Tips for shifting gears

[G30]

I need help with this, when do I know when to switch gears exactly? I'm really fucking up at lower speeds with the revs. I know it's best to listen and all, but I still suck. I'm okay, but still not that good with transitioning/shifting when I'm moving and accelerating and need to shift upwards but other than that I suck.
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KTM RC390 -- Kawa ER6f -- Yam YZF R125 -- Yam YBR 125

[-Matt-]

As you say engine sound ideally. Also unless heavily accelerating yoh shouldnt really be getting high up/near the red line on the revs dial, however i wouldnt get too reliant on visually looking at this as it will become a distraction. Just be calm and fluent in your shifting and acceleration, if both are done at a steady pace it should become easier to hit the 'mark' for shifting.

Try spread your speed increase across the gears evenly too. If youre finding youre flying away staying in first and second and rapidly moving between third fourth and fifth you may need go shift out of the earlier gears a bit sooner.

The bike will feel smoother and less lurching if youre getting the changes in good time also

[SteveZZR]

Pull the clutch in?


But seriously, try going about 15mph per gear or something and just see how that goes for you.

[deadwolf]

How long have you been riding? When getting on a different bike it takes me about one or two weeks to get used to the shifting.

What helped me was (1) going through the whole rev range in each gear and seeing when the power kicked in/started trailing off and (2) which gear is most responsive/smooth at a certain speed.

Like Matt said, first gear would take you all the way to redline really quick on most bikes, so you'll want to shift to second ASAP.

Try not to short shift too much, I'm sure Tef might be in soon with his 'bikes are made to rev' speech. But at the end of the day it depends on the situation. When accelerating you'll wanna get till high revs before shifting to get the most power out of each gear, while bimbling about in town you can shift more to get the revs low/more response/less noise/better mpg/etc etc etc.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

What bike do you have?
____________________
Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[Rogerborg]

4 days ago he was sniffing after YBR125s and asking about insurance.

Good work if you've actually got one. GTFO if you're fantasising.

Revs the nuts off it going up the box, be a bit more careful coming down should cover it.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Sako]

Save yourself the hassle and just stay in first gear all the time.

[G30]

Suppose I just need to get out there and do it, no other way to practise properly.
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KTM RC390 -- Kawa ER6f -- Yam YZF R125 -- Yam YBR 125

[Rogerborg]

https://rogerborg.dnsd.me/a-bike-do-you-have-one.jpg
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Pete.]

[Ribenapigeon]

If its a 125 then ring its neck then change up. You learn with a 125 to keep it up in the power band to get any performence out of it. Its the good thing about riding a 125, you learn not just to change gear but how to manage the available power.

[moggie]

Best tip I ever got was to put a little bit of upward pressure on the gear shift lever before you shift, that way if will slot up into gear as soon as you relax the throttle/dip the clutch to change.

Also, every bike I've ever bought has had a loose gear lever!. they need tightening up periodiocally. Make sure its well tightened up on the shaft, just a little bit of play is enough to screw up your shifts no matter how well you are doing them.
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MT-03 | CX500B | Yamaha RS125 | Voskhod 2

[Polarbear]

[deadwolf]

[deadwolf]

[G30]

I get into 3rd gear within seconds.
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KTM RC390 -- Kawa ER6f -- Yam YZF R125 -- Yam YBR 125

[-Matt-]

What bike is it

[G30]

YBR 125. I pull off, shift into second, usually shift into 3rd within a few seconds. A lot of the time, it feels like it wants to be in 2nd so I downshift then it tells me it wants to be in 3rd, it feels like I need a 2.5, lol.
____________________
KTM RC390 -- Kawa ER6f -- Yam YZF R125 -- Yam YBR 125

[The Shaggy D.A.]

On the YBR your peak torque is at 6k, and your peak power is at 10k - try using those as your guide so you change up when you hit 10, and change down when you drop below 6.
____________________
Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[-Matt-]

Sounds like you're shifting up from second too soon - why are you going to third so quickly - is the bike screaming with revs

[G30]

It feels a lot better in 3rd when I shift and the noise is much calmer. I dunno what is wrong. It's odd that I'm in 3rd within 5 seconds of pulling off.
____________________
KTM RC390 -- Kawa ER6f -- Yam YZF R125 -- Yam YBR 125

[-Matt-]

Is the noise if left in second dramatic though - check your revs if you're not really far up the range on the clock then you're probably just sensitive to the noise as you haven't been on the bike long.

When you shift to third what makes it feel better vs second, does it not pull steadily in second.

[G30]

Yeah it feels like it pulls better/smoother, the noise is better/calmer. I'll try and keep it in second for longer and see but I'm sure it just makes a high pitched noise instead of actually pulling any better.
____________________
KTM RC390 -- Kawa ER6f -- Yam YZF R125 -- Yam YBR 125

[-Matt-]

I can kind of imagine where you're coming from - when i moved from a 125 to my ZX6 it felt 'too loud' the first week and i was shifting too quickly, it was only when i realised it was rattling away in too high a gear and i started noting the rev's that i realised it was just 'born to be loud'

Even now it often sounds on the bike like i'm hammering it when in fact i'm barely even 1/4 of the way to the redline.

I'd try looking at your rev's a bit and checking you're ACTUALLY as far up/loud as you think, it may sound better on the ears but for the bike/gearing it might not actually be the ideal time to shift.

[G30]

For most of the ride, I kept it in 2nd gear, but towards the end it felt like it wasn't pulling properly and was making a higher pitched sound than the rest of the ride. I stall quite a bit still.
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KTM RC390 -- Kawa ER6f -- Yam YZF R125 -- Yam YBR 125