Ok So I just bought a new bike (Motorcycle) I'm new to motorcycles. I've ridden it today but shifting gears annoys me.?

Question

1 I'm afraid I wasn't holding the clutch well shifting and I don't want anything to happen to my bike.
2 When I got back into my yard and shut her off, I couldn't put her back into neutral. I'm trying to learn the gear shifting. It was just hard, I tried rocking the bike to do it. It wouldn't click down. I finally got it but I clicked up up and then down I believe. I'm just confused. newbie... ugh.
3 How do I know when I got to clean the carburetors or have an oil change?

Answer 1

Most bikes have a neutral finder. Meaning when you shift most far down to 1st and then shift up gently, it will be in neutral and the green light is burning. You down-shift typically when the speed drops dramatically and just before when you stop. When too late for down-shift it may be necessary to let go of the clutch just a little bit. Up-shifting is generally more easy when you shift early, on lower revelations.



Don't get people started about oil. You change oil when the oil is either old (by the manual) or black from coal deposits and when water of a lot of fuel can have gotten its way in. Today's oil often has a black color though. When you suspect carbon is the reason of it being black, the oil may brew acid over time and you do not want the engine to wear even when you don't ride it. Shifting is often easier with new oil and a thicker oil does the best job. I recommend a thicker motorbike oil when the bike had not been ridden on, causing difficult shifting into gears.



Hard shifting can often be dealt with applying a little throttle, when having the clutch pulled in, and shifting the moment when one hears the revs drop. Only for the 2k miles where you have to break the engine in this can be very useful. After a while the engine will noticeably run smoother and shifting only to remain difficult when the oil had been hot.



Carburettor failure will reveal itself. Most probably with hesitation. It can be necessary to check the vacuum rubber seams with a little liquid lighter gas or brake cleaner and to drain the bowls with the drain screw when you figure water can have made its way in or condense had formed. You could check the movement of the choke cables and possibly some air valves under the air filter that are sucked open at speed or should close with the throttle. The float hight in the carbs is determined by the drain tube held up but no need to do that when the engine runs fine. Do check the fuel just before the fuel filter since deteriorated gas is a common cause of trouble.



Keep the air speed under control. Go to destinations rather then cruising around. Good luck.

Answer 2

Neutral is between 1st and 2nd gear and typically takes a gentle shift to find.



Upshifting should come fairly naturally, assuming you are off the throttle as you shift the rpms drop a bit to match the speed of the higher gear.



Downshifting smoothly requires a bit more effort, you can hold the clutch and blip the throttle to raise the RPMs to match the speed of the lower gear and then engage the lower gear and let the clutch out.



Its all about practice, I did my initial motorcycle riding off road in the desert. If you aren't comfortable shifting on the road yet, go to some more isolated place like an empty parking lot where you can practice shifting until you are very comfortable with the timing.

Answer 3

If you haven't taken a training course, do so. They will give you exercises to practice all of that, including shifting.



Oil changes are generally done on miles, consult your motorcycle owner's manual for the recommended interval for oil changes as well as other maintenance.



Carb cleaning is usually only done when it's needed. It's not a regular maintenance item. It is done when your engine starts to run irregularly.

Answer 4

As far as the neutral position, many bikes (especially new ones not broken in very much) will have stiff shift lever movements and can hang in gear when stopped. Leave it in gear and rock (with the clutch NOT pulled) forward and backwards while gently lifting from 1st gear. It will pop out of gear.



With practice, many riders (myself included) "float" gears. If you have your foot leaning the shift lever towards the next higher gear, IE: toe under to lift from 1st into 2nd, etc. and roll the throttle off, for a second, the engine will "unload" the transmission gears that the torque of the engine is locking together and the shifter will slip the transmission to the next gear. NO CLUTCH USED. This procedure works in everything from bikes to 18 wheelers with any manual transmission. To many of us, the clutch is something you pull when you are stopped.

Answer 5

Since you are a "newbie" stay well away from the carbs (if it is regularly used you will never need to clean them) and probably the oil (beyond checking the level).



Download the manual and read it, it will tell you the service intervals.



Take some professional training, you have probably spent a fair chunk of money on your bike, why risk it for the sake of a couple of days learning.

Answer 6

Shifting is all about coordination between your foot, throttle and clutch... You may not be letting off the throttle when you shift and you need to... If you hold throttle while shifting you are basically jamming into gear and going to kill your transmission... Before doing any long rides just cruise around in Low gear and get familiar with the bike.



Is it a brand new bike? If it's used your transmission might already have issues from previous owners...



As far as carbs go that technology was replaced by fuel injection. So if your bike is used and old owner said you need to get carbs cleaned or rejetted then do it asap...



Oil change recommended 2-3k miles..



Hope I helped.. Good luck