QuestionI'm a fairly new rider and I have a hard time remembering what gear i'm in. How can I figure out what gear i'm in when coming to a stoplight? What type of techniques did you use when you first started? Thanks!
AnswerHa ha ha you're asking the wrong guy. I never know WHAT gear I'm in unless I'm in 1st or 6th. ;-)
Seriously, this is the sort of thing that takes lots of riding and experience. The idea is you get used to what gear you usually ride in at a given speed or on a given road.
I am really bad at this also. My advice is to develop a routine for now. First and second gear is pretty easy to remember, but when you get to third gear on up it gets harder. Decide what gear you want to use for a given speed and try to stick to it for now until you get used to it--meaning your goal is to get to the point where you unconsciously recognize what gear you're in based on the speed you're traveling and the way the bike sounds, the way it feels, possibly also the rpms. Here's what I do, you can adapt from that:
1st gear starting out only
2nd gear accelerating, turning slowly (5-15 mph)
3rd gear accelerating, cornering at 20-40 mph
4th gear leveling off, cornering at 30-50 mph, riding along at 30-45 mph
5th gear leveling off, cornering at 40+ mph, riding along at 45-60 mph
6th gear overdrive only
Your bike will undoubtedly need different gears for different speeds (I ride a VFR800), but this will give you a place to start. If you make certain gears at certain speeds (or on certain roads you travel all the time) you'll eventually "memorize" it and you'll have a better idea what gear you're in.
Hope that helps. Ride smart and have fun.
Pat
