Reverse shift pattern…

Finaly I decided to reverse the shift pattern on my bike. Normal bike has 1 DOWN – N – and 2,3,4,5 and 6 UP. With the reverse pattern, the 1 will be UP – N – 2,3,4,5 and 6 will be DOWN.

This reverse pattern is commonly used by race bike, as a matter of fact, almost all motoGP rider is using this reverse pattern. John Hopkins (I read onced) is the only known motoGP rider that still using normal shift pattern (1 DOWN).

Here’s my reason in doing so…

1. Up Shift during cornering is much easier

This is I think the most important reason. When you in a long sweeper, with the rev already nearing the red line it is much easier to Up Shift with just a press of your toe on the shift lever. Case in point is the R10-11-12 at Sentul Circuit. When you hard in 2nd gear coming to the R10, the engine is already screming near the red line. Pass R11, just press your toe and you in 3rd. With normal pattern, your toe need to be placed under the shift lever before entering R10, bit too much preparation and cumbersome. Not to mentioned that you already in max lean, getting your right knee down, thus you left foot is bit tip-toe ing on the rear set. Tough!

2. Avoid incidental too much Down Shifting

This is also important. You Up Shift too much the bike will not do much. You will only loose some torque coming out of corner. No big deal. But if you Down Shift too much nearing the red line is different story. The rear end will shake, and if you lean preparing for a corner, you might get thrown away by the bike.

By making Down Shift a lot more effort than Up Shift, you can avoid too much Down Shifting and locking the rear tire.

3. Hey.. Rossi and Stoner doing it!

Perhaps the reason why so many racer; up to motoGP rider, is using reverse pattern is because it is working, especially in racing situation.

Now, just because Rossi use it do not means you need to change your shift pattern right away! Especially if you have already in normal pattern for a long time. Changing the shift pattern will require you to change your subconscious thinking when riding a motorcycle. In high RPM in race situation changing gear has dire consequences, it can harm you if you wrongly doing so.

As for me, the first step was to change all the shift pattern of my bike. Meaning the Suzuki Satria, the Monster and finally the CBR will need to change. For several days the Monster has it shift pattern changed. Took it for a ride and I think I’m doing OK already.

For the Suzuki Satria, I did try the new reverse shift pattern during Friday (2/15) practice with Samuel. I must say, I’m getting comfortable with it, and I can see the benefit in reverse shift.

For Sentul gokart track Up Shift in Turn 4 and Turn 12 is much easier.

Yet, too bad I crash and low sided in Turn 4 while Samuel crash in Turn 2. The track was slippery as it has been raining for days in Sentul. Yet, I do see the benefit of reverse shift pattern and I intend to stick with it. Next will be with the CBR.

braking tips

1. Which brake is the most effective?

The front brake is the most effective, giving between 60 & 80% of the bike's stopping power in hard stops, depending upon surface conditions. This is because most of the weight of the bike and rider transfers forward onto the front wheel when the brakes are applied. A common example of weight transfer is when you trip on a gutter - your feet stop but momentum keeps the top of you going and you fall flat on your face. The weight transfer that takes place under braking on a motorcycle pushes the front wheel onto the ground and makes it grip very well.

2. Is the front wheel likely to skid if you apply the front brake hard?

No. The front wheel is likely to skid uncontrollably and bring you down only if you jam the front brake on hard. If you apply the front brake in a staged (progressive) process, the front wheel may skid but that skid is normally quite controllable.

3. Is the rear wheel likely to skid if you apply the brakes hard?

With most of the weight being on the front wheel, the rear wheel tends to be light under braking and will therefore lock up and skid very easily.

4. How do you control a rear wheel skid?

Control of a rear wheel skid is easy. Just keep your eyes up to the horizon and look where you WANT to go (not necessarily where you are actually going) and the bike will skid in a controllable manner with a minimum of fishtailing. Basic and advanced braking techniques are best learnt under controlled conditions rather than when a truck pulls out on you! Your local motorcycle school will run a fun braking exercise session for you and some mates if you care to call the school and arrange it.

5. Is braking a natural skill?

Braking, as with any riding skill, is a learned skill, not a natural one. This means you must practice the correct braking skills enough to make them an instinctive reaction before you can be sure that you will do the right things in an emergency. Overseas research has shown that, because of panic overpowering the rider's conscious reactions, nearly a third of all riders do absolutely nothing in an accident situation: they don't even apply the brakes!

If, however, your high level braking skills are so well learnt that they are instinctive, you will do it right, no matter what the situation. However, this requires you to do a lot of high level braking skill practice, the skills will not come with normal everyday riding.

6. Is there a special braking technique that ensures that a rider will get the best out of a motorcycle's brakes?

Yes. The process is called STAGED BRAKING and it involves the rider applying the motorcycle's brakes in a staged process. This gives the rider predictable, progressive braking.

7. In an emergency do we concentrate on using staged braking on both front and back brakes?

This is a controversial subject. Some experienced riders reckon that, even in an emergency when research has shown that panic tends to decrease your riding skills, they can apply the back brake perfectly with no loss of braking on the front. Well, research has shown that the average rider can only properly concentrate on the use of one brake in an emergency so, unless you think you're road motorcycling's equivalent of a top motorcycle racer, we would suggest that you concentrate on getting the best out
of one brake. Of the front and rear brake on a motorcycle, the one to concentrate on in an emergency is the front brake because if you get that one wrong, lock it up and don't correct that problem then you're going to crash..

