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nsaP posted:That moviestar one has to be fairly recent too A lot of riders have those because of foot/leg injuries that prevent them using the foot control easily - it was much more important in the two-stroke era because of much less engine braking, and also to modulate power on exit without laying off the throttle which could be harmful to the engine (the amount of lubrication the engine gets being entirely dependent on throttle opening of course). To return to the original discussion, one very good reason for using the back brake on the road is that it's far less catastrophic to lose traction on the rear than the front - if you feel the back wheel lock up you know to back off *both* a little bit. This goes double in the wet, standard advice is 70/30 front/rear in the dry and 50/50 in the wet, although you can adjust those ratios a bit depending on your bike and skill level. Giblet Plus! posted:I've been working on making my upshifts smoother. What I've been doing is pre-loading the gear selector slightly, then quickly twisting my throttle wrist to close the throttle, then completely shifting as I engage and release the clutch and ease back on the throttle. The whole process goes really fast. I have smooth fast shifts like this maybe 90% of the time. I try to shift from 1st to 2nd above 8k because shifts are smoother at higher rpm. Don't worry about using the clutch, at that point you're clutchless shifting anyway. An hour or so practice should be all you need to get as smooth as you need to be for road riding - after a while you'll stop waiting for the gear to change and just know you only need to roll the throttle off x amount to make the shift, so you lose that jerk that you get as you wait for the gear to shift.
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May 5, 2015 07:30
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| # ? May 16, 2024 23:47 |
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I have no issues with clutchless shifting, but what do you guys do to 'train out' the wobble in the bike that hits on each shift? I'm staying pretty loose on the bars already so I think there's something else I need to do.
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May 5, 2015 12:26
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I use my rear brake pretty much only when I'm dragging it for slow speeds getting in a driveway or some poo poo. Probably depends on the quality of your front brake. If your fronts ain't that great you'll probably use both more often?revmoo posted:I have no issues with clutchless shifting, but what do you guys do to 'train out' the wobble in the bike that hits on each shift? I'm staying pretty loose on the bars already so I think there's something else I need to do. Your bike wobbles when you shift? Are you sure you're not pulling in on the clutch too hard and physically moving the bars?
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May 5, 2015 12:27
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I'm referring to clutchless shifts. It's not a huge wobble, but it happens each time and I'd rather avoid upsetting the bike as much as possible.
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May 5, 2015 12:59
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If it's what I'm thinking you're talking about, try shifting a little bit higher so it keeps momentum going. Shouldn't be any (noticeable) interruption to drive. If you're talking about on downshift, same goal really, shouldn't even feel the gear change. e: I find if I'm thinking about it I have less tidy shifts than if I'm not thinking about it. Shimrod fucked around with this message at 13:10 on May 5, 2015 |
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May 5, 2015 13:07
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No I can very smothly and extremely quickly clutchless shift, it's just that every time I do it the physical movement of shifting causes the bike to wobble. It's not a huge deal but something I'd like to train out if possible. This occurs if I shift at redline or if I short shift.
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May 5, 2015 13:54
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revmoo posted:No I can very smothly and extremely quickly clutchless shift, it's just that every time I do it the physical movement of shifting causes the bike to wobble. It's not a huge deal but something I'd like to train out if possible. This occurs if I shift at redline or if I short shift. Is your entire leg moving when you shift, or is it just an ankle movement?
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May 5, 2015 13:58
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Hmm that's a good question. In general I try and move only my ankle by levering it onto the shifter from the foot peg. I'll pay closer attention next time I ride. TBH I think the wobble is coming from my movements on the throttle vs the shifter, as I'm preloading the shifter before the actual shift.
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May 5, 2015 14:10
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That sounds kind of weird. You only need to roll off a small amount, enough to unload the box. And since you are already preloading the shift lever, it should just move its normal range. Is it a steering wobble or a back to front thing?
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May 5, 2015 14:16
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If you're doing what i had done, you are yanking on the throttle too hard during clutchless shifts and pulling on the handlebars.
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May 5, 2015 14:16
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nitrogen posted:If you're doing what i had done, you are yanking on the throttle too hard during clutchless shifts and pulling on the handlebars. I had that problem for awhile, until I did California Superbike School. Then I changed my body position but never adjusted my shifter, and had the issue of moving my whole leg instead of just my ankle.
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May 5, 2015 15:36
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Don't worry about using the clutch, at that point you're clutchless shifting anyway. An hour or so practice should be all you need to get as smooth as you need to be for road riding - after a while you'll stop waiting for the gear to change and just know you only need to roll the throttle off x amount to make the shift, so you lose that jerk that you get as you wait for the gear to shift. Okay I'll try it. I have some sort of weird mental block against touching the shift lever without touching the clutch lever.
