June 26th, 2010, 10:47 AM | #1 |
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Name: Kit
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Shifting to neutral when at a stop.
I was just wondering I went on a ride the other day and when I pull up to a red light I usually shift to neutral to wait for the light to change then shift to first just before it does, unless the light is very close to changing then I just hold the clutch. I noticed some people just hold the clutch the whole time, while others take my approach of shifting to neutral, which is correct/better?
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June 26th, 2010, 10:55 AM | #2 |
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Dealer's choice. Advantages to keeping it in neutral:
Advantages to staying in 1st with the clutch in:
I'm sure there are more out there. I find myself doing both, probably depends on how long the light is likely to stay red.
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June 26th, 2010, 11:02 AM | #3 |
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Leaving the bike in gear gives you the option to take off should a car driver "not see you". I tend to leave my bike in gear until a safety barrier stops behind me, then I kick it into neutral and relax. I also stop on the sides of the lane, never in the middle.
My mother (in a car) got rear ended while stopped at a red light just a few weeks ago. She was hit by the stereotypical soccer mom driving an SUV full of kids while talking on a cell phone. Seriously. Over $5000 damage to her car. Had she hit a bike instead of a car one of us could be dead.
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June 26th, 2010, 11:30 AM | #4 | |
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June 26th, 2010, 11:31 AM | #5 |
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Kit,
have you taken the MSF course? |
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June 26th, 2010, 03:47 PM | #6 | |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Kit
Location: New Mexico
Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 1996 Yahmaha YZ 125... Both in Blue the coolest color Posts: 285
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Sadly I haven't the nearest place its offered is quite a drive for me and would require 2 over nights to attend, but I am hopping to go to another work training come fall so I will be able to go during the day to that training and in the evening do the MSF course. Quote:
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June 26th, 2010, 11:31 PM | #7 |
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I never bother to go to neutral... Having the ability to make a move quickly if someone doesn't look like they're going to stop is one reason. The second is just the fact that our clutch is not exactly tough to hold down, even for my tiny hands... So why bother shifting back and forth? If I had a bike with a really stiff clutch, I'd probably opt to take a rest.
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June 28th, 2010, 09:14 AM | #8 |
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I go to neutral and keep an eye on the cages behind me...The MSF teaches you to always be in gear at stop lights.
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June 28th, 2010, 10:05 AM | #9 |
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I keep it in 1st gear.
Only times i go to neutral is if it is roadwork or similar where the light will be red for a couple of minutes or more. But, only if i got a car already stopped behind me, like Craig says. Try to keep my brake light on aswell, until there is a car or two stopped behind. |
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June 28th, 2010, 10:34 AM | #10 |
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Name: Corey
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I always keep my bike in gear at stop lights with my right hand on the front brake lever thus keeping the brake light on. Even with a car behind you it can get rear ended and pushed into you (I've seen it happen). I don't like to take chances so I am always ready for a quick get away.
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June 28th, 2010, 11:10 AM | #11 |
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I do not shift into neutral until The vehicle behind me has come to a complete stop. Prior to the vehicle behind me coming to a complete stop I flash my brake lights on and off several times until the vehicle stops just to make sure they see me.
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June 28th, 2010, 11:43 AM | #12 | |
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Name: Andrew
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Quote:
And +1 to waiting for a car to stop behind you before shifting into neutral. And +1 to flashing the brake light at approaching cars. And something I've noticed, all the Harley riders seem to shift into neutral at every light, regardless of length, other cars, or anything else. They always 'ka-chunk' their way into first before they move. Do cruisers have significantly heavier clutches? |
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June 28th, 2010, 11:56 AM | #13 |
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Name: Craig
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Harley Davidsons have notoriously heavy clutches. There are a number of "reduced effort" kits on the market. My girlfriend looked at the Buell Blast briefly before buying a Ninja 250, she couldn't pull the clutch, end of story.
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June 28th, 2010, 11:57 AM | #14 |
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
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You waste more gas with the clutch pulled. Put it up on a rear stant in neutral while idling, hold in the clutch and then shift down. The tire will begin turning as if you were in 1st even with the clutch still held. With the tire down that the clutch slips instead but it still puts a small amount of additional load on the engine.
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June 28th, 2010, 12:01 PM | #15 |
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Something must have been going on with that particular bike, from what I remember, our Buell Blast clutch was just about as light as the ninjette's. One of the key things they did on that bike was re-engineer the clutch so it was much easier for a newer rider to use.
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June 28th, 2010, 12:58 PM | #16 |
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I always do this usually tapping my foot to the music in my head... or the voices depending on my mood/med's lol j/k
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June 28th, 2010, 01:51 PM | #17 |
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Name: Nate
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It depends on where I'm at but in heavy town traffic I usually stay in first unless I'm adjusting my gloves or helmet for some reason. When riding with other people we kick it in N when we are at a stop sign or intersection on some back road with no traffic. Just to flip up the visors and bs about where to go next.
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June 28th, 2010, 01:57 PM | #18 | |
CPT Falcon
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June 28th, 2010, 02:00 PM | #19 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Josh
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I never go into neutral except when I make a mistake shifting down from 2nd . I hope my clutch cable never snaps.
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June 28th, 2010, 02:03 PM | #20 | |
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Quote:
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June 28th, 2010, 02:04 PM | #21 |
Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.
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June 28th, 2010, 02:50 PM | #22 |
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I take issue with the statement that if your clutch cable broke while you were in first gear, you'd end up in the intersection.....you'd end up 3 inches in front of where you were with a stalled engine. And that's assuming you weren't covering the brake to keep the light on which I would hope everyone IS doing.
