When to use the clutch...

[cayuse]

I'm just guessin' Alan. I've seen 2-strokes clap out after being run way too hot. Maybe a problem with rings, cylinder expansion, or head gasket leakage.

I don't share your experience on the GZ wrt to jerkiness when the engine is hot or cold. Mine is somewhat 'jerky' in the lower gears when transitioning from throttle closing to opening and vice versa. In higher gears, especially at lower speeds it is much smoother. I think it's due to the various inertias vs. engine compression.

[geezer]

are you all talking about the slack in the drive chain? lol

[alantf]

It seems (to me) that when the engine is thoroughly hot, the idle revs rise, so when I shut off the throttle it closes to a higher revs (if you can understand what I'm trying to get at) When the engine is cool the idle revs are lower than recommended.

I know what you mean about 2 strokes! When I first came over here, all I could afford was an old Peugeot 150cc scooter with a million miles on the clock. One day, as I was going down the autopista at around 70 km/hr (the fastest it would go!) it just cut out on me. Just couldn't get it to go again, so I started pushing it along the shoulder. After half an hour of pushing I hit the start button, & it started up like there had never been a problem. If I'd just sat on the shoulder for half an hour I'd have saved myself from a week of aches and pains.

[unkjon]

The clutch is oil bathed, so you do not need to worry about using it too much, you will not burn the clutch. When rolling at a slow speed you should maintain a slight amount of throttle and use your clutch to adjust the speed. With practice you should be able to roll at slow speed very smoothly by using your clutch. As far as going into a turn in 2nd it sounds like you should have downshifted into 1st, then you should have been able to accelerate smoothly through the turn. You should not upshift or downshift while in the turn. With practice you will learn the gear to use when entering a turn.

[mrlmd1]

You may be in too high a gear for the speed you are going and putting too high a load on the engine and it is bogging down. With a little more riding experience you will know what gear to be in at what speed. 2nd gear at 5 mph or so may not be appropriate, you may have needed to be in first. You do not have to ride the clutch, really not a good idea, and will get to know your bike better with more riding time.

[Viirin]

Originally Posted by Nightsbane

For instance, I'm rolling and I am now in second gear. I let off the throttle to go into a curve or turn. After slowing I roll onto the throttle (after not using much or any at all, coasting a bit) and go through the turn. Sometimes this caused the range bikes to be just a bit jerky when rolling back on the throttle, didn't cause any control issues, but I just wanted to know if this was normal and if I should have been using the clutch to avoid damaging anything.

That's what I need to know.:

I was the same when i started - the jerkiness when you open the throttle can be worrying - i formed a habbit which i am still undecided on whether it is bad or not of slightly pulling in the clutch and matching the revs to the speed to remove the jerkiness but as far as proper training goes i think you just get used to the jerkiness, the more you do it and the more you anticipate it the less jumpy it seems - i only do it now if i'm suddenly opening the throttle a lot and the jump would be larger than normal - really slowly opening the throttle and giving the engine time to catch up can remove the jerkiness too but this isn't always an option

Hope this helps

Vii

[burkbuilds]

Nightsbane, you got a lot of really good advice here, but I think Rionna gave you the best of all, go find a large empty parking lot and practice, practice and then practice some more. Just about anybody can fly down the straightaway, it's the slow speed turns and the starts and stops that most riders need to work on. You'll find your groove through lots of repetitions and one day you will realize that you probably can't remember the last time you had that "jerky" feeling.

I can't speak for anybody else, just me, but even though I rode dirt bikes every day as a kid, it took me a good while to feel solidly in control of a street bike when I started riding again after 20+ years of not riding. I think the GZ is one of the very best choices for someone to learn to ride on. It handle well, doesn't really have enough power to get away from you easily, and it's light enough to pick up if you fall over.

I saw a young lady on a big Harley touring bike take a spill at a stop sign the other day because she hit a little gravel and once it started to go, she didn't have the strength to keep it up. I think she probably hurt her hip trying to keep it from falling over. She was almost completely stopped when it dropped her and it took two big men to get that puppy back upright.

You've got the right bike, just get out there and spend a lot of time practicing slow speed maneuvers and stops and starts.

[mole2]

Originally Posted by Nightsbane

The single most mystifying thing about learning to ride a bike has been the clutch. I have driven a scooter for a while, and so I was leaps and bounds ahead of other riders in the MSF class in most tested areas while rolling, but when it came to shifting I was a slow learner having only driven a stick shift once or twice in my life.

I didn't get all of the info I needed in the class and so I will ask here, something I am sure I will be doing a lot the first couple weeks.

When is the proper time to use the clutch? I know gear changes use the clutch, and when coming to a stop. What I am confused about it if you should use the clutch when rolling off the throttle in a turn. I noticed on the training bike that rolling completely off the throttle and coasting and then rolling back on the throttle caused a little jerky jump at first. Is this normal/supposed to happen or am I supposed to be using the clutch? I just need to know what to do before I get to higher speeds. I want to make sure there isn't something I will do to make it jump out of my control when rolling on the throttle while driving.

Thanks for your time.

I'm just coming into this discussion now. What bothers me is the bold phrase above. You don't coast in a turn, you stay in gear. You roll your throttle to maintain speed and once straightened up you roll your throttle to accelerate. Never coast in a turn. You seem to be confusing the "friction zone" used in slow speed maneuvers with turning. Re-read you manual and you will see for turns Slow for entry speed, Look through the entire turn, Press the hand grip slightly on the side you want to turn (counter steering), and roll your throttle to keep from losing speed.

Let me know if this is what you were asking about.

[Nightsbane]

Not what I was asking at all. I was only asking if you should engage the clutch when you have completely rolled off the throttle before you roll back on.

There is nothing at all wrong with coasting into a turn. You approach the turn, use the clutch and perhaps a little break to slow, start your approach vector and then roll on the throttle evenly through the turn to cause the centripetal force to carry you through the turn. If you thought I meant coasting THROUGH a turn then I think you misunderstood me. The turn has started once you have taken any action required for that turn, and the process of slowing down is the first step even before turning the bike a single degree.

[mole2]

Originally Posted by Nightsbane

Not what I was asking at all. I was only asking if you should engage the clutch when you have completely rolled off the throttle before you roll back on.

There is nothing at all wrong with coasting into a turn. You approach the turn, use the clutch and perhaps a little break to slow, start your approach vector and then roll on the throttle evenly through the turn to cause the centripetal force to carry you through the turn. If you thought I meant coasting THROUGH a turn then I think you misunderstood me. The turn has started once you have taken any action required for that turn, and the process of slowing down is the first step even before turning the bike a single degree.

Ok, I did misunderstand you. I wouldn't coast into a turn. You may let your clutch out and momentarily lock your rear wheel while your front wheel is turned causing you to lose friction on your rear tire and go down (low side). Ride safe.