Neutral or first gear at a light

[Wayne]

Remeber the third law of thermodynamics says that everything is in a state of inevitable and steady deterioration.
So you have to assume that our bikes will eventually become, (after many many years) Harleys.

[chicago1010]

So now that I've read all these views, I guess I'll be keeping my bike in 1st. Never had any close calls , but everyone makes sense and I sure don't want to learn the hard way.

Now I'm wondering about downshifting, sometimes I do sometimes i don't, your thoughts please.

Mike

[sixtysix]

Originally posted by chicago1010
Now I'm wondering about downshifting, sometimes I do sometimes i don't, your thoughts please.

Mike

I used to down shift one gear at a time, letting out the clutch between each gear to get the full effect of engine braking, sure I would lock up the back tire a time or two but that is the way I did it for years. Then I read a really good article someplace and it said that the best way to do it was pull in the clutch and down shift through each gear, with out re-engaging the clutch, it seems to be a much smoother and better way to do it so that is what I do now. The idea is to hit first gear just before you stop, so at time if you had to reaccelerate you would be in the proper gear for the speed you were doing. Works for me........

[Pat Kelly]

When parked I leave the bike in neutural. At a light in traffic, in 1st gear to get out of the way of a negligent cage. At a light no traffic and light's not going to change for a bit, neutural.

[madbiker]

ever set at a light in some back water town. waiting at a red light that needs to changes but won't . with enough pionts on your license
that if yuo run it and get burnt you lost them i have. neutral

[Bob]

1st or neutral

just my 2-cents worth.....I used to put 'er in neutral at stop lights, but a good bikin' buddy of mine asked me what I'd do if I had to get out of the way in a hurry. 1st gear at traffic lights now. I always park my bike in 1st gear.....habit from the days of driving that car with the standard tranny.

[jakal92]

Downshifting

Originally posted by sixtysix


I used to down shift one gear at a time, letting out the clutch between each gear to get the full effect of engine braking, sure I would lock up the back tire a time or two but that is the way I did it for years.

I was taught to downshift without the clutch.

As you are slowing or breaking,
when the engine rpms slow down (about 2000 rpm),
downshift to the next lowest gear,
and let the engine slow you down again.
Repeat until you get to first gear.

That way you are always in gear and ready to power up if needed
to get out of the way of something or if the light changes.

I always leave it in first at the light.
that way I am ready to go at any time,
and don't clunk into first more often than I need to.

I usually park in Neutral,
unless i park on the street or parking lot,
then I lock the steering and leave it in first.

[mobro]

All this talk about the option of "finding" neutral makes me wonder... I have a heck of a time getting it into netrual, especially when the bike is warm. (2nd to 1st then back to 2nd seeing the green light wink briefly as I go past).

When leaving the AMA Dirt track Mile in Springfield IL, the bike traffic jam is incredible. Lots of moving a few feet and stopping. After 30 minutes, I was longing for Neutral to rest my left hand. Sometimes I have to kill the motor to find it, then re-start.

Is this something that can be fixed? (I adjust my clutch according to the Clymer instructions).

[Jim Scott]

95% of the time i am in first gear at a light. The other 5 % i am in second or third. the thing i love about these bikes is that with some good clutch work i casan still get out of the way of any on-comming traffic .

[Robert Haller]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by madbiker
[B]ever set at a light in some back water town. waiting at a red light that needs to changes but won't .

It is annoying when I'm at a light that has a sensor wire in the road to trip the light, only a bike alone is not enough to trigger it. I friend tipped me off to putting the kickstand down on the wire to trip it, which seems to work much of the time. Someone posted on the yahoo list sometime back about a magnet you could buy that was guaranteed to trip the sensors.

[Wayne]

Someone posted on the yahoo list sometime back about a magnet you could buy that was guaranteed to trip the sensors.

I found this one, called Green Light Trigger, and am considering buying it.

http://www.discountbuy.com/greenlighttrigger/

[Wayne]

Correction:
Use this web address instead of the last one i posted

http://www.greenlighttrigger.com/

I just found out it offers free shipping. Same product.

[JP]

Didn't someone say that the rare-earth magnets from an old hard drive are a good alternative? I think I have a couple of 300MB drives laying around I could pull a couple of magnets out of.

[mobro]

A very informative discussion about how traffic signal sensors work can be found at:

http://www.msgroup.org/TIP148.html