E-Z shifting for beginners: Difference between revisions

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You'll never use neutral on a bike while you're in motion. Neutral is there for when you're at the red light that will never end (although it's still a good idea to stay in first, in case you need to get out of the way fast) or if you need to push the bike while it's not running.

====First gear====

First on the 250 is almost exclusively for starting from a dead stop. If the bike is rolling at all, second is usually smoother for acceleration, although you may have to "feather" the clutch a bit to keep it going.

====What happens when you shift====

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When coming to a stop, run down through the gears, [http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Accelerating%2C_changing_gears#Downshifting like this]. You don't ever want to just coast in with the clutch pulled in. The bike is very hard to shift when it's standing still, and you always want to be in the right gear to get out of the way, if necessary.

Because first gear is so low on the Ninja, you may not want to let the clutch out once you hit first. Since you may not always know which gear you're in, you can let the clutch into the friction zone a bit and see if there is a noticeable increase in engine speed. If there is, you're going too fast for the gear, and you risk having the rear tire slip. Just pull the clutch back in until you get to either a slow speed or you come to the stop. ~~Remember~~ to always stop with the transmission in first gear.

Because first gear is so low on the Ninja, you may not want to let the clutch out once you hit first. Since you may not always know which gear you're in, you can let the clutch into the friction zone a bit and see if there is a noticeable increase in engine speed. If there is, you're going too fast for the gear, and you risk having the rear tire slip. Just pull the clutch back in until you get to either a slow speed or you come to the stop. You don't really want to go into first at more than about 2 mph as you're stopping. And remember to always stop with the transmission in first gear.

Learning to shift is just like getting to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice.

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 You'll never use neutral on a bike while you're in motion. Neutral is there for when you're at the red light that will never end (although it's still a good idea to stay in first, in case you need to get out of the way fast) or if you need to push the bike while it's not running.
+====First gear====
+First on the 250 is almost exclusively for starting from a dead stop. If the bike is rolling at all, second is usually smoother for acceleration, although you may have to "feather" the clutch a bit to keep it going.
 ====What happens when you shift====
@@ Line 43: / Line 47: @@
 When coming to a stop, run down through the gears, [http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Accelerating%2C_changing_gears#Downshifting like this]. You don't ever want to just coast in with the clutch pulled in. The bike is very hard to shift when it's standing still, and you always want to be in the right gear to get out of the way, if necessary.
-Because first gear is so low on the Ninja, you may not want to let the clutch out once you hit first. Since you may not always know which gear you're in, you can let the clutch into the friction zone a bit and see if there is a noticeable increase in engine speed. If there is, you're going too fast for the gear, and you risk having the rear tire slip. Just pull the clutch back in until you get to either a slow speed or you come to the stop. Remember to always stop with the transmission in first gear.
+Because first gear is so low on the Ninja, you may not want to let the clutch out once you hit first. Since you may not always know which gear you're in, you can let the clutch into the friction zone a bit and see if there is a noticeable increase in engine speed. If there is, you're going too fast for the gear, and you risk having the rear tire slip. Just pull the clutch back in until you get to either a slow speed or you come to the stop. You don't really want to go into first at more than about 2 mph as you're stopping. And remember to always stop with the transmission in first gear.
 Learning to shift is just like getting to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice.