Smoother gear Changing, gear shifting on your motorcycle: riding tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 มิ.ย. 2011
- How to make smoother gear changes or gear switching on your motorbike by pre loading your gearstick and avoid making the gearbox bang. I am using my clutch when changing but if timed right, after 2nd gear, you don't need to on upshifts. This video may be slow but for those interested in improving their riding, it'll really help. It's also for more experienced riders. Please take basic training from a school before doing this.
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Roadcraft Nottingham is a UK motorcycle school which was established in March 1989.
I am a fully qualified professional motorcycle instructor of 35 years and offer motorcycle riding tips and tips on riding a motorcycle for the first time.
Please remember to like, comment and subscribe for more riding tips and help with any aspect of riding.
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Thank you for this small but effective lesson! I just went out & utilized your technique & couldn't believe how nice & smooth my gear changes were! I took the MSF class but they never taught this technique. I was pulling the clutch all the way in instead of to friction zone like you mentioned. I can definitely tell a difference. Gear changing was much smoother & acceleration was steady, no jerking. It almost felt like I hadn't even shifted. Thanks again for the tip!
Very nice lesson. I'm 54, a total beginner rider and determined to learn to be safe on the road, confident and skilled. This has helped me a lot.
Thanks. Nice attitude towards riding too. We're always learning, have fun. ☺
If it's any consolation, in every group I've been in during my bike classes, I was the worst rider. It's taken a LOT of practise to be where I am now so don't give up!
You are pressing on the clutch too right? Or is it clutchless?
30 years riding and learned something new today. Saw your video while on my lunch break at work. Rode my 06 Concours 1000 today to work, always clunky gearbox even with only 23000km on her. Tried your method for shifting...holy shit! Butter smooth and no clunk. Thanks mate.
... Really pleased I could help. Happy (and smooth) riding. ☺
Great lesson! Just passed my cbt in the UK and this was so helpful for developing clutch control and upshifting smoothly
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience. I'm a noob at 42yrs old and your videos have help tremendously and started me off in the right direction, safely. Keep up the great work and safe travels 😊
buddy thanks alot , you made it so easy i have no more problems shifting gears, specially with first to second so smooth i can't believe i was doing it wrong all this time👍👍
My fazer 1000 had quite a clunky gearbox and this technique helped me too. I love the 600s, nice choice and thanks for the kind words.
Another excellent video for those of us straight out of cbt. Every day being a school day as they say!
I seriously need to get my full das underway, but haven't yet got round to it as the cbt was the most fun I've had in a long long while!
So simple, but so effective! Thanks for the tips, no more clonking up changes thanks to some preload
On behalf of my bike id like to say thank you for greatly improving my shifts no more clunking! Thank you!
Just went out and tried this for the first time for a few hours, ive only started riding and this helped me smooth out my shifts alot, thankyou so much! :D
Russ can i say your a blessing to all new riders, your experience and advice are invaluable. You help me confirm any thoughts i have about riding whilst i learn.
Im greatful for a person like you feeling so strongly about riding to give us access to your vast knowledge.
Superb instructoriong and temprement(most instructors round my way seem very aggressive in their assertiveness)
Thank you :)
safe riding everybody
I took my license for motorcycle last spring.
My teacher never told me abt this method and I never thought it was a problem coz the gearbox never bang.
How ever I tried this method and I was suprised how much faster and smoother this was.
I try to ride as smooth as possible when I have my 12 year old in the back. And this helped a lot. Even in hard acceleration this is smoother.
So thank you!!
I tried this last weekend. It works a treat. It feels so much better. It's great how such a small change can make a difference. Thanks.
just got back, these tips work a treat, the odd change is still a bit rough but overall, a vast improvement - many thanks for this!
First lesson Nov 8 14. Watched this once, didn't get it. Watched it again and it made complete sense. Thanks, Im sure it will make a huge difference to the learning experience.
Just like to say thanks for your videos, im currently doing my mod 2 just now and your videos have been a great help.
Great explantation, just got my first bike CBR 250cc and gears doing exactly as you describe. your explanation is great, will follow your instructions and hopefully it will al smooth out. Thank you.
Great video. I'm new to riding and my shifting was terrible. Now it couldn't be more smooth thanks to you.
I have spent hours trying to get up shifting right & by golly this works a treat. My 2004 FZ6 has a clunky box anyway, but by not using the clutch my gear changing has improved 100%. I only use the clutch for 1st gear & most down shifting. So much smoother, quicker & far more enjoyable. Just do what Russ says & see the difference, amazing it really is.
Thanks for the information and the video. I can't believe this isn't more widely discussed or given as common knowledge. This technique makes my Triumph shifts alot smoother now.
