Downshifting, uncertain which gear I am in

the page changed, this was said prior

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Originally Posted by Jayell
So much overthinking in this thread.

The answer here is simple: count the gears as you down. One cog at a time. You drive a stick shift car, so you ought to be familiar with rev matching. If not, consult Google and YouTube, then practice, practice, practice. When you're done practicing, go practice some more.
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inreb said:
So much over practicing in this post.
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What does it matter? You need to go by feel and rpm. You'll know if you're too high a gear or too low for the corner or requested rate of acceleration. It doesn't matter the number. Don't worry about it and after while it'll all make sense. Even on bikes with gear indicators, people don't stare at them, I like that I have one but I would NOT miss it.

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for the ninja (250) i did something like this

(use your ears - try your best to never look at the tac)
- ROUGH estimates - don't take them to heart (shift at about 4k RMP to gain confidence without lugging)
Gear1 - 10km
Gear2 - 20km
Gear3 - 30km
Gear4 - 40km
Gear5 - 50km
Gear6 - 60km+ (at 100km is about 8-9k RPM or 9-10k RMP i think)

so now when you are at 100km you are obviously in 6th. If you slowdown and you check mirrors, make sure no obstacles in front of you, once you hit 50km you know roughly you can be in Gear5 low RPM or Gear4 High RPM. Using that logic, if you knew you were in 6 and you stomp 2 times you are in 4, but if you lost count and you hear the engine screaming, then you are in 3 high (you better not fkuc this up and lock the rear wheel or do it when raining cause you will become a statistic).

Better to keep track of your gears at the beginning and downshift 1 at a time in advance. don't be a hero and look forward to another season to practice.
 
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I check my current gear with the same method. 100kph, 6000rpm, 6th gear (5k revs is 85, 7k is 115.. I don't know why I know these things..). As for downshifting it's all about feel and sound. Personally I can tell that more revs are dropping per downshift the closer I get to first. For ex I might drop 100 rpm from 6th to 5th but 400rpm from 2nd to 1st. It just becomes second nature after a while.
 
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JP0160 said:
I check my current gear with the same method. 100kph, 6000rpm, 6th gear (5k revs is 85, 7k is 115.. I don't know why I know these things..). As for downshifting it's all about feel and sound. Personally I can tell that more revs are dropping per downshift the closer I get to first. For ex I might drop 100 rpm from 6th to 5th but 400rpm from 2nd to 1st. It just becomes second nature after a while.
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yup, that too ... reading these posts i feel that all of them together make up our decisions when riding and not 1 post in particular is right or wrong.

I would almost avoid 1st like the plague other than stopping and always try to go 2nd up. Or try not to put your foot down and slow down enough for you to advance
 
yodude said:
pull the clutch too fast, in the next lower gear, in a turn &..

the backend can easily go bye bye junior
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yeah
dont be shifting/braking/chopping the throttle mid turns please.
 
zeta_immersion said:
for the ninja (250) i did something like this

(use your ears - try your best to never look at the tac)
- ROUGH estimates - don't take them to heart (shift at about 4k RMP to gain confidence without lugging)
Gear1 - 10km
Gear2 - 20km
Gear3 - 30km
Gear4 - 40km
Gear5 - 50km
Gear6 - 60km+ (at 100km is about 8-9k RPM or 9-10k RMP i think)

so now when you are at 100km you are obviously in 6th. If you slowdown and you check mirrors, make sure no obstacles in front of you, once you hit 50km you know roughly you can be in Gear5 low RPM or Gear4 High RPM. Using that logic, if you knew you were in 6 and you stomp 2 times you are in 4, but if you lost count and you hear the engine screaming, then you are in 3 high (you better not fkuc this up and lock the rear wheel or do it when raining cause you will become a statistic).

Better to keep track of your gears at the beginning and downshift 1 at a time in advance. don't be a hero and look forward to another season to practice.
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On the gixxer you dont need to shift to second until 122 kph....at 16,000 rpm.

Maybe that is your answer, get a gixxer and never shift out of first ljke the rest of us

Sent from my STV100-3 using Tapatalk
 
CalamariGSX-R said:
On the gixxer you dont need to shift to second until 122 kph....at 16,000 rpm.

Maybe that is your answer, get a gixxer and never shift out of first ljke the rest of us

Sent from my STV100-3 using Tapatalk
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Love it .... I truly believe now that a learners bike should be "the bus" (Hayabusa).
No need for gear shifts, friendly with squids, tonnes of cool factor, a bazillion of CCs and low on insurance. Comes in different colors and .... well... you will never need to upgrade again!

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zeta_immersion said:
Love it .... I truly believe now that a learners bike should be "the bus" (Hayabusa).
No need for gear shifts, friendly with squids, tonnes of cool factor, a bazillion of CCs and low on insurance. Comes in different colors and .... well... you will never need to upgrade again!

Sent from my SM-G925W8 using Tapatalk
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The only thing that sucks is, my feet get real cold this time of year in my flippies.

Sent from my STV100-3 using Tapatalk
 
CalamariGSX-R said:
The only thing that sucks is, my feet get real cold this time of year in my flippies.

Sent from my STV100-3 using Tapatalk
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If the colors match then even with frostbite you'll look good

I think I goto stop riding for this season ... we'll see how is this morning on the bike ... probably not going to enjoy it too much

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zeta_immersion said:
If the colors match then even with frostbite you'll look good

I think I goto stop riding for this season ... we'll see how is this morning on the bike ... probably not going to enjoy it too much

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Are you in toronto? It will be 16 c today here

Sent from my STV100-3 using Tapatalk
 
I would not worry about it, you will eventually get the feel of your bike and know the gear you're at and how to respond. I tend to forget what gear i am at times, most of us do but don't admit it.
 
tondoboy said:
I would not worry about it, you will eventually get the feel of your bike and know the gear you're at and how to respond. I tend to forget what gear i am at times, most of us do but don't admit it.
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Arguably the only gear I've tried to memorize speeds at is 6th -- Cuts down on the number of attempts at finding that elusive 7th gear when commuting... :P lol
 
conundrum said:
Arguably the only gear I've tried to memorize speeds at is 6th -- Cuts down on the number of attempts at finding that elusive 7th gear when commuting... :P lol
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lol true, I didn't find 7th, but I did find a false neutral while trying. That was fun.
 
OP, i'll sell you a gear shift indicator $40, no more guessing
 
zheka130 said:
Guys

Hopefully this wasn't asked before. Obviously its a noob question.

Upshifting is very easy and it is very easy to fly through gears from 1st to 6th. However, when slowing down I dont downshift through every gear; instead I brake and then downshift several gears at a time. As a result I am often unsure which gear I am in.

Anyone else have this "issue"? On a manual car its non existent, as every gear has its own position, on a bike different story.

Suggestions from experts welcome of course.
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Learn your engine and listen to it...one at a time!!

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