close the throttle while shifting. and let the clutch out slower.

 

Practice. Practice. Practice.

Roll back on throttle while letting the clutch lever out(if you're upshifting with the clutch). Rolling on or letting out too fast or doing them out of sync will cause a jerky shift.

It will eventually become 2nd nature. You just have to get the feel for your specific clutch friction zone and throttle.

 

Just dont use the clutch when upshifting.

 

not a smart thing for a new rider and definitely not on the 250. ive tried it and its even more jerky than dumping the clutch

 

My clutchless upshifts are not anywhere near as jerky as releasing the clutch lever too quick on an upshift. 1st>2nd is a little but the rest after that are fine.

 

Yeah I was told by the MSf course you have to match the speed with the gear or something like that.

I understood what he meant though.

 

That's talking about gear selection. Smoothe shifting is just something that has to be learned by felt and doing.

 

the clutch engages at the last sec on the bike i got for the wife. only have to pull it a inch to get smooth upshifts all the time. but im used to that kind of clutch

 

if done properly its fine. but if you force it its bad. smooth is the key. if it didnt go smooth you didnt have the gears matched right

 

Just blurp the throttle a bit when shifting, and you will be fine. You will find the sweet spot soon enough.

 

I hate having to pull it in and shift up. So much work haha. Not really. But one second is a lot

 

I don't know why they were getting mad at me. I was in second, and to slow down to a stop to get in line, I would put it in first and let the engine slow its self down. They said that first is only used to get going. I drove a manual before and would use the engine to slow down, instead of using brake. I do understand if you shift to a lower gear while going to fast you can lock up the tire, or jerk really hard. It was at about 10mph so i was like wtf? Confirm?

 

Shifting into 1st is usually unnecessary. You can do it but you might as well have stayed in 2nd. I wouldn't make a habit of shifting back to first except at a stop to get going again. You don't need to be shifting back to 1st for engine braking either.

You're getting a 250R too like I have and I'll tell you I never purposely shift down to first while still moving. By purposely, I mean sometimes I forget what gear I was in and kick it down to 1st thinking it was only 2nd. The other gears will generate enough engine braking for you. Even in 6th gear on this bike, the bike still has enough engine braking to hold speed or reduce it coming down an incline.


Even on a car, since you mentioned it, it's not neccesary. On your car, you will wear out the synchros alot quicker by shifting into first whille moving. I'm sure you've felt it takes alot more pressure to shift your car transmission into 1st while moving than any other gear by a decent amount. Eventually, the transmission is going to get weak and it's going to stop being able to engage low gears without grinding.

 

its the way the corse is taught. we never downshifted and let the clutch out in mine. were told not too. cause apparently while downshifting into a corner at 5 miles an hour you can lock up the rear

 

I was going in a straight line. It's not like I was leaning.

 

Thanks, I just had a thought...Brakes are cheaper then a new transmission/engine.

 

practice

more experience u get, the smoother u will be at shifting gears

and always use the clutch

 

ditto

Practice, practice and more practice. Eventually you'll shift and it will all be second nature, and smoooooth as silk.

and use a little caution when downshifting. Downshifting while entering into a corner can cause you to lose your rear. Practice blipping the throttle while down shifting to match revs. It's a good habit and can save your butt (unless you have a slipper clutch)

 

Another Question...

It's a good habit and can save your butt (unless you have a slipper clutch)

I know my bike has a slipper clutch, but I've never really been able to figure out what exactly a slipper clutch allows you to do...?

 

Elaborate...

Could someone elaborate on the clutchless upshifting? Cause I get a good amount of jerking as well...

Do you close the throttle or just keep it the same...?

Shifting is the only thing I'm still really trying to perfect...

 

Could someone elaborate on the clutchless upshifting? Cause I get a good amount of jerking as well...

Do you close the throttle or just keep it the same...?

Shifting is the only thing I'm still really trying to perfect...

not a good idea.
if you CANT get a smooth shift WITH the clutch, theres no way in hell ur gonna get one without it....

 

smoothness will come. get out there and get some miles in and eventually it will all come together for ya.

 

idle should be 1200-1300 RPM

 

Low Idle



Mine idles at barely over 1000, the manual says 1250 is standard for my bike. Either way i think it needs to be increased, it should be pretty easy to do my self right?

 

left side of the engine area, little black knob. start the bike, let it warm to operating temp and adjust.

 

lusone: blipping when downshifting is another thing that takes practice to do well

 

It's easier for me now to just say I agree with nevada and hoser

 

Same way you get to Carnegie Hall... practice, practice, practice

Seriously; the more you ride, the more it will become second nature and you won't even think about it. You'll just shift when you need to (up or down) without even looking at the tach.

 

Thanks

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who gave advice. My shifting is smoother now (with/without the clutch) and I raised my idle closer to 1500 and that seems to be helping a lot too.

Of course, I know practice is the only real way to perfect my skills. I've actually only had my bike for just about a week now, and I'm feeling a lot more confident with all the advice people have given.

Thanks guys!

 

isnt a "clutchless" shift bad for the bike....? i would assume so... it sounds like you just jam it into the next gear. can someone elaborate a little more on that plz.

 

Put pressure on the shifter. Roll off the throttle and the next gear falls right in. No jamming of anything. If anything feels jammed or forced, you're doing it wrong and probably are hurting some moving parts.

 

But seriously, do you *really* need to clutchless shift on the street?

 

Nope, you don't.

 

just tried it today. it seems a little more rough from 1st to 2nd but after that its fine.