The ST1100 has such a lovely gearbox, I used to do clutch-less changes on acceleration from 2nd up and the occasional clutch-less downshift, but not too often. I was a courier, so lived 10 hours a day on it and had time to practice :)
Just wanna thank you for this great informing video. I'm a fairly new rider 2yrs now and I'm just now finally understanding how to shift smoothly. This technique has really made my riding alot more enjoyable. I purchased my second motorcycle a few months back, from a harley cruiser to a hyper naked. Shifting gears on my new bike was frustrating because I was shifting and banging gears . After watching your video and practicing your technique I can barely feel the bike shifting into the gears, no more bang no lagg. I now enjoy my riding even more! I didn't realize that when shutting off the throttle and rolling back on was so minute, all it is is a quick wrist flix and I don't have to pull in the clutch all the way. The bike responds to those quick motions very well and just rolls along nice and smooth. Great video and thanks for sharing.
joel king... Pleased to have been of help to you. Have fun. ☺
great video!! I'm a new rider and couldn't figure out why my gear changing wasn't as quick or as smooth as others. I watched your video, and just like you mentioned I had my foot on the peg rather than the front of my foot under the gear shifter. I now shift much faster and smoother. Thanks for sharing!!
Great tip! I'm getting use to it now but I can immediately feel the difference. Glad I saw this.
Hi Russ, long time sub, first time commenter! I took and passed my Mod1 today which your guide was very useful for (but I also have a great instructor!) but what I wanted to say was while riding today, I used you 'preload' method of changing gear and they're now lovely and smooth! Thanks for this video, it was a great help!
The single most helpful video on changing gears, thanks!
i know the cbt is the basics of learning to ride a motorcycle and as i did this on a twist and go from having no confidence i had a geared 125cc ybr sitting outside my home when i did cbt i basicly had to start all over again once id done my cbt in learning to start bike going with out stalling which took some time then actually changing gear thank goodness for my 17 year old son and his patience in explaining this to me and clips on youtube i got the basics of this its now some time since then still on my ybr 125cc got new bike boots been trying to wear them in walking everywhere while wearing them but got on bike yesterday changed gear from 1 to 2 all was fine then tried for 3rd gear and my foot was right under the gear thing and tried to go up and nothing happening tried several times ended up going at 25 mph round the block and putting my old boots on and trying in those yer u got it nothing wrong with the bike all was fine going up all the gears in my old boots what am i doing wrong please help
Thanks a lot, I've tried this tonight and it works especially well changing gear from 1st to 2nd. It has bothered me for some time riding throught city traffic, but I seem to get the hang of it. I'll keep practicing! I also liked your video on the countersteering, so you've been a great help for at least two times. Greetings from The Hague, Netherlands.
Thank so much your for video.
I've applied what you said exactly and practised it until my shifting skill has dramatically improved.
I'm a new r125 owner, great tutorial! Just took the bike out and my gear chafes are so much smoother now. Thanks :)
A typically helpful video from you. My Mod 1 is next week and i have found your videos very useful. Thanks.
Brilliant..Thanks so much for sharing this. Been riding for 2 years on an old 200cc Cruiser and often struggled with the lower gears clunking.. just bought my first sports bike & disappointed to find I had the same gearing issues. New bike, I assumed gears should engage smoothly, only to find my gearing technique was flawed. Watched your vid then took my new bike for a spin..had this technique down pat in about 20 mins. Had lots of fun with this too, bike runs like shes suppose to. Many thanks.
Nice video for someone like me who just done CBT and although passed found it difficult gear changing down/ stopping smoothly tricky
thanks a lot. been searching for a video to help explain why sometimes i "clunk" the gears!
Great guide! Helped me a lot. My shifting is a lot smoother after watching this +part two and some practice.
Great video, just what I've been searching for after my first test ride.
So glad I found this, I'm still learning and was wondering why my bike seemed a bit jerky after I switched gears.
Like this video; tried out the technique couple of days ago and it works really nicely (2014 Tiger Sport 1050). Will hone this over the next couple of months ahead of a 10 day two up tour of France early July, will be interesting to see if the better half notices the difference.
Clutch less up shifting changed my biking life. So, smooth & powerful. Made riding a motorcycle, a lovely joy.
Good advice for new riders and some others who are making clunky gear changes. been riding over 50 yrs and some of my early bikes did not like this method maybe due to gear design. all the Japanese bikes I've had I've used this method and it's works well.
the latest gear boxes are very robust and trouble free. gear changes done this way are easy and smooth. a little practice makes perfect.
Thank you very much Russ. Great vid as usual. I still can't get rid of bang between 1st and 2nd gear, but the rest seems to improve with every ride, thanks to your tutorial!
Ride safe everybody!
Greg
I'm driving an Viper x-PLODE 200cc and I had some problems with the "bang",but now everything is ok...except the downshifting,for me It's quite difficult but I'm going to practice a lot.Nice video mate,thanks for posting it !