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May 5, 2015 15:47
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Giblet Plus! posted:Okay I'll try it. I have some sort of weird mental block against touching the shift lever without touching the clutch lever. I realized at some point in my riding that I would tap the clutch, even during clutchless upshifts, because it helped me internally with the timing. I just didn't actually pull it in to the point it disengaged anymore. Rather than just not touching the clutch, try pulling it in less and less - it'll help you discover the sweet spot for clutchless shifting with less damage to the transmission.
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May 5, 2015 15:56
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revmoo posted:I'm referring to clutchless shifts. It's not a huge wobble, but it happens each time and I'd rather avoid upsetting the bike as much as possible. Try to go slow and talk to you bike. Let your bike know your intentions and then, slowly, ease into things. You want your bike to feel comfortable, supported, loved, and cared for. Maybe on the weekends you can draw a warm bath delicately sponge off the week's worth of troubles.
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May 5, 2015 16:53
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When did you guys go from your beginner bikes to your more advanced bikes? I'm starting to line up new bike choices for next year but I'm not sure if I should wait a little longer for more experience or if I am ready. It seems like going from small bikes to bigger ones there's a lot of stuff I'll have to re-learn (not being able to rip on the throttle willy nilly, having more discipline with the throttle in curves etc) Is that just stuff you slowly learn as you explore the bike or is it more something you learn by transitioning through smaller bikes? For the record, I'm currently considering the FZ-09 or Ducati 848 Streetfighter.
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May 5, 2015 17:17
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Razzled posted:When did you guys go from your beginner bikes to your more advanced bikes? Just buy a better supermoto, problem solved.
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May 5, 2015 17:23
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You can't learn to ride a big bike without riding a big bike.
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May 5, 2015 17:23
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SaNChEzZ posted:Just buy a better supermoto, problem solved. I won't be selling the DRZ, it's slotted pretty handily into my "light adv and fun curves" bike. I'm looking for something a little bigger to function as a more commute oriented, farther distance riding bike. Also one that looks cool as gently caress. So I can floss it hard. Hard.
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May 5, 2015 17:25
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Razzled posted:When did you guys go from your beginner bikes to your more advanced bikes? I'm buying a bigger bike as soon as I have the cash. We started around the same time.
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May 5, 2015 17:28
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Street bike transmissions aren't designed to be shifted down without the clutch. Most dirtbikes are designed to be shifted in both directions without the clutch. That being said, I would only clutchless downshift a dirtbike on dirt because the lower traction allows the tire to skid easily without putting a bunch of load on the transmission. I find the fastest upshifting on a road bike is to put a little bit of load on the shifter then just fan/flick the clutch. It seems just as fast and a lot smoother than just flipping the lever up. I think anytime you're preloading the shifter you're probably putting a bit more stress on the transmission. I wouldn't make a habit out of it.
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May 5, 2015 17:35
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Razzled posted:When did you guys go from your beginner bikes to your more advanced bikes? Took me a year on a drag bike style Vulcan 88 to switch up to a 1300 Vstar for better touring duty. Did 3 years on that before I got a Buell for even betterer touring duty. Do not get a Streetfighter for "farther distance riding" if you are capable of feeling pain.
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May 5, 2015 18:17
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Razzled posted:When did you guys go from your beginner bikes to your more advanced bikes? I did about a year/10k miles or so before I went from my SV650 to my VFR800. Feel like that was plenty of time to be comfortable enough on bikes to adjust quickly to the size of the bigger bike. Some of my friends spent a lot less time on their ninja 250s before immediately moving to giant BMWs and also haven't had any problem so you should be fine. I do agree with the people saying that a naked bike just doesn't seem like a great distance tourer, I've only ridden a DRZ400SM as far as naked bikes go but even with more power the wind at highway speeds for hours is going to be absurd compared to riding a faired bike. I guess you could stick a little windshield on it or something but if you really want to tour I'd get something that's at least vaguely built for that. Why not the FJ-09? It's still not huge and is probably the best sport touring bike under 500 pounds by an absurd amount. If you don't actually care about touring and just want a bigger DRZ then the FZ-09 will probably be amazing.
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May 5, 2015 19:42
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Anyone got that link about that study of denim being just as bad for road rash as nothing if not worse?
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May 5, 2015 20:46
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Nostalgia4Dicks posted:Anyone got that link about that study of denim being just as bad for road rash as nothing if not worse? Not sure if this is the right one, but here a guy has typed up an old article from Cycle Magazine that compared denim and other stuff: http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum/faqs/2809-abrasion-test-cycle-sept-1988-a.html I've seen people referring to that one article lots of places online, but I guess there isn't an official online version of the article since it's from 1988.
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May 5, 2015 20:53
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Sometimes when I upshift (successfully) I don't hear/feel a "click" (but I almost certainly do hear it on the next upshift). What is happening (or not happening) here, mechanically speaking?
