Slowing Down at Lights

[JRider]

I'm a new rider and I want a little advise. My bike is lugging when I excelerate out of lights and stop signs. Why is this happening? I usally brake and downshift to first gear to be ready to stop at the light, when the light changes before I come to an complete stop I try to excelarate and my engine luggs. What am I doing wrong?

[natedawg120]

There are a couple things.  If your bike isn't warm it will lug a little but this prob isn't the case if you are riding for more than 15 mins at a time.  Your idle might not be set right.  It should be set to idle around 1300 RPM.  Another thing is clutch feathering, this is something that will make takeoffs smooth and takes time and practice to get used to.  If you are just dumping the clutch imediatly after you start rolling then that could explain the lug.  Maybe if you explain how you ride, how old your bike is, etc we might get a better idea if it is something you are doing or something that the bike may need some attention to correct.

[pandy]

JRider:

Are you getting your RPM's high enough for takeoff? When I was brand new, I tried not to rev the engine to high RPM's (I was used to driving a car, and we don't have to rev a car up to get it to go!  ). When I went out with one of my mentors, she pointed out to me that I was only going up to perhaps 2K RPM's at takeoff, and that was getting me into trouble. She wanted me up to at leat 4K or even 5K RPM's, and BOY did I have to practice so that I didn't feel as though I was "hurting my baby." She said I was starving my poor bike of fuel when I'd take off or ride with low RPM's. It was scary at first (VRRRRooom), but I got the hang of it, and it's no sweat now! Turn the throttle so the RPM's are up there, and then *gently* release the clutch. It'll likely take some practice!   


P.S. This is one of those things that one does well to practice either in a big, empty parking lot, or on very quiet roadways! 

[scratch]

What everybody else said.  Slowly let out the clutch lever.

[Cal Amari]

First, repeat and memorize this:

"The clutch is my friend; I shall not dump it."

And, yes, what everybody else said... You've been given good advice, but to expand it just a bit, at the risk of repeating what has already been posted:

REV the engine; get the revs up to the 4K - 5K range... anything lower and you're going to LUG the engine... the surging and bucking at takeoff from a stop is a good clue that you're not revving the engine high enough. You need to "spin it up" to get everything to work the way it should...

Also, you need to slowly let the clutch out AND gradually roll on the throttle AT THE SAME TIME; it is a coordinated technique, so find a clear parking lot and practice taking off from a complete stop, using the clutch and throttle together, until you are an expert, which shouldn't take more than ten minutes or so, unless you stop for a coffee break... Remember, you have an air-cooled engine, so don't practice low-speed work for more than ten to fifteen minutes at a time. If the engine is getting too hot, ride the bike around the block to cool it down a bit, then park it for about five to ten minutes in the shade, and try to place it so any breeze will blow across the engine. Keep the engine as cool as reasonably possible; superheated oil doesn't protect your engine as well as oil at normal temps does...

Keep in mind that a clutch is not like a light switch, either ON or OFF; it has a range of engagement that you are supposed to use to your advantage to control the engine while changing gears, taking off from a standstill, or while maneuvering at low-speed.

I don't know if you have ever driven a car with a manual transmission, but most people really don't shift properly on four wheels; you can get away with poor technique in a car, but a motorcycle requires a good, smooth technique at all times. When I bought my old pickup truck (with about 85K miles on it) from a friend (an ASE mechanic), he told me that he'd replaced the clutch twice, and that I should expect to replace it AGAIN, within another ten thousand miles... that was 147,000+ miles ago. Obviously, though he's an excellent mechanic (he's owned his own successful shop for more than 30 years now), his shifting technique leaves a lot to be desired. He still replaces his own clutches every 30K miles or thereabouts, and I still tease him about how he's single-handedly keeping the automotive clutch industry afloat...

Hope this helps you; practice the techniques everyone has suggested, and let us know if something doesn't seem right when you try these methods.

[pandy]

When I bought my old pickup truck (with about 85K miles on it) from a friend (an ASE mechanic), he told me that he'd replaced the clutch twice, and that I should expect to replace it AGAIN, within another ten thousand miles... that was 147,000+ miles ago. Obviously, though he's an excellent

slight threadjack
I put about 200k miles on my CRX (I was the original owner...he's a 1990), and the only thing I ever had to replace was the alternator (at about 160K, I think). The original clutch is STILL going strong with the next owner (my darling son, who already flipped my poor CRX once  )....but even so, the clutch is still going strong...even if the frame is a bit bent now  ! 

Proper clutching is....a practiced art! And Hugh....er...I mean Cal Amari is absolutely right about the moto being less forgiving of poor technique!

/threadjack

[calamari]

Cal Amari 
I got the perfect avatar for you ( i made it a while ago)



from: http://imdb.com/title/tt0428662/

[sh0tgunwilly]

My turn to threadjack... 4-5K RPM?  Am I doing something wrong (or right) with my clutch as I only have to rev my GS when it hasn't warmed up and it's under 12 degreesC!  I can pull smoothly away from a dead stop without having to rev the bike.  Right from idle - whether my wife is on the back or not - I just pull away without any excessive revs or lugging the engine.  Am I doing my clutch a great disservice or is it just because I'm comfortable enough with my tiny tadger that I drive less aggressively in the city?

[Wrecent_Wryder]

3ds\

[scratch]

On the ride home last night I thought about this and it turns out that I only rev it to about 2500rpms before I let the clutch out when starting out in first gear, but everywhere else I shift around 5500 and keep the revs above 4k.

[pandy]

Well, you can tell Pandy didn't learn to drive on old stickshift VWs...  . Actually, most manual transmission cars don't react well to having the clutch dumped at idle, you have to give them a little gas...

Actually, we had two VW vans, a semi-automatic bug, and a super beetle, as well as a 914 Porsche, which is essentially a VW on steroids. I cut my teeth on VW's. My current vehicle is the first automatic I've ever owned, and I've never burned out a clutch!  Where do I suggest DUMPING the clutch at idle anywhere? 

P.S. Which isn't to say that I didn't learn about clutch dumping the hard way when I was a young nipper! 

[Toledo Jim]

P.S. Which isn't to say that I didn't learn about clutch dumping the hard way when I was a young nipper! 

Does that mean you are no longer young, or no longer a nipper?

[pandy]

Does that mean you are no longer young, or no longer a nipper?

Well..I guess this means I'm an ol' nipper! 

JRider, if you're able to go out and practice this weekend, let us know how it went! 

[JRider]

I kept in mind everything that was said on this topic and I went out riding. I noticed that I'm coming to lights in 3rd or 4th gear anticipating that the light is going to down back green. I quess I need to approach lights in 1st or 2nd gear?

[GSinUS]

There is no "correct" gear for the traffic light.  Rather there is a correct gear for the speed.  You should (will) fill when the bike starts to run less smooth and that would be good time to downshift (I think around 2.5 - 3k rpms generally?).  Say there is a red light and you are far enough from the traffic light and don't slow down too much.  If you are in 3rd or 4th and are round 5K rpms, you don't need to downshift to 2nd.  If you are shaving speed, however, then downshift accordingly.  Again, your speed dictates your gear. 

When I am riding up to a red light slowly (so I can stop or speed away if the light turns green) I am usually in 2nd.  You can easily break away from second from a very low speed (pretty much as long as you are not at completely stopped).  I would not ride in 1st at all, unless it's absolutely necessary for a high-grade hill, etc.  This gear is made to push you from a dead stop.