E-Z shifting for beginners: Difference between revisions

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There's a space in between, a friction zone, where the clutch is not completely free, and not completely attached. When you start from a full stop, you start releasing the clutch to apply pressure, and when the engine and wheel speeds come to match, you should have the clutch fully engaged / lever untouched. That's easy to practice: find a good straight area (parking lot) and just work first gear. Start, stop, start, stop.

====You have to be moving to shift====

The EX250 has the Kawasaki '''positive neutral finder'''. This means the bike is set up to keep you from shifting past neutral at a stoplight and looking stupidly at your left foot while you go back and forth between 1st and 2nd. This is usually a good feature, but you have to remember a few things about it.

In order to shift past neutral the rear wheel has to be turning. This usually means that the bike is moving. The rear wheel has to be turning ''and'' you also must be in first gear. You can't just turn the rear wheel in neutral and shift up; you must go down into first and then shift.

You can shift through the gears on the centerstand with the bike running, but this is not recommended. If the centerstand gives way you could end up chasing the bike several hundred meters up the road or digging it out of the end of your garage.

So, for all of you who have dropped your bike on the left side and now can't shift it, start it up and run it down the street before you determine that there is something really wrong with your transmission.

====Upshifting====

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 There's a space in between, a friction zone, where the clutch is not completely free, and not completely attached. When you start from a full stop, you start releasing the clutch to apply pressure, and when the engine and wheel speeds come to match, you should have the clutch fully engaged / lever untouched. That's easy to practice: find a good straight area (parking lot) and just work first gear. Start, stop, start, stop.
+====You have to be moving to shift====
+The EX250 has the Kawasaki '''positive neutral finder'''. This means the bike is set up to keep you from shifting past neutral at a stoplight and looking stupidly at your left foot while you go back and forth between 1st and 2nd.  This is usually a good feature, but you have to remember a few things about it.
+In order to shift past neutral the rear wheel has to be turning. This usually means that the bike is moving. The rear wheel has to be turning ''and'' you also must be in first gear. You can't just turn the rear wheel in neutral and shift up; you must go down into first and then shift.
+You can shift through the gears on the centerstand with the bike running, but this is not recommended. If the centerstand gives way you could end up chasing the bike several hundred meters up the road or digging it out of the end of your garage.
+So, for all of you who have dropped your bike on the left side and now can't shift it, start it up and run it down the street before you determine that there is something really wrong with your transmission.
 ====Upshifting====