did this ever happen to you on a bike?

[Dirtytoes]

hi,
1st off, i've never driven a stickshift....and i took the msf course last week and graduated.....

got the ninja ex500 yesterday..its runs great and everything......but i'm having problems when stopping....

for example i took it for a little spin today.....hit the first redlight, came to a complete stop, the car in front of me went, and then, when i was in first gear i gasses it a bit and let go of the clutch...the bike turned off right in the middle of the street and the car behind me almost hit me cause i guess he thought i was going.....turned it on...happened again....and once more.....i think i let go of the clutch too fast......am i right?

then i pulled in a big empty alley and practiced for an hour but the bike still pushes me back and forth when ever pull the clutch in and let go but it doens't turn off anymore......

is this something that happens to all beginners or am i just that bad of a rider?

did it happen to you when you were starting to ride?

and also, is there something else i might be doing wrong?

i just checked stats for 2004:
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30 ... 809908.pdf
305 sober riders were killed in cali.....how mnay riders would you say there in in cali? (in general)

[Jamers!]

Your stalling it. Its a very basic thing for bikes and manuel cars. Your either letting out the clutch to quick or not giving it enough gas, go to a parking lot and practice getting the right timing and gas ammount down so as to avoid stalling on the roads



JWF

[Shiv]

Yup, you got it right.

You're letting go of the clutch too fast. That was the hardest thing for me to learn (and I still haven't gotten it completely down).

It's just something you learn. Go to a parking lot and practice it over and over again.

[Jamers!]

Having never driven a stick before getting a bike is gonna make it harder, but just cheat a little while learning. What i mean by that is, when i started riding, and driving stick i would give a lot of gas then release the clutch, that way you dont have to worry about the gas control and the clutch timing togethor at the beginning, just be sure to either relase off the gas or be ready for a lurch at the start. As you get better at starting you will learn how to quickly release the clutch and give enough gas to start off smooth, but basically, just practice, pratice, practice.




JWF

[Dirtytoes]

.....i would give a lot of gas then release the clutch, that way you dont have to worry about the gas control and the clutch timing togethor at the beginning

JWF

but wouldn't you be doing a burn out? if you gas in and then jump into gear......i.e last night, on the way to my house there is a pretty long uphill, i had to stop in the middle cause my friend was there....i wanted to go continue going back up now....when i tried to gas it, it still kept going downhill backwards so i gassed it alot and i did a burn out follwed by a wheelie (which was really cool by-the-way )....it was going outta control and then i almost crashed.........so does practice make perfect in this situation or will it alway be a problem?
p.s. it's not only when i stop and go, even when i hold the clutch nd let go of the throttle.

[Jamers!]

ok in the situation of a hill, you just gotta have exp with starting. When on a hill i just hold press down on the back brake while releasing the clutch and gassing it then when i feel the bike start to catch i let go of the brake. So in that kind of situation you just need practice starting off. I would adivse finding a flat area and just spending hours on getting the start down.


JWF




-- as for the burn out, i useally dont have that happen with me, to burn out on a bike i useally start going then ride the back brake while maintaining a slow speed until the tire starts to slip. I would guess the reason you had a burn out was sdue to the steepness of the hill and you giving a lot of gas caused it, but not totally sure

[Nibblet99]

I have had the same problem myself, on one particular bike, till I realised it was because the bite point was in perfectly the worng place for me.... Changed it, and all became good

[ronboskz650sr]

Get into a parking lot, and let the cluth out as slowly as you possibly can. I can release my clutch fully at idle, even on a very slight incline if it's paved. Practice until you can do this, or the closest possible variant of it...just off idle. DO it over and over in a straight line until you're smooth. Then add gas and increase your release rate...Can you see where this is going? Practice is essential! There is no substitute for it, but you can make it safer by rmoving the traffic from the equation. That's why they hold the MSF i a parking lot.

[GiddyBOI]

OHHH STALLING...it was one of my biggest fears when i first started riding at the courses. Everytime I stopped...i was like "ohh man is it gonna do it again??" ...i knew it was all in the clutch, but didnt know why i was gettin it sometimes, and missin it sometimes.....but it's true, it's all about practice and patience!
Dont worry about it though...it's a part of the learning experience...huge part of mine
take care

[Ninja Geoff]

Ride the clutch out as long as it takes. Most bikes have wet clutches that are designed for being ridden. Like everything else about riding, it takes practice. Me, i can launch on a decent hill in the dirt and be fine and not lift up the front end. That took practice. Though a couple years experiance with a 5 speed car did help a lot. Just don't get frusterated and lose your cool, ecspecially on the streets.