more noobie questions: at what point are you shifting up and down?

[young]

let's say you're at a red light, local speed limit of 35mph.

as you start up, at what points do you tend to shift up? 3000rpm?

and as you slow down, when do you shift down?

can you double shift down? let's say that i'm in 3 but, i forget to shift down to 2, before i come to a stop. can i then just click it down twice to get to 1?

do you just develop a feel for when it is appropriate to shift?

i developped a feel for what works for my motor and riding style over time. shiftpoints really vary with how aggressively you're riding too. really working the bike, i find myself flirting with redline will be pretty common. but most often, commuting and just cruising around, i short shift between 3 and 4k rpm's. as for multiple downshifts, sure why not?

[ScottRNelson]

I like to see if I can get to fourth gear before passing the crosswalk on the far side of the intersection. That means shifting at 3-3.5K and less than half throttle.

If I'm in a hurry, I'll run the engine much higher than 3000 rpms, though. Usually I save that for freeway on ramps.

When coming to a stop, it's okay to just pull the clutch in and bang the shifter down until it hit's first gear. If you're going too fast when you go to first, it can be hard on the gears, though. No problem with going slow while shifting down from high gears, though. Since my clutch drags a bit and I can't usually get it into neutral when stopped, I'm always shifting into neutral the last ten feet.

[Sapper]

In the scenario you brought up about being in 3rd when you get to a full stop, I would say that you would probably want (but don't HAVE) to downshift twice (2nd, then 1st) just so that you match engine speed to road speed.

[young]

yes, i intend to use engine braking (i think it is in the manual) as i slow down. sounds good - thanks for the advice.

--
related to what gear you are in - during the MSF course, the instructor said to not assume you're in N just because the indicator says it is (or vice versa). instead to slowly release the clutch to see if you are really in N.

was that b/c we were riding pretty beat up honda 250s? or is this an issue i should be concerned with whenever i ride a bike?

[quote=young ]
related to what gear you are in - during the MSF course, the instructor said to not assume you're in N just because the indicator says it is (or vice versa).

[dreamse83]

It's become my riding style to take it up to 8-9 RPM's before shifting, though I don't cruise at a steady 9RPM's. But for a situation like the one you mentioned, I'm sure I'm shifting much closer to 3's and 4's. As far as clicking to neutral when coming to the light, if you're worried about it actually being in neautral, just hold your front bike when you release the clutch. That way if you're not in neautral and you stall, your front brake will prevent you from lunging forward. A lot of riders will tell you it's safer to remain in a gear while stopped just in case you gotta get outta the way in a hurry.

[KnightofNew]

a quick word on downshifting and engine braking....if you have the clutch in long enough to shift through 2 gears, chances are you will have very little revs on the engine when you release the clutch to slow down. I slid my rear tire several times when i first got the duc because of things like that. i suggest going down one gear at a time engaging the clutch SLOWLY between each one, esp when you are first learning. if the rear tire starts sliding it can end badly...not to mention slamming you forward onto the barsor into the tank (thank god monsters dont' have the same tank as the sporties and superbikes)

[young]

noted... trust me, i will be riding in my neighborhood for quite a bit of time before i venture out into the real world

i definitely want to take it nice and easy for my learning curve.

[Sapper]

That's the way to do it.