- This topic has 5 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 8 months ago by paulurmston.
Changing gear on Ninja 250cc
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August 5, 2009 at 2:10 pm #3240paulurmstonParticipant
Hi there.
As recently as last night, there arrived at my apartment a spanking new 250cc Ninja.
Now before everyone chimes in with “Do a safety class first” I am already down for a safety course where I live… but that starts this weekend.
And this brand new bike is just sitting in my parking space… looking at me… it’s almost taunting me I think.
I just want to ride it around my parking lot a little… I want to learn where the clutch “bites” (I think is the expression, no?) when releasing. The simple things you know… not take off on the highway before I even start the damn classes.
I do have a huge question though….
At what rev’s / speed should I be changing gears on the ninja?
I mean, I don’t want the thing to shoot out from underneath me, and neither do I want the engine to keep dying… where is the comfort zone on these things? between 3000 and 4000 revs?And can someone solve a myth for me. I just heard from an idiot (well… he IS an idiot) that even when rolling at lets say 20mph… I ALWAYS must have the throttle on a little when changing gear… is that true?
I thought I disengage the throttle 100% to change gear, and apply throttle after the clutch is fully out again (Please don’t reply saying that it is possible if the bike is going to thrash around under me like a formula 1 thing… I am in my first day here… I want SAFETY.. not speed)
Thanks guys and girls… hit me with your replys and wisdom!
August 5, 2009 at 2:27 pm #21253briderdtParticipantYou actually want the shift to happen quickly, so you roll off the throttle while engaging the clutch, hit the shift lever, then roll on the throttle as you disengage the clutch. The engine won’t go all the way down to idle while you’re doing this. If it’s all done quickly and smoothly, you almost won’t hear the engine speed change at all until you disengage the clutch and it revs down to match the new gear.
Don’t worry too much about the rev range now — you’ll figure it out in time. But if this is a NEW 250r, don’t you also have a manual with it? I think the answer to your question might be inside there.
August 5, 2009 at 2:30 pm #21254briderdtParticipantCan’t help you too much about the language barrier (I don’t speak Spanish), but I’m sure there’s something available online. Maybe check out http://www.ninja250.org for more info.
August 5, 2009 at 3:05 pm #21255paulurmstonParticipantThanks…. I guess I am just panicking over nothing.
I went to the website… and they only have links to buy paper books… I live in Chile.
Can you imagine the expense and time I’d have to wait to get the book (if they DO deliver so far away) in Chile.
Would cost a fortune, and 2 weeks to get here.
Thanks anyway.
August 5, 2009 at 5:04 pm #21256eternal05ParticipantCheck out Ninja250.org. They have TONS of information, though you have to be careful because some of it doesn’t apply to the new Ninjas (’08 and later).
As far as your question goes, I have some things to add to what briderdt said. First, you’re in the hard-break-in portion of your bike’s life cycle up until 600 miles. That means no revving over 4,000 rpm. That’s your shift point for the first few hundred miles. Once you get to 600 miles, you should get the bike serviced and then you can ride it up to 6,000rpm until you hit 1,000 miles. That’s what the MANUAL says anyway. I wouldn’t take the 4,000rpm too seriously, but I would keep it under 6,000rpm for the first 1,000 miles. That will give you a chance to really brake the bike in, but also force you to stay at slower speeds (but not THAT slow) until you’re really comfortable.
If you’re going to start dicking around before taking a course, you need to do some practice before you start shifting. First, you need to, as you say, figure out where the clutch engages. To do that, put it in first gear (shift down once from neutral) while holding the clutch in. Now slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) start releasing the clutch until you START to feel the bike move. That’s the beginning of what the call the friction zone: the area of clutch range where the clutch plates are touching enough to affect each other, but still slipping. Now pull in the clutch. Rock the bike back to where you started (you probably moved a few inches to a foot), and do it again, rock back, again, rock back, etc.
Once you’re comfortable with that, it’s time to get the bike going a bit faster. In neutral or with the clutch in, try playing with the throttle a bit. Try to get to the point where you can crack it open to exactly, say, 2,500rpm and have it stay there. Now, as you’re letting out the clutch this time, add about that much throttle. When you’re beginning, err on the side of a bit more throttle and the clutch not let out quite as much if you have trouble with stalling. The bike will get moving a bit faster now. Keep your feet on the ground and just walk your legs with the bike as it moves until you’re comfortably balanced and feel good about lifting your feet onto the pegs. When you do lift your feet to the pegs you should have the balls of your feet on the peg, not your arches.
Finally, with respect to shifting, as briderdt said, you ultimately want to do it as fast as possible. Sporty motorcycles, and all motorcycles in general as compared to cars, have engines that slow much faster than you might be used to (that is to say, the needle on the tach drops fast when you get off the throttle). As such you want to catch it (by engaging the next gear) before it drops too low. For NOW, however, you should take your damned time. You’ll probably take two seconds to shift the first time (that’s really slow), and since the engine will have probably gone to idle, if you just let out the clutch, you’ll feel a huge jolt. If you took too much time to shift or downshift, just let out the clutch really slowly and eat up all the differential by slipping that clutch. Again, the steps are:
1. In one motion: pull in the clutch while rolling off the throttle
2. Shift up firmly
3. Drop the clutch into the friction zone and then let it out from there, while smoothly rolling the throttle back onTwo tips to help you:
1. If you know you’re going to shift, get your toe under/over the shift pedal BEFOREHAND. Nothing stresses you out when you’re learning to shift like having to find the shifter blind in a hurry after already pulling in the clutch lever.
2. When you shift up, make sure you click it up all the way and keep pressure on the shifter until you’re back in gear. This will avoid the problem of “missed shifts” in which you try to shift up but either fail or end up in a false neutral (transmission disengaged between, say, 3rd and 4th gear, even though there shouldn’t be a neutral there).August 5, 2009 at 6:49 pm #21270paulurmstonParticipantThanks people… knew you would know what to do.
Yeah, I have a parking lot at my apartment. I don’t want to drive it so much, as to learn this friction point a little so that I am not a complete noob on the course.
I’m an English guy living in Chile. The Chileans wouldn’t stop taking the piss out of me if I turned up not even knowing where the friction point is.
; )
Thanks again everyone.
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