New Rider.....what to do if bike stalls?

baadshah · L Plate Warrior Joined: 25 Aug 2011 Karma :

Hi

I passed my CBT last month, and got a Honda CG125 55 plate a couple of weeks ago. I only use it for commuting really.
Never ridden before (apart from a couple of days on holiday).

I stalled the bike this morning, and panicked! Took me a while to figure out what to do, to get it to start up again, and the cars behind me weren't happy.

If the bike stalls, what is the correct method to start it up again?

Thanks in advance

Daytona Paul · Scooby Slapper Joined: 16 Aug 2009 Karma :

If you clutch in, press starter, make sure you are in 1st gear, do appropriate observations and then pull away - job done.

If you start to panic, clutch in, release brakes, paddle the bike to the side of the road, then sort out the gearing in relative safety before pulling away. Don't forget your observations 1st though!

Edit: assuming you have electric start!! If not, see below Smile

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yen_powell · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Karma :

Firstly you need to get all the blood out of your body and around your face for that hot embarrassed feeling (it happens to everyone at some time).

If you got electric start, pull the clutch in and press the button.

If you've got kickstart, get the bike into neutral and just kick it with no throttle applied. You can technically kickstart a bike in gear, but some shoot forward despite the clutch being pulled in.
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stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Don't panic. Sit there, calmly sort yourself out, obs over both shoulders and ride away again when safe.

If you can't get it started, pull in the clutch, indicate and lifesaver left and paddle across to the side of the road like you'd do after an emergency stop.

Ignore people behind you, they were all learners once too, and you have L-plates to tell them this. If they start honking and revving, they are clearly a prick and deserve to be extra ignored.

Actually, if someone starts that with me when I stall (happens on the enfield occasionally when the engine is particularly hot) I stop making any attempt to restart the bike and look round at the honker with a "What?" on my face. The more they honk and gesticulate, the less attempt I make to get the bike going again until they calm the fuck down. One day I'll get off the bike and go over to ask them if there is a problem.
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baadshah · L Plate Warrior Joined: 25 Aug 2011 Karma :

Thanks for that Daytona Paul, yen_powell and stinkwheel. Thumbs Up

Yes, the bike has an electric start.

I'll be better prepared now for the next time it happens!

chris-red · Have you considered a TDM? Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Karma :

Soon you will become a pro like me, on my test I stalled coming onto a roundabout, the bike was still rolling onto the roundabout and I re-started it without putting my foot down. Didn't even get minor for it.
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Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

Yup, don't sweat it. We've all done it, it's a rite of pasage.

You'll soon learn how to deal with it, but if it concerns you, you could do some practice stalling / kill-switching and then starting and moving off smoothly until it's second nature.
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Teflon-Mike · tl;dr Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Karma :

Flamzypants · Nova Slayer Joined: 07 Jul 2011 Karma :

Happened to me a couple times, depending on your location and the traffic to avoid panic induced failing just wheel the bike to the side of the road to allow motorists to pass and indicate when you're ready to rejoin. That's what I did at first ^^

Though there are times when it's not safe to do so, like sitting on the exit of a multi lane roundabout >_> when that happened I just sat there and took my time, took some honking and a few fingers were raised but got there in the end xD Sat there for half a minute with the engine running staring down the wanker behind me -.-
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TheSmiler · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Apr 2011 Karma :

Mike I was going to post the same thing as it really works, especially if you stall at a traffic light 4 times Embarassed

... best thing to do is get calm before riding of as if you make a mistake you are only going to make more and you only need one extremely bad mistake to cause you to be Hurt

.

(oh mike you forgot that the biker that stalled in the middle of the road had an ambulance behind him as well Wink

)
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Teflon-Mike · tl;dr Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Karma :

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Not just learners. Just wait 'till your ropy Czech 2-stroke decides to conk out when joining a busy 4-lane motorway in the fast lane. You manage to coast it across all four lanes miraculpusly without hitting anything to find the hard shoulder has been coned off AND someone has tied a rope across the top of all the cones.

