ayuschak
09-05-2006, 08:48 AM
Hi all. I'm new to motorcycling, and I have a question about turning. Here is the situation that I am having issues with: I'm on a road going at a relatively higher speed (say 40 to 50 mph) and I am approaching a turn up ahead. This turn, however, does not require me to stop. Should I try and shift down from say 5th through 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st and then take the turn? This seems like its alot of shifting just to take a turn. Should I pull in the clutch, slow to the speed necessary, and skip directly to 2nd or 1st? I would really appreciate some help on the subject!
yds3guy
11-20-2006, 09:19 AM
That would depend on your bike, among other things. How sharp of a turn are we talking? 90* turn, or just a curve in the road? If a 90* turn (for instance, where a stop sign has a "except right turn" sign on it), I would probably drop it down into 2nd and cruise through... but, if the bike lugs at low speeds, you might need to go all the way to first. Also, if the intersection warrants it (heavy traffic, might not know you don't have to stop), you may slow down more than if there's no one around.
As for downshifting.... you don't have to hit every gear on a downshift... you can skip a few here and there, but make sure that you KNOW what gear you're in before you release the clutch. You don't want to over-rev the engine.