Help with gears (first Geared Bike)

[stayslinky]

Got my first ever geared bike today and dont have a clue how to work the gears.
Does anyone recommend I get training or firgure out for myself
(what people have told me, is that you'll pick up on it really quickly.)

any suggestions?

 

[extreme601]

You have to take a CBT as a legal requirement anyway, they'll teach you.

 

[stayslinky]

You have to take a CBT as a legal requirement anyway, they'll teach you.

I did when I was 16

 

[extreme601]

Should have looked at your bike thingy, fair enough.

Forgive the self promotion but I made a 'How to ride a Motorcycle' video a little while back if you're into visual learning.

I'm sure you're familiar with how a clutch works, pull it in to change gear and release slowly to apply throttle again.

Most bike gears are 1st at the bottom, then neutral, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th (and 6th) as you go up.

Hold clutch in, kick down to 1st, release clutch slowly whilst applying a little throttle to pull away, to change to 2nd, pull in clutch, hard kick up through neutral to 2nd, etcetc.

 

[mrtommygunwhite]

easer than a car up for up down for down neutral is between 1st and 2nd

 

[stayslinky]

Should have looked at your bike thingy, fair enough.

Forgive the self promotion but I made a 'How to ride a Motorcycle' video a little while back if you're into visual learning.

I'm sure you're familiar with how a clutch works, pull it in to change gear and release slowly to apply throttle again.

Most bike gears are 1st at the bottom, then neutral, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th (and 6th) as you go up.

Hold clutch in, kick down to 1st, release clutch slowly whilst applying a little throttle to pull away, to change to 2nd, pull in clutch, hard kick up through neutral to 2nd, etcetc.

thanks I'll have a look.

 

[mrtommygunwhite]

Should have looked at your bike thingy, fair enough.

Forgive the self promotion but I made a 'How to ride a Motorcycle' video a little while back if you're into visual learning.

I'm sure you're familiar with how a clutch works, pull it in to change gear and release slowly to apply throttle again.

Most bike gears are 1st at the bottom, then neutral, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th (and 6th) as you go up.

Hold clutch in, kick down to 1st, release clutch slowly whilst applying a little throttle to pull away, to change to 2nd, pull in clutch, hard kick up through neutral to 2nd, etcetc.

missed your post sorry but yeah listen to him he's right

 

[Yorkshire Fazer]

best tip i can give (and i keep having to remind myself this) is to change from 1st to 2nd like you mean it!
don't tickle it, give it a good push!
every time i don't i hit neutral !
oh well, i'll get it right one day!

 

[IonizingMe]

One thing I will say is it's something you learn quickly because you've got no option not to. If you don't get the hang of your gears in your first hour or so of riding, you'll probably end up dropping your bike when you pull into traffic lights.
One of the best things about small CC bikes compared to cars or large CC bikes (i.e. 125/250cc) is that you can give it full beans in first, drop the clutch, and unless your weigh nothing and are sitting with your arse the other side of the back wheel, you're not going to whip the front end up, worst that'll happen is it may get a bit light.
My advice to you is don't make the same mistake I did, and drastically underestimate the revs you need to get moving. On most small CC bikes you can slowly let the clutch out and get rolling to about 10mph without even touching the throttle. On the other hand, obviously without being a moron, it's perfectly possible to overshoot your revs and let your clutch out without too much worry. Once you know where your bite point is, and what is an appropriate rev range to move away smoothly, you'll find it plain sailing. It's really just a matter of time and familiarity.

OH one of the best tips I can give you: wear the same shoes! Sounds odd, but you'll find it so different and hard to get used to if you swap boots/shoes every ride. I spent 3 years wearing my RST Pro Series boots, and I've just bought a pair of Sidi Vertigo Evos, and because they've got a slimmer profile, I sometimes go to find my lever and mis-hit it a bit. I've only worn them for about 45 minutes so far and I'm doing a 4 hour journey tomorrow morning so I gotta get acquainted real quick 45 mins is a long time to remove 3 years of muscle memories. That's another thing you get used to in time.
Trust the bike, it'll become second nature in next to no time

 

[JollyRoger]

Yeah many of us have how to videos on the Tube, that was how I learnt the basics before getting on a bike. I'm pretty visual so that helped me.

Agreed with Yorkshire Fazer, give the lever a good kick up from 1st to 2nd to avoid revving the tits off it.

Also practice practice. More you do it the faster you'll stop thinking about it.

Finally, do the CBT