Having trouble getting into 2nd

[notagsxr]

Hey all, I'm having some trouble getting into 2nd gear. I'm sure it's me and not the bike, but looking for tips anyways. I transition off the gas and into the clutch. I even fully squeeze the clutch lever and I still can't move through the gears. Is there a trick to this that I'm just not doing? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[mharrison]

Are you going into any other gear or staying in 1st?

I don't know your riding experience, so I hope I don't offend you, but are you pulling up on the shifter with your toe? If you push down on it while in 1st you'll get nowhere.

Do you mean you can NEVER get it into second, or you frequently miss the shift and have it stuck in neutral?

[notagsxr]

...so I hope I don't offend you, but are you pulling up on the shifter with your toe? If you push down on it while in 1st you'll get nowhere.

Funny you should mention that...that's what I was doing BTW, this is my first bike LOL Fortunately, I have a good friend who rode out to my place to show me a few things.

[Kila-Beave]

In MI the MSF classes are $25 and worth every penny!

As for tips, if you put your toes under the shifter and start putting slight upward pressure on it right before you actually want to shift it'll help a bit. Just make sure the throttle roll-off and clutch pull are nearly simultaneous. That really makes my 1->2 shift a lot smoother. Do pull in the clutch though or you're shifting clutchless which can lead to damage.

[mharrison]

+1..... The MSF course is a great training ground.

[steves]

Sharp movement up. You have to totally release pressure on the shifter to go up another gear.

[notagsxr]

Yeah, I played with it a bit today and got it figured out, just had a noob moment. I'm definitely gonna do the MSF class though, but the next available slot around here isn't until August

[Specter]

You should go for it. I just finished my MSF a week ago and registered back in April for it.

It's $140 here in NC

[DaytonaKatana]

haha im in toronto ontario and its 420$ cdn, but again totally worth it, and I've been riding dirtbikes for 10 years. I had a lot of fun