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June 28th, 2010, 03:06 PM | #23 |
Wartown, USA
Name: Bryan
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Ill say it once again.
Neutral is only for allowing you to lube the chain....other than that the bike is ALWAYS in gear. |
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June 28th, 2010, 03:09 PM | #24 |
Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.
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June 28th, 2010, 03:32 PM | #25 |
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With our bikes, yup. Your prediction is probably spot-on. But if the bike has 60+ ft-lbs of torque instead of < 15, a snapped cable can in fact jump the bike forward a couple feet before the rider realizes what has happened. Doesn't take far to go from being safely aside of traffic to being right in the path of it. It's funny, I got that tidbit from some list somewhere that catalogued "100 things a man needs to know", or something near to that title. The only motorcycling thing in there was that tidbit, that a broken clutch cable at the wrong time could be deadly. Seemed out there, and I bet the particular author had one of those rare occurrences happen to him.
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June 28th, 2010, 03:48 PM | #26 | |
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Name: Kit
Location: New Mexico
Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 1996 Yahmaha YZ 125... Both in Blue the coolest color Posts: 285
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Quote:
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"Well you know, for me, the action IS the juice" |
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June 28th, 2010, 04:01 PM | #27 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Z
Location: Long Island, NY
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Sounds logical to me, Alex. I guess the solution is that we don't neglect our bikes, inspect, lube and replace clutch cables before it ever comes to that.
I put my bike in neutral once have a car behind me stopped. Two if its a faster highway or an exposed area like the first light in a long time. I'm usually flashing my brakes and watching my mirrors for someone not paying attention / slowing. |
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June 28th, 2010, 04:21 PM | #28 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Kit
Location: New Mexico
Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 1996 Yahmaha YZ 125... Both in Blue the coolest color Posts: 285
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Yea I agree I hope to never find out, I broke the cable on my Baja bug back in high school out in the desert and with no one to tow me home I had to drive home 50+ miles in 1st gear (top speed about 8mph) with out stopping it was not fun, I did have to stop 2 times that I remember my friends had to push the car while I turned it over because we would stall, the starter would push it forward but it needed the help of friends, then they had to run to jump in after we were going.
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"Well you know, for me, the action IS the juice" |
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June 28th, 2010, 04:24 PM | #29 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Z
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I'm sure push starting a buggy in sand is just barrels of fun!
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June 28th, 2010, 04:27 PM | #30 |
Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.
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also, I hope you know now that it's possible to shift a car w/o using the clutch? it's not as easy as on a bike, but it is possible.
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June 28th, 2010, 04:37 PM | #31 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Z
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I don't plan on trying that.....Wouldn't that F the S out of the synchros???
EDIT: I assume that was directed at buggy guy? I think Richard Hammond was doing that on the episode that they drove across South America until the differential exploded all over the highway. |
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June 28th, 2010, 04:42 PM | #32 |
Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.
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if done wrong and if you force it, it will. there is a speed in the trans where the gears will mesh and will drop into the next gear. Long ago , there were no such things as synchronizers in transmissions.
I don't recommend you always shift like this in a car (or even try it in a car you like), but if stuck like he was, it beats driving back in first. yes, sorry, my comments are directed at the dune buggy. |
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June 28th, 2010, 04:44 PM | #33 |
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June 28th, 2010, 04:47 PM | #34 |
Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.
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June 28th, 2010, 05:00 PM | #35 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: J.G.
Location: Austin
Join Date: Oct 2009 Motorcycle(s): '09 zx6r Green/Black, (ex-)Diablo Black '09 Ninja 250r Posts: 959
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Basically, I would force it into first as I was slightly applying gas if I was stopped. If I was slightly moving with traffic, it was easier to get into second. After that, it was simply listening to the engine and slightly putting pressure on the gear shift to get out of and into gears.
Luckily, no major damage - the slave cylinder was out. |
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June 28th, 2010, 08:37 PM | #36 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Kit
Location: New Mexico
Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 1996 Yahmaha YZ 125... Both in Blue the coolest color Posts: 285
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Mine was in a 66 vw beetle Baja... and yes pushing it in the sand sucked, fortunately if you turned the crank the starter would help propel the car a little also... still brutal, I didn't know about being able to shift a car without the clutch until later that night. (my dad told me about it) I was only 16 so I still had a lot to learn, still I hope never to try it thank you very much.
Once we got it stuck in the mud out in no where in the mountains, no mater what we tried it wouldn't come out... we tried everything. my friend comes up with this Idea that we jack up the rear tire, tie a rope to a tree and then wrap the rope around the rear tire and tie it to the rim, then use the tire as a crank to pull it out... it worked. I swear that car was jinxed.
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"Well you know, for me, the action IS the juice" Last futzed with by Kitdog; June 29th, 2010 at 08:49 AM. |
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July 11th, 2010, 08:09 PM | #37 |
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Name: Scott
Location: DFW TX
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I keep my bike in gear until the car behind me comes to a full stop, and then I shift into neutral. If there is no one behind me, and I can see traffic coming for a good distance, I will shift into neutral while watching for cars behind me. If someone is coming up on me I'll go back to first.
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July 12th, 2010, 03:31 AM | #38 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Josh
Location: Atlanta, GA
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I go to N any chance I can get; I'm a knuckle cracker/ stretcher/ gear adjuster/ cell phone checker at lights.
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July 12th, 2010, 02:59 PM | #39 | |
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July 12th, 2010, 03:04 PM | #40 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
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I'm almost always in gear unless I have to use my hands for something; i.e. adjust the vents on my jacket, fiddle with tank bag, scratch ass.
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