Hey guys, I've posted on the sportster forum a good bit but I got a bike a few weeks ago and I'll be taking an MSF course soon. In the meantime I've been doing small rides to a parking lot near the house to practice. Once I'm going I'm good. The counter stealing clicked with me, shifting gears and down shifting is a breeze for me. My issue is getting the bike going. I live on a hill and if I coast down it and shift without stopping I'm good. But stop signs are a no go. I'll think I have it and then today I had to try ten times or so. Any advice? Everybody says it will come but I'd like to some what proficient before the class so I can get more out of it and not worry about the small stuff.

 

It will. Just takes time and repetition.

Keep practicing, and have fun!

 

The first part of the MSF course they'll have you basically walking the bike while slipping the clutch, finding the "friction zone". That's the idea of it. There may be YouTube videos that show it. Google friction zone maybe or motorcycle friction zone. You can slip the clutch and not hurt it like you would a car. Wet clutch.

 

The best way that I know to become more proficient is to practice, practice and more practice, that's how I learned.

 

When starting out from a dead stop, slip the clutch as others have stated. Essentially, what this means is, start letting the clutch out until the bike starts moving, but don't let it all the way out. Get the bike moving first. Give a little more throttle and let out the clutch a little more until you're rolling. Then let it all the way out and roll on the throttle.

 

I'm going to give this a go. Give it some throttle as your letting out the clutch dont assume once your feel the bike moving your done with the clutch, you need to let it out all the way not just letting go of the lever once you start moving. As for starting on a hill there are a few different ways you can go about it. you can put your foot on the break lever and once you feel the clutch grab release the break. or you can hold the front break with 2 fingers and work the throttle and clutch at the same time. Hope this makes sense to you.

rk classic.

 

As the majority will undoubtedly reply - "practice". It will indeed become second nature.

A little trick I employ on any hill of significance [and the "significance" changes with proficiency] is to hold your rear brake/foot pedal while slowly releasing the clutch. When you feel the bike begin to move ever so slightly forward, you can release the brake, continue to release clutch and apply a little more throttle. Just like any aspect of shifting, this requires a little finesse which come with [you guessed it] practice!

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'll keep that in mind. I feel like I know where the friction zone is. It typically doesn't die immediately. It will start forward, sputter a bit and then die. Another question. When I am going to slow up my hill I hear the bike knock. Is that something wrong with the bike or just something I need to avoid letting happen?

 

This. Like the old saying goes...practice make perfect. Reputation will help get you over the hump.

Funny story...when I was a young teen, sitting in the back seat of the car...which was a standard and may have helped...I used to pretend I was riding a bike, clutching, shifting and twisting the throttle. And when I first rode a bike, I was told by a good friend, the if he didn't know better, he'd say I'd been riding for years. Maybe my "practicing" helped me.

 

When you're feeling the "friction zone" you want to roll on the throttle a little and control your movement with the clutch in and out just a little, more or less friction. To your second question, downshift. Sounds like you're lugging the engine to me.