eventually learned to do two things:

1) I sort of "count" in my head what gear I'm in. At first it was a little annoying, but now I do it on both bikes (the GSXR has a gear indicator).

2) I learned the tach/speedo relationship with respect to the gearing (on my Bandit). For instance:

First gear: Pretty easy to know you're in first (plus I don't dwell in first on the Bandit, I just use it to get moving up to about 20 or so) but also, if the tach is WAY above the speedo (tach says 5(000), speedo says 2(0), I know I'm in first.

Second gear: The tach will read about 1,000 rpm over whatever the speedo was reading.

Third gear: The tach will run about 500 over the speedo.

Fourth gear: Tach and speedo are pretty much equal (at 50 mph, tach reads about 5000).

Fifth gear: Tach reads about 500 under the speedo (at 50 mph, tach reads about 4500)

Sixth gear: Tach reads about 1000 under the speedo (at 50 mph, tachs reads 4000 rpm).

[allan4169]

The thing to remember is that as you come to the actual stop you want to have the least amount of brake on. The action of braking is the same as in a car. Squeeze brake gently on, then squeeze harder to actually slow down , and then as you are slowing down you are slowing releasing the brake. So when you stop you have the least amount of brake. You need very little brake to stop from walking speed, therefore that is why you are applying less brake as you slow down. That also gives you the smoothest stop. Don't do it smoothly and you will stop with a lurch. ( Same as driving a car ) Now as you are slowing down you are also dropping down through you gears. You can let out the clutch as you are slowing to use the engine braking but if you don't need it then that is up to you. Some bikes will not let you go down through the gears when the bike is stopped, hence going down through the gears as you are slowing down. As you come to the stop your left foot is ready to hit the ground and hold you up. Even with a pillion rider, coming to a stop with the left foot down is stable. Remember to ride your ride and don't let the traffic rush you. Stops and turns on two wheels sometimes have to be taken slower than in a car due to road conditions. I ride a 2001 Suzuki 1200 Bandit S which is quite heavy at 480 lbs so you can't throw it around. There are some turns and intersections where I have to drive slower than if I was driving my car. But it all comes down to practice and doing it to get more experience. Eventually you will be riding and doing things automatically.

[md2lgyk]

No and almost always. The way my VZ800 is geared, a lot of times I'm trying to upshift when it's already in fifth gear. It has no tach so I shift by sound and feel.

As for smooth stopping, a trick I learned in the MSF course is to slightly turn the front wheel to the left just as you're coming to a stop. You should put your left foot down first, or only your left foot, and this makes it a bit easier.

[Sandman]

allan4169, I think you may have something. Most of my riding is done commuting, and there is alot of stop & go traffic which without a doubt is the exception to normal braking. I realized yesterday that if I leave a car length space(or more depending on speed) I have the time to slow down gradually and come to a smooth stop, as opposed to flowing with traffic (following too close), with the fast starts and abrupt stops, that can force mistakes to happen.

I remember reading a great article here that talked about "the space." Here's the link:

Motorcycle Commuting Survival Strategies

[Apertureguy]

Do you remember that Cheech & Chong movie, I think it was Up in Smoke?

There's a part where they're in the car...and as they're taking off he says out loud...."First Gear.....Second Gear.....Third Gear....Fourth Gear!" in a latino accent? This was what I used to use to help me remember what gear I was in, while corny...it did help.

Now, it's automatic...and much like driving my cage...I always know what gear I'm in, unless I'm going way too fast and I'm trying for that missing 6th gear.

As for the braking...you just have to keep reminding yourself of what you're going to do before you have to do it.

If you can prevent a split second decision, by evaluating a situation moments before you have to react...you'll be better prepared and could have potentially gone over the movements in your head.

I find when I did make mistakes, it was because I was watching the people watching me...instead of me watching what I was about to do.