Cue stinkwheel coasting along the hard shoulder trailing a daisy-chain of traffic cones off each handlebar.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

TheSmiler · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Apr 2011 Karma :

J.M. · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Karma :

To me, it always depends on what situation I'm in - though I'm thankful that I rarely stall Smile

During my CBT I was on a bike with a kickstart, and going through Hinckley. I'd been riding great up until I the set of traffic lights where I was at the start of the que, and I'd just started the independent riding (well I was in front, he was still telling me where to go).
Wouldn't you know it, the que's back all the way to the end of the road, the light goes green - and bam, stalled it.
The obvious instruction is "don't panic", but with a que of cars behind you and an instructor shouting don't panic in your ear, that's kinda hard Laughing

You really need to assess the situation. First of all, are you in danger (or will you be). If you are you should probably think about a couple of things:
- Can I get this bike started in good time
- If not, would it be best to get off the road

So if you're just in a que of traffic, you're not really in that much danger because cars can't really overtake due to oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. In that instance, I'd just pop the clutch in and give the kickstart a nice solid kick down. One kick should do it as the engine's nice and hot already. If you've got an electric start then just clutch in and press the button. Then just drive off as normal. I wouldn't really bother trying to find neutral as some people suggest; one some bikes this can be a pain, and if the bike jumps forwards it's not too much of a big deal because you already have a gap in front of you (well I hope so, you were trying to move!) and you can just carry on riding.

If you just stalled and want to make sure you don't do it again, give yourself more revs than you normally would do. It causes a bit more wear on your clutch but it helps restore that confidence you just lost in yourself.

I once found this biker on youtube, vlogging, one the commentary he told us about this time when a car behind him (he was also in a car at the time) started beeping him at the traffic lights (lights were only just on red-amber), so he puts his hazard lights on and pretends he's broken down - then goes off to check the engine just the make the guy wait Laughing

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stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Just so you're aware, some kickstart bikes can't be kicked over unless they are in neutral.

I have one where the kicker works on the gearbox. If you kick it in gear, the bike moves forwards. If you pull the clutch in, the kickstart doesn't move the engine.

That said, these days I tend to just paddle forwards and bump-start it if I stall rather than fannying about with the kickstart.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

Teflon-Mike · tl;dr Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Karma :

The 'important' bit is the 'DONT PANIC', but its also the hardest to do.
The 'assess situation' is first thing you should always do; as said there are NO fix all panacea solutions to riding a motorbike, we HAVE to live on our wits and keep them about us at all times.

In the stall situation, I would, probably nine times out of ten, reach for the starter and try and clear the problem; not follow my own advice;

"Get OFF.. clear the hazard, sort it from the side of the road"

And there ARE situations where that advice simply isn't appropriate, like Stinks anecdote about the Hard Shoulder on the MZ!

BUT..... as base line "Panic Reaction".... having that 'instinct' instilled; Dont fret about the bike; JUST get off, and find some-where safe....... its a good 'instinct' to have.

Rather than looking down, and peering at the immediate 'seat' and looking at the bike, prodding buttons, watching tacho,. hunting choke or petrol knobs, etc..... FIRST thing you do is look UP and around you, for that 'Safe Place'..... and take IN what's going on around you, and what you have to deal with.....

Do that... might realise that ACTUALLY you are already in the safest place, and its only some twit honking their horn, and THEY could if they were inclined simply drive around you! Or, the lights have changed, and you DONT actually have to go anywhere, you have until the amber to get the bike started again, OR its a completely empty road, and you dont need to 'worry'....

End of the day, its whatever 'works' for you......

But its that 'Critical' instinctive reaction, when the bike does 'stall' or conk out, or 'something' doesn't respond as expected....

'Whats Wrong' reaction has you look down, and in... and reacting thus, can string together succession of compounding mistakes.

