Greetings all,


I'm a new rider (just bought a bike 2 months ago with no previous riding experience). Never realized what I was missing and now I am obsessed!


Anyway, I have a 2007 Road King CVO and need a little advice regarding starts. As I've been learning to ride I would always start in first gear from a stop. The issue I have is that I can't seem to find a nice sweet spot where it's a smooth transition from first to second gear. I've tried watching RPMs closely, going off of speed, and simply using "feel" but no matter what it tends to jump a bit. My shifting to all other gears (2 to 3, 3 to 4, etc.) is good, it just is a problem from 1 to 2. On the way in to work this morning I decided to try and start from second gear to eliminate the shift and it worked really well and I had much better acceleration.


The question I have is there any drawbacks or concerns about starting in second gear?

 

Seems to me it's not shifting issue but a clutch management issue.......slow up the clutch release on the left hand just a tad and roll on the throttle easier........practice.......

 

+1 on the clutch /throttle training, did you take a riding school before this purchase?

 

Find your nearest MSF basic riders course. You will learn a lot more than just clutch control. A lot of insurance companies give a discount for taking the class. The downfall to starting in second is it adds unnecessary wear to your clutch and primary fluid. As said above, work on your clutch management. Practice practice practice. Find a large parking lot with minimal traffic and just practice that first to second shift as much as you can till you master it. Practice emergency stopping too. It's easy to get started, but panic stopping is more important.

 

You picked a nice first bike, it's one of my favorites. I would love to see a picture if ever get the time.

Beary

 

It's too soon in your riding career to start creating bad habits, like starting off in second. On a level road or downhill that may be OK, however going uphill your engine may well struggle and you find yourself in a situation you are not sure how to get out of. So don't leave yourself open to problems in the first place! Find yourself a quiet place one weekend soon and practice. You may well have a Eureka moment pdq and all will be sweetness and light! If that doesn't happen then enrol on a suitable riding training class.

 

keep us up on how you progress. you must have that practice in an empty parking lot.
take the riders course. and congrats on the new bike and welcome to the forum. you picked a very good one. tons of knowlege here, but do some research also.
kroozeabout. ps. thats alot of bike to have in traffic for a first time rider. stay awake

 

You are not experiencing anything different then most new riders. Obviously, "touch" is most critical in 1st gear from a dead stop to the shift point; however, you still need "touch" from 1st to 2nd and you have greater and greater leeway as you advance thru the gears. If, over time, you find yourself still jerky from 1st to 2nd, you might bring this to your mechanics attention and he/she can do a minor adjustment to your clutch cable.

 

Practice. Don't start in 2nd. Your CVO just may have a Screaming Eagle locker clutch. If so, I am not surprised you don't find first also difficult. My friend has a Dana CVO and I hate driving that thing. If you try to pull out easy, it stalls when the clutch grabs and buck jumps in second unless you just get down on it. Just not my style.

What I found unlike mine is soon as it catches, you have to hit the gas a little harder then you would normally do if you are trying to make it fill like an automatic.

 

I'll agree with the others about it's a bad habbit to start in 2nd gear (though it certainly is doable), and that it's likely some clutch control on your part.

But, when does this jump happen? Is it as soon as you move the foot lever, or when you let the clutch out?

If it's as soon as you move the foot lever, you may not be fully disengaging the clutch. That could be misadjustment of the clutch cable, you not fully pulling the clutch in, or the primary being over full.

If it's a jump as soon as you let the clutch out, it's likely you letting go of the clutch lever too quickly. Instead, release the clutch slower, much like you do to take off from a stop.