Shifting!!!

H

hot stuff! =)

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I am still in my break in period at about 200 miles. I have been following he shifting in the manual...is this the recommended way to go? Also when you down shift how far should you wait till you change gears. When I am stoped I have trouble siftting back into 1st gear...is this normal? When you come offf the light is it best to start in first or second?
 
I am in first before the bike comes to a stop, I just have not released the clutch.
You should be riding in the power band not lugging it.
Do a little blip of the throttle as you shift to match the revs. You will find it easier to shift as the bike breaks in.

One common fault among new riders is to shift too soon.
If the bike feels jerky your speed is too slow for the gear you are in and you should be one shift down.

At 200 miles you just need more practice. Quite, slow back roads are good
places to practice.

Good luck.
 
one thing to keep in mind - even though bikes are a bit more tame when keeping the engine at low rpm, you can cause SIGNIFICANT damage to the crankshaft if you lug it. you can quite honestly twist it and cause $$$ damage.

downshifting to first has to be done either when you're just about stopped, or you REALLY have to match the revs of the engine. the biggest gearing change is between 1st and 2nd, so if you're not matched right you'll hear a LOUD CLUNK.

launching should always be done in 1st. if you have problems going into 1st when standing still, roll the bike forward and backward around a foot using just your legs - it'll realign the gears and make it easy to get the tranny to go into 1st. or, release the clutch partially to help the gears realign.
 
The speeds in the owners manual are a crock of S**&^%$

Use feel, and empathy for your machine. Don't lug it. The occasional foray into higher revs is actually good for it, as long as this doesn't become the norm until it is broken in.

Fortunately, this improves outta sight in 1000 kms, and even more as km goes up. by 10,000 km, you have more than 2 gears for any normal speed.
 
Lost360, you shouldn't shift gears while stopped, with the exception of Neutral to First. Motorcycle transmissions are not designed to do that. You'll learn the bike's power characteristics with a few more miles, and the shift points will become second nature. For now, shift at 3-4,000 rpm.
 
If I understand you correctly the answer is yes the gear ratio in first is low = more engine rev's to achieve the same speed as if you were in 2nd
 
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