I usually leave it in 1st gear UNTIL a vehicle pulls up and comes to a complete stop behind me.

If you are having problems with the hard clutch pull, you should replace the stock clutch slave cylinder - Evoluzione and Yoyodyne are popular.

 

I for one put it in neutral. I know that you're supposed to leave it in gear to make a quick getaway or whatever, but most of the time where are you gonna go? Into traffic in the intersection? I say bah, save your hand and your clutch, put it in neutral. My MSF class I took down south actually said to put it in neutral too so that works out well for me.

 

Typically, I keep my clutch pulled in, especially when I'm just starting out. When my bike is still a bit cold and not fully warmed, it's impossible to find neutral. After it's warmed up and I'm at a signal that I know is going to be long, I'll drop it in neutral just to give my hand a rest. But I'll put it back in gear after a little while -- just like they taught in MSF.

 

I almost always keep it in first gear. I'll only put it in neutral if I need my left hand free for some sort of adjustment.

I don't like to do the "shifter-brake-two-step."

 

I'm for neutral at stops. I can stretch, check out the ladies checkin me out, you know...

Heh, joking aside, nautral is fine B-Rock makes a good point- where you gonna go?

BTW, MSF also reccomends that you do things like put 4 fingers on the brake lever. I can't even imagine that!

 

Ya gotta give MSF a break on the four finger braking.

1. They have a single curriculum for all bikes. They want to make sure that you get enough braking power even if your brakes suck and even if your lever isn't adjusted properly.
2. For uniformity and liability protection, their instructors are not supposed to deviate from the curriculum.
3. They are not teaching advanced techniques (even in their experienced course) so the ability to brake while controlling the throttle is not appropriate for the class.

So yes, they do simplify the course in order communicate with the "lowest common denominator," (for example you cannot get them to even begin to talk about the physics of turning and countersteering, it's kept to "push right to go right, push left to go left") but that doesn't mean that everything they teach is suspect.

There's a good foundation for everything they teach, but it's not gospel. Use what makes sense to you and works for you, but you should give some thought to where you deviate and not simply blow it off.

 

as others have said, it depends on whats behind me. if i'm at a stop with no one readily behind me i'll keep it in gear, but if another car is behind and we're both stopped its in neutral.

 

usually i'm doing the two-step, putting it in neutral. waiting until the car behind is fully stopped is a good idea i think. about where to go, i'm not as good about that as i ought to be either. it's easy to think that there's nowhere to go. if you think about it enough, especially before rolling up to a stop, there's nearly always somewhere to go, and if there's not, stop back further.

anyway, the stock clutch makes for a great forearm workout!
(especially to only have a popeye-fied left arm)

 

usually neutral for me but every 3 - 5 seconds pop it into gear, wait a few seconds, back into neutral, 5 - 10 sec, back into gear, etc.

 

usually i'm doing the two-step, putting it in neutral. waiting until the car behind is fully stopped is a good idea i think. about where to go, i'm not as good about that as i ought to be either. it's easy to think that there's nowhere to go. if you think about it enough, especially before rolling up to a stop, there's nearly always somewhere to go, and if there's not, stop back further.

anyway, the stock clutch makes for a great forearm workout!
(especially to only have a popeye-fied left arm)

As far as where to go--- a lot of times it seems that there is no where to go. I do always stop with enough room so at least I can scoot around the guy in front of me--that is after I get it in gear . I do pay attention to whats going on behind me.

 

I keep it in gear until I get a stopped vehicle behind me. And I always leave the bike pointed at the gap between the cars ahead or the right shoulder. I've had to use it a couple time to avoid being the meat in a minivan sandwich and it works really well.

mike

 

I put it into neutral before I get stopped and leave it there. If I think for any reason I might have to take off early, I keep my right foot on the ground and the left foot ready to shift back into first gear. There is almost no difference in how long it would take me to get moving again.

I've been riding for decades and can't remember a case when I needed to take off from an intersection before the light turned green for me (other than the light never turning green). If I thought I might get hit from behind, I would probably choose that over pulling out into traffic and getting hit from the side.

In cases where I think there might be a chance of someone coming up behind me and not stopping, I make sure I'm over to one side of the lane so that there would be room for them to swerve around me when they finally notice what's in front of them.

I'm betting that if we took a poll and got everyone on this board to participate, we would find that nobody has ever been hit from behind at an intersection while on a stopped motorcycle.

 

I too am one for neutral at stops, usually just a click while rolling up. That is for lights though, and down here some can be quite long. Obviously for signs is a s&g.

 

I think it is important to learn the safest techniques. I don't know of any safety rules taught by MSF that are not backed up by solid data. Then, it's up to every rider to decide what he or she does on the road. MSF cleaned up several bad habits I had developed and some other things I have not improved. At lights, I often go to neutral and I don't watch behind me as well as I know I should.

I do plan to repeat the ERC. Some take it every time they change bikes. Some take it just for refresher, reminder, and clean-up bad habits.

 

not sure about motorcycles, but i've heard several stories from patients who've been hit from behind by drivers in SUVs who can't stop in time while yakkin' on their cellphones!

 

Yeah, they wore me out about that all weekend.

BTW, MSF also reccomends that you do things like put 4 fingers on the brake lever.

 

I'm betting that if we took a poll and got everyone on this board to participate, we would find that nobody has ever been hit from behind at an intersection while on a stopped motorcycle.

Good idea! How do you add a poll?

 

OK, since Im the first one to answer 'yes' i'll put my comments here...

Stopped at a light, traffic all around, light turns green, cars start to go but then stop again because left-turners are still in the intersection. I stop, car behind me doesnt. bonk.
I think 'sh!t', then i hear the engine behind me race.
I think 'sh!t, this guy is trying to kill me.
I was already in gear and ready to go so i romp on the gas and get rolling. BONK (again)
but since i was going i wobble a bit but dont fall.
Get stopped. the woman says 'O My Gawd, i mean to hit the brakes and hit the gas instead :'
I shoulda gone Yates on her a$$. [smiley=laugh.gif]
not exactly your scenario, but close enough.
the quicker reaction time could have made the difference between being sore the next day or squished.

I think being in gear and watching boils down to is 2 things
-decreased reaction time if you need to get moving (i think there are usually squealing tires before rear-end accidents)....kinda like covering the brake in traffic

-the other thing is attention level. if you switch off your riders-brain when you are stopped, you are less prepared to anticpate and avoid stupid stuff people around you do.

 

I usually try and keep the bike in gear, but if everyone around me has stopped, and I know it's a long light, I'll put it in N.
Now that I have my vented clutch cover, I'll probably be playing with Neutral a lot more. ...Something to do with the expression on peoples face when you have a 900 in Neutral.
T.

 

Neutral...where is there to go except into cross-traffic? Also spent years on old Brit Bikes and if you didn't find neutral before you stopped you would cook the clutch plates,, they would expand and you would stall anyway.

I always have an eye in the mirror when I am at a standstill, nothing tightens up the sphincter faster than the sound of screeching tires behind you

 

I've never been to MSF and I taught myself nuetral the gear whenever I stopped for more then few seconds and I do it since day one. But I realize the dangerous after I read your question. I might need to do like bigmonster does.

 

I'm in nuetral at a stop light with both feet on the ground. I also seldom look behind me. All bad habits I guess, but as pointed out above, 'where are you going to go?'

On the same token, I ALWAYS make sure there is a reasonable distance between me and the car in front of me. I hate to feel trapped if something were to go wrong.

 

hmmm... i'm usually at the front of the line so i don't have to worry about being behind a car.