Downshifting to Go Uphill

[RocketGirl]

Hi All,

I really like having this forum and have learned a lot from all the posts I've read and re-read.

I've just clocked over 200 miles on my first bike, a 250cc, and wanted to know if anyone encounters hills on their rides on a regular basis. What does it feel like to have to downshift when you're going up a hill and your speed starts to bleed off? I'm concerned with stressing my engine or chain drive if I do it incorrectly. I don't have a tachometer on my bike. Any advice or observations would be appreciated. Thank you!

[RhadamYgg]

Hi All,

I really like having this forum and have learned a lot from all the posts I've read and re-read.

I've just clocked over 200 miles on my first bike, a 250cc, and wanted to know if anyone encounters hills on their rides on a regular basis. What does it feel like to have to downshift when you're going up a hill and your speed starts to bleed off? I'm concerned with stressing my engine or chain drive if I do it incorrectly. I don't have a tachometer on my bike. Any advice or observations would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hills in Delaware... Must be a part of Delaware I haven't seen. I haven't had to deal with hills steep enough to have to downshift for yet.

RhadamYgg

[Shorts]

If you hear your bike starting to give in, downshift like you would any other time. We have gobs and gobs of hills and mountains here and ride them regularly. Keep your RPMs on the higher end, especially if there's traffic turning in and out of the road or there look like you might have to stop. The spinning will help steady you.

[Brackstone]

If you hear your bike starting to give in, downshift like you would any other time. We have gobs and gobs of hills and mountains here and ride them regularly. Keep your RPMs on the higher end, especially if there's traffic turning in and out of the road or there look like you might have to stop. The spinning will help steady you.

+1 to shorts

If I have a choice between being in second gear at 6,000 RPMs and 1st gaer at like 8,000 I'd rather be in first gear whenever I'm going up a steep hill.

Usually I feel the power drop off as I come into the hill and I shift there accordingly. But if you are already on the hill you can still change to! You'll get used to it

[jonnythan]

If you hear your bike starting to give in, downshift like you would any other time. We have gobs and gobs of hills and mountains here and ride them regularly. Keep your RPMs on the higher end, especially if there's traffic turning in and out of the road or there look like you might have to stop. The spinning will help steady you.

+1 to shorts

If I have a choice between being in second gear at 6,000 RPMs and 1st gaer at like 8,000 I'd rather be in first gear whenever I'm going up a steep hill.

Usually I feel the power drop off as I come into the hill and I shift there accordingly. But if you are already on the hill you can still change to! You'll get used to it

If my bike was at 6000 RPMs going up a hill, I'd be shifting UP

But, yeah, if I'm going up a hill and the engine starts lugging, or I start losing speed despite having the throttle pretty open, I'll drop down a gear.

[koji52]

Where in delaware are you riding has hills? (My parents are in Dover so I make some trips down there).

[the_sandman_454]

If you can't maintain your speed in the gear you're in at any time, hill or not, downshift to get the engine in its' powerband. You'll now because rolling on the throttle harder doesn't prodece a similar increase in speed.

Eventually you'll get to where you can predict whether or not to downshift when approaching a hill, passing, etc...

[chillbeast]

Where in delaware are you riding has hills? (My parents are in Dover so I make some trips down there).

Not sure exactly where RocketGirl is, but I spent the first 15 years of my life living around Hockessin & Newark. Plenty of hills out there, in fact the entire northern section has lots of hilly areas.

As to her question, I'm just about to start riding(MSF course starts tomorrow!) and I am most scread of hills. My neighborhood is one giant hill and just about any road within a 10 mile radius around me has pretty large hills, guess I will get used to em pretty quick though.

[drrick]

I also have a lot of hills near my house and they were not that hard to get used to at all.

[dr_bar]

Good thing there's no hills around here...