Gear Indicator

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began

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Hello all, I'm a new rider and I just purchased my first bike (2011 CBR250RA) and I was curious if anybody new of a good gear indicator that would be compatible with my bike.
I've seen a couple on various websites but I would really like one that indicates the selected gear even when the clutch is engaged - I've stalled a couple of times at lights/stop signs because I thought I was in first but I really wasn't (this is my first non-automatic vehicle).


I know that after about 1000 kms I will know what gear I'm in but for the first little bit I think having a gear indicator would allow me to focus more of my attention on what the crazy "cagers" are doing around me.

Thanks
 
You'll know what your bike is doing and what gear you're in in less than 1,000 kms. Is it lugging? Gear down. Is it screaming like it's about to explode? Gear up. I'm assuming your bike has a tach. Use it. The gear indicator is a waste of money, IMO.
 
shoulda just got a gsxr with the selectable modes (standard Gear indicator and you can ride on the slowest mode for a new rider), but since you have a cbr, you can try this

I use my gear indicator all the time. Especially when on the highway and I want to drop a few gears to pass cars on the road. Very easy to forget if I'm in 5th or 6th gear, mind you I usually ride in 3rd or forth on the highway for the quick accelleration.
 
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I wouldn't worry about it, you'll pick it up soon enough. I think it's more important to distinguish between the "right" gear rather than "which" gear. As someone else mentioned, lugging or screaming will tell you this. As a new rider you also want to minimise the amount of time you spend looking down at controls etc. be they hand or foot controls or other stuff you may add on like GPS and so on.

Alan
 
Don't worry about the gear indicator, you don't need it. Just need a little more mileage and you'll get the hang of it. You could do those 1000kms in a week no problem.

But if you reeaalllllyy wanted one, a GI-Pro X-type would work. http://www.healtech-electronics.com/
 
I won;t mind getting one. Even tho I have at least 70k kms on my belt
 
I'm with RockerGuy. When your your bike is geared and always screaming up top... and you're frantically trying to get down through the gears far enough to get that *ooph* on the exit... and the turn comes up on you faster than you expected... and you're trying to not lock em up.... etc, it can get hairy...

...at that moment, you really want your eyes to be on the prize, but that aside being able to give a quick eye blip down (when you can afford to) to see what gear you're in would be comforting if nothing else (for me at least).

I also hate answering "I don't know" when someone asks me what gear I take x turn in. Makes me feel useless.
 
Should got a gix
 
I'm assuming you just pull the clutch and brake to stop. Just make it a habit to keep pressing down on your shifter till it doesn't go anymore when stopped or coming to a stop (ideally going through all the gears). It's much safer to know your bike by feel than to depend on a display component. In emergency situations, you won't have much time to look at your gear.
 
1WheelDrive said:
I'm with RockerGuy. When your your bike is geared and always screaming up top... and you're frantically trying to get down through the gears far enough to get that *ooph* on the exit... and the turn comes up on you faster than you expected... and you're trying to not lock em up.... etc, it can get hairy...

...at that moment, you really want your eyes to be on the prize, but that aside being able to give a quick eye blip down (when you can afford to) to see what gear you're in would be comforting if nothing else (for me at least).

I also hate answering "I don't know" when someone asks me what gear I take x turn in. Makes me feel useless.
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Cruising on the highway at say 120km/h its hard to tell if its in 5 or 6 gear. I think the RPM difference is only 1000, with a redline of 14k, u can't really tell the difference from the tach at a glance
 
Not sure what the gear ratios are like on a cbr 125, but on my bike, 1st year is relatively tall (1st goes over 100 kph) and remaining gears are tightly spaced. At 100kph, the difference in rpm between is less than 300 rpm between some gears. I wish I had a gear indicator on my bike.
 
RockerGuy said:
Cruising on the highway at say 120km/h its hard to tell if its in 5 or 6 gear. I think the RPM difference is only 1000, with a redline of 14k, u can't really tell the difference from the tach at a glance
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It's hard to tell???

Pull in the clutch and try to gear up another. If it does not gear up, your in sixth! If it does gear up, good chance you were in 5. Then just cruise.

When it's time to slow down for corner, etc, just gear down as you go, and count in your head as you drop.
 
don't coast clutch in - you'll learn quick enough - mandatory skill imnsho

be in gear all the time except those last couple feet - concentrate on smoothly going up and down

you blow a shift in the twisties and you can be in trouble right quick
 
You don't need it. You know if you're in a gear that is too low or too high. The actual numerical value of the gear does not matter much.
For stalling at stops get in the habit of downshifting all the way.
 
I put a digital one on my sports bike just to say I have it and for the track if I ever went. But they really are Pointless for street. Rpm and counting worst case down shift at the stop till u can't and Ur in first
 
You shouldn't depend on one. You'll learn faster if you dont use one anyways. I ride a Ninja 250 and i have to go up through the gears pretty quickly (3-4 gear at 60km/h...) and i usually just kick until i can't kick anymore. And blip down the gears as i slow down. I'm usually always at 1st gear before i stop (you should match your gear with the speed just incase you have to get out of a sticky situation, never cruise with the clutch disengaged when stopping).
 
Sushii said:
I ride a Ninja 250 and i have to go up through the gears pretty quickly (3-4 gear at 60km/h...)
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That's crazy that you're all the way up to 4th gear at 60kmh!! I'm a pretty new rider - on a Ducati Monster 695 - and RARELY get out of 2nd gear for city riding at 60kmh. I'll usually pop it into 3rd to drop the revs a bit, or if I'm riding in the 70kmh range on city streets. But in 4th gear, I'm well over 100kmh for cruising speeds....

I'm wondering if its because you have such a smaller displacement engine. I don't have much to compare to, as the last bike I rode was a TW200 dirt bike at the training course last year (which did not have any gauges).

Since I only ever gear down to 1st for coming to a stop/starting off... I find myself stuck in 2nd gear for most of my city/residential riding, which is why I find myself quickly growing bored of riding around town, and rather hit up the country roads to work my way through the gears
 
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When I first got my bike, I was having a hard time remembering what gear I was in and being new to the sport of motorcycling, I too was interested in getting a gear indicator.
I found the one being suggested on Healtech's website, the GiPro and considered buying it.\

Since my money spending had priorities for other things at the moment, I put off buying the GiPro on the "to-do" list once I had money I could spend comfortably.

About a month later from that point and having put nearly 3000kms on my bike, I dropped the idea of getting the GiPro because I had learned to tell what gear I am in simply by knowing the rpm/speed ratios on my tach/speedo.
To this day, having put well over 10,000kms in 3 months on the bike, I have developped habits of being in certain gears according to the speed limit of the road I am on. I barely look at the tach anymore and I know which gear I am in.

Taking the time to learn the sounds of my bike and being able to tell which gear I am in based on the speed I am travelling versus the rpm on the tach, it was a good savings of 150$~.

Albeit, I'm sure every bike and every rider is different and you're free to do what you want. Just wanted to share my story related to this subject.
 
Have one on the track bike (gsxr) and use it once in awhile coming off a straight to know how many gears to go down or because I feel like I'm going really slow (low rpm/stuck in traffic) but I can glance down and see that I'm actually a gear higher or going that slow and it helps but on the street I would never use it, just change gears as needed. I also ride a 1000 on the street so any rpm over 6000 and it accelerates hard so I don't care what gear I'm in. I do try for 7th gear quite regularly lol.
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