Hi Fellow GSers,
I took my innauguarl ride today on my cool 2000 model. It ran nice. I traveled about 10 miles total--mostly quiet side streets and a couple parking lots. Things went very well although I did stall twice whiile starting out from a stop. Just couldn't quite coordinate the clutch/throttle correctly. I suppose this will get easier with time.
Riding a bike on the road for the very first time seemed easier than I anticipated, which could be dangerous. I need to keep reminding myself that I'm NEW at this and must start out slow and easy.
I also realized I need to work on smoothing out my shifts, stops and accelerations. But again, I suppose that comes with time and experience.
One other questiion arose while driving. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm in the right gear while cruising. Is there some rule of thumb that while at 3000rpm, for example, you should be in 4th gear or whatever?
Thanks for reading my note. I'd love to hear back from you with any thoughts.
Steve in Michigan.
In short, I enjoyed it greatly and can't wait to get out there again tomorrow.
Congradulations on your first ride!
Everything will become smoother the more you practice.
Rule of thumb for shifting: Do not shift up until 5500rpm. Keep the rpm's above 4000. When you shift gears you lose 1k rpm's, so if you shift @ 5500, you'll still be above 4000. :)
Edit: Oops, Rule of thumb for cruising: Keep the rpm's above 4000. :)
Quote from: SteveK364 on July 04, 2006, 07:49:40 PMSometimes I'm not sure if I'm in the right gear while cruising. Is there some rule of thumb that while at 3000rpm, for example, you should be in 4th gear or whatever?
The "right gear while cruising"? The GS can "cruise" anywhere between 4000rpm and, say, 7500rpm. I personally like to keep it in the 4800-6000 range. Pick a range that feels "right" to you, and then choose the gear that puts you there.
As you spend more time on the bike (assuming that you're the type who watches the gauges) you will be able to tell what gear you're in just by looking at the speedometer and tachometer.
For example, when I first got my '99 with the stock Excedra tires, my speedo and tach would "track" each other in 5th gear. 40 mph = 4000 rpm, 50mph = 5000rpm, 60 mph = 6000 rpm, etc. In 4th gear, the rpms would be 1000 rpm higher at a given speed, in 6th gear they would be 1000 rpm
lower at a given speed.
Unfortunately, that all changed when I replaced the stock 130/70 rear tire with a 130/90. All of a sudden, the gauges tracked each other in
4th gear, and I had to retrain myself.
Since the rear tire (and sprockets) determine the ground speed in a given gear at a given engine RPM ... but the front tire determines the speedo reading based on
its RPM, changing either tire or either sprocket will affect the speedo-to-tach alignment. Sigh....
Hi Steve! I'm new too, have about 1,500 kms of riding so far. My shifting and general smoothness has come along way in that time. I still stall out every once in a while and sometimes even if I don't stall, I'm a little rough getting away from a stop. Oddly enough, it's when I think really hard about trying to be smooth that I'm the worst... when I'm riding on feel and not thinking too hard, it goes better.
congrats on your first ride! Here's to getting home shiny side up :cheers:
Don't get too comfortable out there. I've had more than one rider tell me that the day they feel totally comfortable and safe on their bike is the day that they will quit riding. Always remain at code yellow. No matter how good your skills are, you don't control "the other guy" out there.
I cruise at about 4000-4500 rpm. When I am in traffic or another situation that may require a quick getaway I sometimes cruise at about 5000-6000 to keep a little more power on tap without need for a shift. (I ride an SV650 now, but the RPM-Power relationship is nearly the same.)
Great advice so far, Steve! Congrats on your first ride!! :thumb: :icon_mrgreen:
Another thing I found difficult in the beginning (and that caused me to stall at first) was getting the revs up at takeoff. I was taking off at 2K RPMs in the beginning, and that led to stalls and bogging the engine. I finally got some good advice from more-experienced riders to get the revs up to at least 4K on takeoff. It's easy now, but it was tough (I've always tried to keep the revs DOWN driving stick in my cage, so this was WAY new to me! :cookoo:)
Keep practicing, and stay alert. I like the staying at "code yellow" mentioned above...no matter what...the cages don't see us when they're looking RIGHT AT US sometimes! :icon_rolleyes:
:cheers:
You really need to rev the engine up to 4k or so for take off, otherwise you'll bog..
if you find your point of clutch friction you dont i can start on idle..... all you have to do is pull in the clutch and slowly let go until you fill the bike starting to want to move....... end that is the point of friction....... then stop for a sec to see how it feels.... then slowly continue to let go of the clutch and if you do it correctly it wont stall.... then youll be able to figure out how much gas you want to give it...... so its smooth and doesnt stall !!!! congrats on the new bike and ride safe
Steve, you'll be able to tell without even thinking about what gear you're in. I used to "gear count" and then I had a little sticker I put on the top of my 04 Ninja 250 to tell me what speed I should shift into for the next gear. Forget it! The "feel of the engine" is your best guide...comes easily with time.
Thanks for all the good advice, everyone. I guess I wasn't revving the gas enough at takeoff, that's what probably caused my stalls yesterday. Perhaps it's better to err on the side of high revs versus low revs when starting out. Does that seem right?
I went about 20 miles tonight. There were no stalls and I'm starting to become more confident with the new bike.
Talk to ya.
Steve
Quote from: SteveK364 on July 05, 2006, 08:04:26 PMPerhaps it's better to err on the side of high revs versus low revs when starting out. Does that seem right?
Yep, as long as you're eeeaaasssyyy with the clutch. :thumb:
As you're finding out, opening the throttle won't get you anywhere without the clutch being engaged, and engaging the clutch won't get you anywhere without opening the throttle. The trick is in combining them in just the right mix.
The flip side may not be obvious to you yet.... When you're still learning, the natural reaction when you get scared is to "chop" (close) the throttle. That's usually OK if you're going in a straight line, but it can get you into trouble in a curve or on slippery surfaces ... because it has the same effect as applying the rear brake. Sometimes the best thing to do is to pull in the clutch so you can slow down gradually, without upsetting your "traction equation", and then apply the brakes when it's safe to do so. (When you're back on clean pavement, or going in a straight line, etc.)
Of course, the
best thing to do in a curve that surprises you is to keep your throttle even or
slightly "on" and actively use countersteering to get through it. But I was gonna leave that for later.... (Have you signed up for an MSF course?)
Don't get too relaxed out there! The riding skills come fairly easily, dealing with all the idiots on the road is the hard part. Just assume nobody can see you. Those that can see you will try to run you over.
Cool feeling though. :thumb:
ChuckS