Trying to get going from a stop...

[Flip]

Its so hard to find that sweetspot where it doesnt stall out (for a beginner like me atleast). I can usually get it to go when i take my time and slowly release the clutch while giving it gas, but i would be WAY too slow if i was at a stop light, people would be pissed at me.

Any tips to find that sweet spot so i dont keep stalling out like a newb!

[Zukiman]

Practice. You will find it.

[Dan Dubeau]

Find an empty parking lot, or even a parking space will do. you don't need much room. Put both feet on the ground, and just slowly rock the bike backwards while slowly letting out the clutch until it starts to grab and stop the bike, then just ease the bike forward back to where you were YOu don't need to roll far, maybe just a foot. also don't touch the throttle. rinse, repeat, until you got it down pat. it shouldn't take long to build confidence

[steve053136]

im am teaching my brother how to ride and he is having the same problem, just practice lots and try to do the gas and the clutch at the same time. and be carefull when u kill it that u dont let the bike fall over (my brother killed it then fell over) so now when he is practising i hold the back handel and run with the bike till 5 mph lol

[Flip]

Well, on my outing today i've figured out that you just cant be a pussy on the throttle and it has more to do with how you let out the clutch than anything else. By the end of the day i was getting off stops 100%, some of them really smooth.

What my new bane is is getting off a stop and having to immediately turn. Going right is harder then left as you have even less room... ah, another challenge for another day.

[zleviticus]

I think of it like a woman.. For some at first it is hard to find the sweet spot and can take some practice but when you finally find it you will be able to find it all the time and every time.

[tdrcomm]

I think of it like a woman.. For some at firt it is hard to find the sweet spot and can take some practice but when you finally find it you will be able to find it all the time and every time.

I don't remember THAT tip from MSF!

[zleviticus]

What you didn't go to the after party..

[newf10]

When I first bought my Kat I had all those problems too. Practice as every bike is different. Bigger parking lots on an off day helped. It gets second nature but gas/clutch/and turn is probably the trickyest of all. When I started giving a quick twist on the bar before the friction point as I let out the clutch now I rarely stall out.

[JesterGfx]

I find it helpful (especially in those slow immediate turns) to crack the throttle a bit, and feather the clutch in and out to control the speed. This way you're throttle stays in one spot and you can keep a pretty consistant control over your speed through the clutch lever alone.

[wantakat]

I've been doing the same thing with the clutch and I have learned to pull away from a stop pretty quick. Anybody have any clutch problems as a result?

[paperairplane]

You don't drive it like a standard car. Give it more throttle and slip the clutch to control your speed. The bike only weighs 500#'s - you aren't going to burn the clutch up that easy.

In slow speed moves the clutch controls your speed, not the throttle.

[wantakat]

Add another question to the conversation...
When you pull away from a stop, do you start with both feet on the ground or just one foot. Do they teach one way or the other in the MSF class. I have a much easier time lifting both feet off the ground an to the pegs at the same time rather than starting with one already on the peg and then adding the other. I have a harder time balancing that way. Just curious if there is a right way and a wrong way here or is the right way whatever you have to do to keep from dropping the bike?

P.S. apologize if I am hijacking the thread here.

[WildKat]

Remember, u can ride the clutch just alittle bit when starting out, it won't burn it up just doing that till you learn.. dont be afraid to get on the throttle when you start out and rev it up to 2500 or so, and then EASE out the clutch very slowly and you'll pull right out no problem. Its not something you wanna do all the time in every gear, but until you get used it, its not a bad way to learn. Especially when you're starting out on inclines..

just ask charliemav

[fulcrum]

When I first started learning I was slightly (okay... massively) over cautious on the clutch. I'd only just get the bike going. Eventually my instructor (professional one) got annoyed and told me to get off the bike. He then hopped on, revved the absolute #@%^ out of it and slowly released the clutch. The result was a nice smooth take off with the bike revving insanely.

Then I got over my fear. What I think my problem was that my subconcious was telling me that if I revved to high then the second the clutch engaged I'd take off at about a billion mph. Seeing him control the speed with the clutch showed me this wasn't the case. I then revved more and no problems since.

He told me you won't (under normal circumstances) hurt the clutch. It is different from a cars clutch in how it works.

As for taking off, you should put your left foot down when stopping (you should be in first by that stage). You can then use the rear brake to stop from rolling back. If you do this when on the flat or facing downhill, it makes life easy when stopped pointing uphill and you need to take off. As for being in gear, stop in gear and hole the clutch in. This is done in case the idiot coming up behind at a great speed doesn't see the huge bike stopped at the red light with their brake light on. You can move out of the way quickly and let him fly through and kill someone else. Checking your mirrors when stopping and once stopped is a good idea.

That's my 2c anyway (only worth about 1.5c in US$)