"Get Off - Get Safe", instinctive reaction, has you look up, look around, and more 'naturally' do that situation assessment, and not looking at the controls prodding buttons.... THAT might work, and MIGHT be appropriate thing to do, in many situations, BUT its the initial assessement that is the critical bit, and it's NOT something we easily do, and do well, in a panic situation. Hence 'rote' response, drilled in, that makes it happen, even if you dont follow through with the rest of the 'rote' is where the 'key' to the advice lies; not following the letter of the mantra!

Curiouse phenomona of psycology; people DONT tend to like thinking! They like doing; they like following instructions; they like having 'ideas'..... very rarely will they think ideas through very well!

Tell some-one what to do... nine times out of ten, they are very 'happy'... saves them thinking for themselves....

What I WANT people to do is 'think for themselves'..... but very difficult as a teacher or instructor, to get them to actually 'Think' not just have wild ideas!..... Trick is to give an instructor that by 'default' makes them think...... get people actually 'thinking'... and incredibly they will carry on.... and when they have wild ideas, THINK about them.... and with a very LITTLE guidance and thought training.... think things through very well, ALL on thier own!

Snowie is doing it now; and its hilariouse; she has spent years being told what to do, and blindly doing it, and being told when something goes wrong "Wat! YOU STOOOOOOPID WOMAN! I told You! for her to reply, "Well I did what you told me" and then shouted down "Well wasn't it obviouse? Haven't you ANY sense or Inteligence?!" becouse..... basically crap instructions that DONT work in every situation, or dont cover all eventualities, but worse DIDN'T instill 'thinking', just blind 'follow the instructions'.

Now, after building her bike, starting decent training, building confidence passing some tests; she's having 'IDEAS', and 'expecting' to be told why they are stupid..... and finding that ACTUALLY thought through, it's a GOOD idea... and told to go with it....

Its ALL about giving you the 'tools' to think through ideas and work out for yourself what may or may not be good or bad ones......

STOP! GET OFF!
Situation occurs; BUMP. Rote Remembered.... Look Up, Look around..... "BUT but! There's no REASON to get off!"
BANG... you're thinking for yourself.

'TRY RESTART'
Situation occurs; BUMP. Rote Remembered.... Try Restart, prods button, wirr.... Try Restart, prods wirr..... WHAT SHOULD I DO! It's not working..... More Panic..... remembers first line... TRY RESTART..... But Its NOT working......... What should I do now! Ah! Paddle top side of road!

And at THAT point, student starts paddling, and car that WAS stuck behind them, who's just pulled around them, rams into them..... because they didn't STOP and LOOK... they just followed, blindly, and in panic, what they THOUGHT they had been told.....

Which is all all lot of necessary waffle..... but a bit of qualification to explain the 'WHY' I put my advice the way I did.....
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Germ · Trackday Trickster Joined: 13 Aug 2011 Karma :

Mike,did you stick "Fuck the lot of them" in the wall of text?
If you stall it's not YOUR problem,it's the other drivers.No one ever got hurt or injured by some inconsiderate tosser honking their horn at a stalled vehicle with L plates on.
The only one being an immature dick is the one who's forgotten just how many times they stalled and just how pressured they felt when they were learning and making mistakes.

Easy to say all that but harder to remember when you're being pressurised.

Also remember if you're on a <= 125cc machine it seems to stall more often and it's usually a much smaller size so you have less "road presence" therefore drivers seem more willing to be dicks.....but it does get better,just not much lol.

J.M. · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Karma :

Teflon-Mike · tl;dr Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Karma :

Darylw27 · Nova Slayer Joined: 20 May 2011 Karma :

Ah the good old days of stalling. I remember on the road part of my CBT I stalled for about 2 cycles of a traffic light before I actaully moved off. It was on the most steep hill I've even been on before mind you and I just didn't give it enough beans.

Main things have already been covered, stay calm and make sure you're in first and so some obs to make sure some dozy driver hasn't decided to overtake you as you pull off again.

Shouldn't take you long to get used it though, I stalled enough during my CBT to kill the battery on the bike and after then haven't stalled since. Just keep at it and DON'T panic.