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May 7, 2015 19:23
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You managed to mesh the gears pretty precisely as you shifted. They'll normally bang into each other a bit because the gearbox isn't synchronized.
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May 7, 2015 19:32
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clutchpuck posted:You managed to mesh the gears pretty precisely as you shifted. They'll normally bang into each other a bit because the gearbox isn't synchronized. Gotcha. But the click/clunk is so satisfying!  That and I'm a little paranoid because my first bike (GS500) would "pop out" of certain gears a couple times a week, because of what I thought was me not fully upshifting. I guess the shift forks just weren't perfect.
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May 7, 2015 21:15
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When something is listed as having XXmm diameter forks, which part of the fork is that actually measuring? The stanchion? The ID of the the stanchion? The OD of the upper/lower? Or what?
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May 8, 2015 22:17
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Slavvy posted:When something is listed as having XXmm diameter forks, which part of the fork is that actually measuring? The stanchion? The ID of the the stanchion? The OD of the upper/lower? Or what? Typically it's the diameter of the slider portion - ducati uses "43mm" forks on the 999, but they've got a clipon/triple tree clamping area of 53mm.
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May 8, 2015 22:30
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That's what I assumed because I've seen a few USD bikes where the lower and upper triples are different diameters so it makes sense to measure them by the thing that does the same job and is the same shape regardless of configuration. I'm not actually sure what the purpose of listing that spec even is, yet magazines/sites/advertising always make sure to mention it. They don't list the rear shock diameter, what difference does the fork diameter make? It isn't like bore x stroke or wheelbase or rake angle or whatever, which give you an idea of the bike's characteristics. It's just a completely arbitrary number that doesn't really indicate anything at all, as far as I can tell. You might as well list the gearbox output shaft diameter or the steering stem length or some other random poo poo.
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May 9, 2015 06:47
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Slavvy posted:That's what I assumed because I've seen a few USD bikes where the lower and upper triples are different diameters so it makes sense to measure them by the thing that does the same job and is the same shape regardless of configuration. I have a funny feeling it was something that was a bit of a willy-waving competition between manufacturers back in the 80s.
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May 9, 2015 08:06
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It's sorta useful because it gives you an idea of how much the forks will resist flex. You know if you buy a dirt bike with weedy forks don't expect it to handle jumping all that well. Same with the lower spec ADV bikes/entry level sport bikes.
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May 9, 2015 17:15
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They're posted for those of us with fabrication tools to pillage parts and build bastard bikes in the garage.
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May 9, 2015 17:22
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goddamnedtwisto posted:I have a funny feeling it was something that was a bit of a willy-waving competition between manufacturers back in the 80s. This is the impression I get, too. Z3n posted:It's sorta useful because it gives you an idea of how much the forks will resist flex. You know if you buy a dirt bike with weedy forks don't expect it to handle jumping all that well. Same with the lower spec ADV bikes/entry level sport bikes. Dirt bikes I can't comment on, but I'm pretty sure fork diameter is insignificant compared to the things that make entry level bikes handle like poo poo, like spring rates and damping and geometry and tyres and so on and so forth. Like it seems like something you wouldn't ever even factor into your decision making matrix when it comes to buying a bike vs one of it's competitors, unless you're the kind of retard that wants all the biggest/smallest (select for more 'sport') numbers.
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May 10, 2015 03:04
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As well as increasing the mechanical rigidity of the front end, fork diameter plays a big part in suspension capabilities too. Every extra mm of fork diameter is a large proportional increase in surface area for the hydraulic/pneumatic systems in the forks. Say from 40 - 44 mm its a 21% increase in surface area, this slows pressure build up rates and allows for more finesse in damping and compression curves.
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May 10, 2015 03:44
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Uh anyone know where I can get a 150/80 r16 tire in or near Asheville NC? Cords are showing and I'm 500 miles from home. All the shops I could find online are closed Sundays. And that's not a common tire size these days.
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May 10, 2015 16:55
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You can order it if nothing else. I've had orders from tire suppliers show up same-day via UPS before.
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May 10, 2015 20:13
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It's a good suggestion. The tire I want is out of stock or I might have done that. Found one that will work (same ME 880 I have right now) an hour away so I borrowed a car and grabbed that. Now I just need to find someone to mount it first thing tomorrow.
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May 10, 2015 22:48
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What's the proper way of setting pilot screws? The Hyosung manual says to return them back to the position you found them but this is no help when the PO has hosed with them, and there's no spec for how many turns they need to be. clearances are good, carbs are synched. How are you meant to do it totally blind?
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May 10, 2015 23:15
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No spec? Never heard of that. They're usually like 2 turns out, though. I think the official method is to turn them in until it starts making it run bad, then turn them out until it starts making it run bad in the other direction, then put it in the middle of those two places you found.
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May 11, 2015 00:02
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