This simple video has made my er6n feel like a new bike. Thanks
Whats interesting is because of the positioning on my instructors 'sport riding position' bike, I started doing the right thing without realising it. i noticed my changes were a lot smoother compared to when i was riding my own cruiser. It wasnt until I rode my cruiser more, did I start doing the exact same thing ( change in foot position, even when my instructor tried my bike once he laughed when he first tried to change it was so different). My changing is now soo smooth it caught me by surprise when I realised what was happening. It started happening when I started doing more confident accelerations. ( confident/assertive). I found the exact same thing occuring in my car. My brain is now learning how to change gear on bike and car without me 'giving it the beans' so much.
TLDR the way I change gear when Iam being aggressive is actually smoother and is translating to when Iam accelerating normally.
Your videos are always a great help. I've got a 1988 honda bros and need to be nice to the gear box and clutch. Thanks so much :-)
Thank you very much for the tips, especially on downshifting - worked like a charm!
Thanks man, I've been riding 3 days and was wondering how to ride more smoothly.
Great lesson thanks. Just got a Tiger 1050 and your video is helping with the clunky transmission compared to the Zx9r.
Watching this video was an absolute epiphany moment for me. 3 weeks into riding and my less than smooth gear changes were winding the perfectionist in me right up!
"Preload!" Smooth as butter now. Thanks.
Been following your videos since before doing my Direct Access.
Thanks Rus. This video is exactly what I need to improve the smoothness of my gear change.
You're welcome Alex. ☺
hey man thanks for going out of your way and making all these videos. thanks much
Thanks for the link, what I meant was that my explanation was basic enough for most people to understand, we don't need to go into that much detail. Cheers. :-)
Thank you for all the videos. Helps a lot to get ready for Test
Thanks for the nice words, glad I could help. Ride safe.
Thank U sooo much for Posting videos like this, I really appreciate it.
I haven't been on a Bike in over Ten years and it's enough to forget the lit'l but important things, that helps U be safe and not ruin Ur Bike.
This is just magic. I'm 41. I never rode a motorcycle before in my life. I bought a Fazer 600 three months ago. Everything was difficult like hell. I saw this video several times and read the comments and couldn't understand what everbody is talking about. I tried it for three days and...WOW. Clutchless upshifting is 90% easier and 99% smoother than otherwise. I rode on the roads for a month only and I already feel sad that I didn't know this before. Unbelievable. Thank you Sir.
Thank you for the video! I tried it today and worked immediately. Great videos!
good advice!! i always wondered how to avoid the gear noise!
Ive been riding for a couple of months now thinking my 30 yr old suzuki gs125 was nearing a bottom end rebuild due to its clunking but im glad to say it was me all along!! I wish the people i had done my cbt with had told me this. Thankyou!!
It's these sort of messages that makes what I do worthwhile. Thank you.
This is one way (a good way) to shift but not the only way to shift smoothly. I do like how he explains simply what's going on in the engine/transmission. The better you understand the mechanics of how your bike works, the better and safer you will be able to operate it.
been riding a bike for 17 years been doing this since i passed had a great instructor in london ex police biker really great info my gear box is always good and if you get really good you don't need the clutch
This video was great ! Thank you so much for the angle shots ! They helped alot !
This is great, I had a problem with crunching gears on my Sprint ST, I thought it was the bike. I was wrong, I applied this system and with practice my changes are almost perfect. Thanks
wow great video, I learned a lot and I see an improvement in my gear changing. thank you.
thank you for posting this video... it has helped alot. My banging is now down to a minimum and I'm sure my gearbox is much happier lol It does take a while to get this technique so don't give up. Once you get a few smooth shifts and start to get the feel of it you'll be hooked.
Awesome video. thanx for sharing! I will admit that I have been letting off the throttle too severe for quite a while now and was not loading my shifter as I should by putting slight pressure on. this video just reminded me of the mistakes I have been makn for a while now.
when you do something wrong for so long you become very skilled at doing it wrong....lol
I really like this video. I've been riding for 3 years, started out on a 2009 ZX6. I've been shifting the "newbie" way for a really long time and i hate the feeling that my gears either grind it's way in or popping in. I been practicing and your video gave me more information. Thank you =) The only problem I'm having now is worrying. Worry that my brand new R1 transmission might get mess up if I'm practicing it wrong. For some stupid reason i've always fear for my transmission =/
Gday mate, great video, certainly clarified alot of things I was asking and opened my eyes alot. Thanks again mate.
@RoadcraftNottingham Thanks bud! Just passed my Mod 2 on Tuesday. Deposit down on a 2006 ER-6F, need some nice boots, they look comfy!
