5 Questions Motorcycle Riders Ask On Google

Once you get past all the motorcycle oil questions on Google you can start to see areas where riders have questions about actually riding a motorcycle. This week on MCrider we will look at 5 questions that motorcycle riders ask on Google.

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[MCrider]

- The Forum is an active, friendly place where riders share riding tips, ideas, travel photos, and show off their new motorcycles. Riders and instructors from all over the world are active on the forums and ready to share in the adventure with you.

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[bissellsmith]

I downshift all the time....always want to be in the right gear. Otherwise you can't accelerate when you need to well. I'll also say that just taking your hand off the throttle the bike slows down pretty quickly....so downshifting to break and slow down...is not the same as my Jeeps...I downshift for breaking all the time - when breaking isn't immediate, and when on mountains being in a lower gear is better than using your brakes. Motorcycles don't accelerate like cars do going down a mountain. W/in a range I don't use the clutch for slowing down. Breaking into a turn depends on the corner and the need, but try not to...but I may touch the front brake a bit.

[johnallred]

An important thing about downshifting is to keep the engine revs up to avoid lurching, skidding or loss of traction. Be smooth.

[NickKaboom]

Great video and informative. As a newbie, these answered some questions I had been thinking and some that I hadn’t, but should have. Thanks for your dedication in motorcycle safety education.

[gfunk]

How to stop? I haven’t gotten out of the parking lot yet because I’ve been practicing low speed maneuvers from the other guys channel. I haven’t gotten beyond 2nd gear

[kathwilson]

I just discovered you! I have been riding for 3 years. I am so impressed with your videos and the visual demonstrations on techniques. I am binge watching your videos!

[AmerSheikh]

People think google is the answer to all of their riding solution. Well I think Kevin is the google to any answer needed on how to ride a motorcycle 😉

[yurikhromov]

Hey, Kevin! Another great video! But I think that you misunderstood the question about pulling the clutch while breaking, or rather took it too literally. That question always rises when it concerns emergency breaking, and there are two different points of view:
a) Emergency breaking with the clutch pulled all the way in. It works well, and is probably the most effective way of breaking. Plus it allows for downshifting all the way to 1st gear without rev matching for which there is no time in emergency situation. But there's a chance that rear wheel will get locked as there's nothing that keeps it from stopping aside from the friction force that is dwindling as the weight transfers to the front.
b) Emergency breaking with the clutch engaged. Keeping the connection between the engine and the rear wheel makes it more difficult to accidentally lock the wheel. It's the next best thing to an ABS. But if you are breaking from a high gear all the way to a stop, there's a chance that the engine will stall at the end and by the time you're stopped you are most likely not in the first gear and that impairs your ability to get out of the possible rear end collision. With enough practice you can downshift quickly while reengaging the clutch each time, but it's much more difficult than just pulling in the clutch and focus on breaking, thus resulting in potentially longer breaking distance.

With all those pros and cons listed I'd suggest a following answer: if the bike has an ABS, pull the clutch while breaking, it's the most efficient way of breaking without years of practice. If the bike doesn't have an ABS, consider both options, but practice emergency breaking (a lot!) and see for yourself which way works best for you and your bike.

[russellhorn]

Missouri repealed their helmet law this month. Today we saw a wreck involving a Harley, and saw the body completely covered up. I've been seeing a lot of riders around this week, majority wearing a doo rag instead of a helmet. Those little brain buckets that they were before weren't much, but you be the judge. I will always wear a full face helmet, and all the appropriate gear.

[Charlies_Riding_Adventures]

You can only give general advice on this downshift topic. It has to be learned. I think the best downshift advice is not to downshift too aggressively as it can cause a loss of traction on the rear wheel and result in a crash.

[peacockchristopher]

I once owned a Suzuki T500. It was a 2-stroke bike, and a design feature (failure) was that when the clutch was held in, the oil pump drive was also disengaged. Sitting revving the engine at traffic lights with the clutch held in was probably contributed the demise of the engine - which was pretty bulletproof otherwise. Advice I read about running in an engine was “never let the motor slog”. This is true of all riding, I feel: never thrash along in low gear - change up. And never slog along in a high gear - change down. Great channel Kevin!

[TheScrumdown]

Braking... is probably the one area we all need to keep improving from beginners to long time riders.
Shifting, countering-steering, accelerating, down shifting do need to improve as well.
However, if you cannot stop. To me, at least, the the others become moot really quickly.

[jameshood]

Loved " better Google how to pickup a motorcycle"..lol

[danieldayton]

Thanks, Kevin. I guess I will have to be more judicious about when I watch your weekly videos. As I was watching this edition at 6:30 AM in a hotel room with my wife asleep just a few feet away, I got into some trouble when I started laughing out loud at your tongue-in-cheek analogy of "standing up all the time so you don't wear out the seat on the motorcycle" comment. My guffawing woke her up unceremoniously. (I may even start laughing every time I sit at a stop light with the clutch pulled in as I keep the gearbox in 1st gear....)
I look forward to your videos every week, and can't thank you enough.

[judgedredd]

Finally about stopping in traffic what should one do. It appears that our practises don't agree at all with those used in the USA. In the UK one stops and as the right foot is on the back brake one puts the left foot down.I presume having already dropped the gears as required. When the bike has come to a stop the front brake is applied and held. The rear brake is released and that foot is also put onto the tarmac or pavement, whatever you call it. At the same time the clutch having been pulled in to stop the bike one now takes the bike out of gear and put into neutral, then that foot is again put down so both feet are planted on the road. So unlike yourselves we stop the bike and take it out of gear and stay there with the front brake on and both feet on the road. When we wish to move off we then clutch in and left foot goes on the gear lever and into a gear to move off. Some advise us that the foot shuffle takes place now. That is that after being put into gear the left foot is placed back on the road and the right foot comes off the road and covers the rear brake should the need arise for its use. All the while the front brake is on and then released to move forward with the revs on and one comes off the clutch.

We don't appear to have the same % problems of being rear ended as you do. Our position is different again from yours as we are advised to take up a position of command in the road ie being in the middle to right of the middle of the carriageway which to us would be almost directly in front of the position a driver would be sat in if behind us. So we would be directly in front of him and not to either side left or right so that he may not see us in his peripheral vision.

Finally again. When stopped and out of gear if a delay is anticipated to be long [ minutes not seconds ]we have been advised for many years to actually turn off our engines to conserve fuel and to reduce air pollution. Modern cars are now actually doing that when stopped and they restart automatically when the brakes are taken off.. Some police forces are actually prosecuting drivers who don't turn of their engines when stopped at traffic lights etc.

[Cowley]

In a clutch there is a bearing on the end of the pushrod which spins up while pressing on the pressure plate when the clutch is pulled in. This is what I think I may be wearing out prematurely when sat at traffic lights for long periods in 1st gear.
Just my thoughts and I could well be wrong. Great vid as always.

[manwoman]

The owner`s manual information is not a typo if you read all of it The reason is to avoid locking the rear wheel due to engine very high compression This is why depend on model years with rider of different experiences you might have to squeeze the clutch to come to a complete stop or taking this curve at lower speed

[Migs]

I couldn't have said it better Kevin. Good work.

[Justjack]

I always want to be in the correct gear, for the same reason you keep yourself in first gear at a full stop. You must be ready for anything while out riding. Being in the correct gear at all times eliminates a step in an emergency. You eliminate the down shifting and panic of trying to recall just what gear you are in or should be in for the MPH you happen to be in at the time of the emergency. Ride safe! Thanks to MCrider, I do.

[davepressly]

you never disappoint with your this is no exception!
Great job! See you on the road