Shifting MT-07

[BruceWayne911]

Finally got a chance to ride my MT-07. This was the 3rd time I ever rode a motorcycle, the first two were during the MSF course. I was gonna take a easy and just ride around my neighborhood but 10mins later and I'm zipping and flying around the backroads and highway. The MT-07 feels really good and at my weight(300lbs) I didn't notice any problems with the suspension. 

The only problem I have is my shifting isn't smooth. At what mph do younshift gears on the MT-07? I was doing it at every 10mph. It never felt completely smooth, only a few times.

[Triple Jim]

There are no set speeds.  When mildly acceleration you can shift earlier than you did.  I think the owner's manual has suggestions.  When trying for the best 1/4 mile it can do, you'd take it to redline before each shift. 

The important thing is to find the right delay between the previous gear and the one you're going into so that when you let out the clutch it's smooth.  It's not much delay.  A novice mistake is to pull in the clutch, shift, and let too much time go by before you let out the clutch, so you're actually getting engine braking before you open the throttle. 

Experience will take care of it. 

Edited June 1, 2021 by Triple Jim

[D.A.]

13 hours ago, BruceWayne911 said:

... The only problem I have is my shifting isn't smooth...

My bike shifts very smoothly in all gears, at all RPM and at all speeds so I doubt the problem is mechanical. As @Triple Jim suggests, it is probably due to a lack of experience. If so, the only remedy for that is practice. 

We all understand that blasting down the highway is fun. It’s also pretty easy to do. In fact, ANYONE can go fast in a relatively straight line because it doesn’t require much skill. Going fast kind of fools you, too, into believing you are a better rider than you are.

However, it’s the nuances that require skill and the best way to develop that skill is to go to an empty parking and practice the basics — like throttle control, clutch control, shift-timing, starts/stops, emergency maneuvers, tight circles, figure 8s, full-lock turns from a dead stop, u-turns, etc. 

One great parking lot drill is to see how SLOW you can go — creeping along at a snail’s pace — without having to put your feet down. It’s a lot harder than it sounds. And it’s the perfect way to learn how to finesse your throttle and get a feel for exactly where your clutch’s friction zone is. Until you learn those things, you’re not going to be able to shift smoothly on a consistent basis. 

There’s nothing wrong with ripping down the backroads. We all do it. The adrenaline rush is amazing! But if you’re doing it before having mastered skills as fundamental as shifting gears, you’re asking for trouble because you are not going to be prepared to deal with the unexpected.

One of the hardest things for a beginner motorcyclist to do is keep his ego in check. Practice going slow in a parking lot? Sounds lame, right? People will think you’re a dork, right? The whole point to buying a motorcycle is because it’s cool to ride like Fabio Quartararo, right?

My advice is to ignore the toxic masculinity and instead take the learning process one step at a time. After all, a rider who can make an effortless 180° turn in the middle of a narrow street looks way cooler than the one who blasts down the highway at 150 mph but then has to execute a u-turn as a 3-point maneuver. Or who stalls his engine pulling away from a stoplight.

So... master the basics and you will literally be able to run circles around the clowns who only know how to go fast. 

Edited June 1, 2021 by D.A.

[D.A.]

@BruceWayne911 Check out Motojitsu on YouTube. He has tons of great skills-building videos.

Edited June 1, 2021 by D.A.