Watching this video shows me what I am doing wrong when changing gears - causing the bike to jerk forwards a little. So I now know the correct way to do it so thankyou for showing how its done so simply :)
Thank you for great instruction done with love. Your step by step demo lessons are very helpful and inspiring for an newbie like me. You surely have great passion for your students/subscribers. God bless-Rick, Wisconsin
Thanks!!! This has been a big help :) Will try the preloading and see if the helps.
Thank you for the really great lesson! This video helped me to improve my riding in a profound way! I still learn and knowing the right way is great!
You're welcome and keep up the great attitude, we're all still learning. ☺
Just a small lesson in mechanics to all the trolls out there, If your gear changes are nice and smooth, your gearbox will last much longer and require less maintenance than if you are constantly jabbing at the lever to change/crunch gears up or down. The only time you're going to damage a selector fork, is if you are so ham fisted (or footed) with the gear change that you literally end up slamming the gears instead of taking your time. A little pre-load on the lever is fine and even the odd missed gear shouldn't be a problem if you don't panic and remember what the clutch is there for before trying to engage the next gear.
True, some older (and I mean a LOT older) bikes did suffer from premature wear of selector forks but this was due to poor selection of materials and poor designs (MZ TS/ETZ and some Suzuki owners will testify to this,) which are now thankfully a thing of the past!
Great explanation. If you drive a manual transmission car, you should be doing exactly the same thing. Just a slight ease off the gas as you shift. The mechanics of a motorcycle can make shifting so much faster than a car that it is easy to forget to ease off the gas between shifts.....love your vids.
Thank you for this video. Did a wonder on my shifting.
I know it's an an older video but I just got a bike and seeing it being done instead of just explained helped a lot.
Will do, thanks a million!
Ride safe
Greg
Excellent tips!! I tried implementing it since yesterday and I'm amazed to see the difference and smooth grear shits. Can't thank you more. Cheers!
here in Aus we get taught this method its called positive gear change it helps to not slip into neutral aswell also that the balls of our feet should be on the pegs and tips be out at an angle \CB/ . Good vids man
Thanks very much. This was exactly what I was doing wrong and because of it I'd tense up at every shift because it wasn't smooth. Around town that meant I was tensing up all the time and just generally made riding not enjoyable. The day after watching this the ride to work was relaxing for the first time. Thanks again man
This helped immensely. Thank you!
Thanks for the advice. Nice bike man! Stay safe
Great video, Many thanks from sunny Florida
Russ, thanks for your reply, next lesson, a week today :-). Keep posting, Cheers, Jon
@chidlowt ..No matter how many times I hear that it makes me buzz knowing I've helped make someone a better rider. Thanks for letting me know. Happy riding. :-D
@Imreadingthisaloud ..That's a really nice thing to say, thank you. It's people like you that make me want to do these videos. I have more planned so watch this space.....
makes much more sense now, thanks and keep up the good vids!
Ooohhh my...! I have been doing it all wrong all these years! I usually close throttle then pull the clutch all the way then shift gear...and the best part when I downshift my gear, the gear would usually stuck then I need to pump the clutch and blip the throttle...For so long I thought this method you demonstrated are only use for racing...damn... Thank you for the video demo...!!!
Thx for the tips, I'll try to put em into use because I'm fairly unhappy
with my own shifting lately. Been riding for 10 years now, but with my
current bike (Yam FZ1 2008) I seem to have lost the feeling for it.
I always blamed the bike for it because I am a tall bloke
and I really need to reposition my legs when operating the shifter &
rear brake. Last week I ordered a higher seat and maybe together
with your tips I can smoothen things up again.
I like the angles on this Russ as it shows in detail the way it should be done. Mine was not perfect by a long shot and i watched the vid ages ago and tried it and it does work like a dream. Those elements all rolled into one are the key to it. My problem was bad habits picked up along the way whilst riding solo, as your taught just to pass the test. Same as anything tho you start to ride when you pass and learning things like this just makes that so much easier. Thanks for the vids ;-)
You still with us boss? ☺
Love all your lesson videos.
Pleased I could help, it's nice when people want to improve and congrats on the Mod1...all the best with Mod2
Wow! Gonna try this 4 sure. My gear shifting takes a lot longer... But with just that very little flick you can't be shutting of completely? My instructor told me there was an order to follow whilst changing gears, now you're telling to do everything at exactly the same time. Looks a lot smoother, idd!! Gonna try!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this great video! As a new rider, shifting is probably what I've had the most trouble with. The basic rider course (US) doesn't really cover the technique all that well, that 'flick' of the throttle was the missing piece.. If they had explained it the way you did in this video, it would have been SO much better and I wouldn't have been clanking gears!!
@LadynRed56 So pleased I could help, may be worth sending this link to your instructor to pass on to his pupils. Happy riding!
Good video as are the others you do. I will try it. Thank you.