Things You'll Need:
- a motorcycle
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Step 1
Locate the shifter on the left side of the motorcycle opposite to the back (foot) brake. The clutch is the left handle, and the shifter is the left foot peg.
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Step 2
Be familiar with what gear you're in. To shift in to first gear hold down the clutch and click one click down on your shifter. To shift into neutral shift a half click up. The bike should be able to roll freely back and forth. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th gear are all consecutive clicks above neutral.
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Step 3
To start your bike, it must be in neutral. Turn your ignition clockwise to the start position (my bike has a red circle to indicate starting position). If your bike is electric start then you can press the electric start button on your left side. If you have a kick start then there should be a kick level on the right side by your leg. DO NOT HOLD DOWN THE CLUTCH WHILE STARTING.
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Step 4
Now the engine should be turned over. To actually get your bike moving, hold down the clutch and switch into first gear. Do not let go of the clutch. Instead, slowly let the clutch out while you give the bike a small amount of gas. This takes some practice, do not give it too much gas or you could pop a wheelie. Don't let the clutch out to fast or the engine could die.
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Step 5
You should try to find where your bike engages. This is where the bike will start to roll forward like when your in drive in a car and not pushing the accelerator. When you find this give the engine a little more gas and let out the clutch completely.
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Step 6
Your bike should be moving. Don't drive in first for too long quickly hold down your clutch and switch into 2nd. Up and down shifting takes some practice. Shift up when you reach about 5 thousand rpm (in a two stroke , in a four stroke it's half). However you should be able to feel and hear the pressure when you need to up shift. Its like if your filling a bottles of water; smaller bottles of water fill up quick but must be exchange for larger bottles when there is too much pressure.
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Step 7
As much as you need to exchange a smaller bottle for a larger when there is too much pressure. You need to exchange a larger bottle when there is not enough pressure. If you don't down shift properly the engine could die. As you're reaching a stop you need to down shift. do not down shift at high rpm because your back wheels can lock up.
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Step 8
When you reach a stop you want to be either in neutral or in 1st with the clutch held down. If you let go of the clutch stopped in 1st gear your engine will die. repeat steps 4 and 5 to get the bike moving again.
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Step 9
That's it. The hardest part is starting and stopping. When you're first starting out practice starting and stopping over and over again until it becomes natural.
