The dreaded moment when you have to change gear

Motorcycling
1

We’ve all been there. at the lights first gear engaged, clutch in revs up! :w00t:

Lights change and your off accelerating nicely! you kick second in and … :blink:

you rush forward as your body (mind) is expecting to accelerate more but the bikes in neutral! :ermm:

and now the worst part… the time where you dont want to change up… the moment that you know will sound and feel awful

you let the revs drop but you know it wont help…
you click up and BANG!!! :pinch: second gear is in & you feel like you raped your loved one :crying:

2

it’s a horrible feeling, has happend to me a couple of times recently :frowning:

3

Can’t say that’s ever happened to me, I always make sure I’m in first! :ermm:

Wait, it did happen once, 3 days after I got my first bike and took my first big trip (1 mile to my girlfriends house, wow, I remember how terrified I was!)…Thought I was in first, gave it a bit of gas, clutch out, not enough revs evidently as I stalled and fell over in the middle of the road. By the time I got it back up and started the lights were red again and the cars behind me were pretty pissed off :w00t:

But no, it doesn’t happen these days, I usually step it down a couple of times more than I need to just to make sure I’m in first.

Edit: Hmmm maybe it does happen more than I realise, I dont know if it’s exactly what you’re describing but to be honest any balls up with the gearing that results in the engine making noises it shouldn’t is a bastard. Sometimes an error like that can mess up your rhythm for the entire journey!

4

I know what ya mean !!! it’s that moment you wince, and then CRUNCH :crazy:

5

Talking about when you’ve pulled away from the lights in first and given it the beans, then as you try to change to 2nd you end up in neutral, with the resulting jerk as the acceleration you were expecting never comes

6

Gotcha.

visualizes

You know I really don’t think I’ve ever done that. Maybe when I’m not giving it some but just casually going from 1st to 2nd, in which case it doesn’t really matter because I’m not that high up in the revs so it isn’t a big deal to just clutch in/kick it into second.

Having said that, maybe I do it all the time and I’m never going to stop noticing it now :hehe: Argh It’s melting my mind.

7

I don’t get that on my bikes.:smiley:

8

I understand the first one but not the second. How do change up when you didn’t mean to? When you think you have the space to, but then don’t?

My bike doesn’t seem to false neutral often. It did when the chain was slack though.

9

I suppose you get a different bang, either from the engine blowing up, the electrics shorting out, or the rubber band simply snapping. :D:P

10

its not that you dont want/have to… you do… you just know whats coming and you brace yourself.
because you ‘missed’ second and ended up in ‘N’ the cogs (gods :stuck_out_tongue: ) are not aligned so it makes a large noise to slot second in…:pinch:

11

Ah. Now I understand. The old “kick and wince”.

12

Yeah. I’m there now. Why didn’t someone say kick and wince earlier.

Close the thread :smiley:

13

I’ve done that a couple of times… really embarrassing!

Is it very bad for the bike?

14

It’s a horrible feeling for sure. You just gotta be firm with the bitch … ooo errr missus! :smiley:

15

its only happened to me while shifting from 1st to 2nd on 1 wheel ,the front crashes down as it falls into neutral and all you hear is a cluuuunk as it gets into second afterwards …sometimes i let her role abit b4 putting her into 2nd to minimize the cluunking

16

Oh yes the CLUNK. On a CB500 the whole bike judders.

17

ah man, i absolutely hate that - i try to slow down as much as possible before i change up,m doesn’t help an awful lot tho! Its sickening!

18

+1 done that a couple of times, its sickening to hear the engine rev so loud too :w00t:
But mind you i get that horrible clunk when i stick it in 1st R6 2002 (Maybe Yamaha Trademark as i hear it on the new R1 too)