According to the American Motorcycle Safety Foundation, if you try to get the best out of both brakes in an emergency, you will get the best out of neither. The MSF says you can't concentrate FULLY on both brakes at one time. You know your mother's old nag, "You can't concentrate on two things at one time"!

So, to get the best braking, you have to concentrate using either the front or the back brake and, since the front brake gives up to 80% of your braking power and incorrect application is likely to make you fall off, it makes sense to concentrate on the front brake.

The American Motorcycle Safety Foundation teaches their instructors that "in an emergency braking situation you should apply the back brake hard and let the back wheel slide if it wants to. This way you can concentrate on what is happening up front; there's enough to think about in the use of the front brake."

8. So how should I apply the rear brake?

Apply it and forget about it. Let the back wheel skid if necessary. Concentrate on using staged braking to harness the superior power of the front brake to save your life.

9. Is Staged Braking difficult to learn?

Given practice, the skill is not difficult to learn. The best way to learn it is to start off with a four stage application of the front brake. Later you can increase the number of stages to make your braking more and more progressive, if you want to.

10.Can you explain four stage braking in practical terms?

To understand four stage braking, think of a rider coming up to a set of lights. Stage One is the force with which he applies the front brake when he sees the lights turn orange some way ahead, in other words, lightly.

At Stage One, the rider is applying the front brake to the point where the brake is just on and slowing the bike down very, very gently to roll to a stop.

Stage Two is the force the rider would use if he was a bit closer to the lights when they turned orange, and he had to make a normal, smooth stop at the lights. So, Stage Two is the firm pull used to bring the bike to a firm, but quiet stop. The rider applies his front brake to Stage One (friction point) before going on to apply to a steady force at Stage Two.

Stage Three. Our rider has dithered about whether to stop for the orange light before deciding he'd better. By this time, he has to stop quite hard to stop. So he applies the front brake to friction point (Stage One), then onto a firm pull (Stage Two) before applying pressure with a strong pull at Stage Three.

Stage Four. The rider very unwisely decides to run the orange only to find, just before he reaches the lights, that they turn red. In this serious situation the rider needs all the braking he's got. So he applies the front brake to friction point, moves onto the firm pull of Stage Two, then to the strong pull of Stage Three, before giving it all he's got at Stage Four.

11. If you "give it all you've got" on the front brake at Stage Four, won't you get front wheel lockup?

Possibly but by using the staged braking process, by the time the tyre gets to the point of locking up at Stage Four, the weight has transferred forward onto the front wheel and any tendency of the front tyre to lose grip is both easily sensed and controlled, unlike a front wheel skid caused by a tyre locking up when the brake is jammed on hard while weight is moving around on the bike under weight transfer.

With correct use of the Four Stage process, controlling a front wheel skid is simply a matter of keeping the wheel steering straight ahead as you relax pressure on the front brake to allow the wheel to revolve again and regain grip.

12. What will happen if the front wheel locks and I don't relax some pressure?

You'll fall off as the wheel will eventually tuck under and the bike (and you) will fall down.

13. How good can you get at emergency braking?

In emergency stops, expert riders are capable of controlling a front wheel skid by releasing pressure on the front brake just enough to get that wheel turning again without actually letting the brake right off. This requires considerable sensitivity on the brakes and the only way you will gain this sort of sensitivity is to practice.

At the NZMSC higher level Megarider sessions, the way the instructors tell if the pupil has reached a suitable standard is whether they can hear the front tyre chattering as the tyre grips at the point of adhesion during emergency stops.

14. Is a bald tyre a liability when braking?

A treadless tyre will quite adequately handle braking stresses on a perfect road surface. The trouble is that perfect road surfaces are more than rare - they're virtually extinct. Tyre tread acts like a broom, sweeping debris, dirt, gravel and water etc off the road surface in order that the tyre can grip the road.

The tread on a sensibly ridden motorcycle can comfortably handle most foreign matter on a road surface - with the possible exception of oil (especially diesel oil), thick mud, and smooth wet paint. But link a bald tyre with foreign matter on the road surface and throw in braking stresses for good measure, and the crash will resound throughout the neighbourhood.

15. How should I brake on slippery and loose surfaces.

Carefully but not timidly. The secret to good braking on poor surfaces is observation. If you know what's under your wheels you can tailor your braking to the surface.

So, keep an eye on the road surface. If you cross a slippery surface under strong braking the front wheel may lock. This is why riders who brake late and hard for orange or red lights often spill off - into the middle of the intersection. The fall occurs because the rider fails to ease the front brake as the front wheel crosses the white line that crosses the lanes at the edge of the intersection. Then the front wheel breaks loose under braking on the slippery surface, the rider panics and freezes,
and he and his bike head groundwards...

The basic requirements for braking on a loose surface such as gravel are the same as those applying to braking on a sealed surface. The difference is that you must observe the requirements more strictly on gravel.

You must brake in plenty of time, preferably brake while upright and in a straight line (any braking while leaned over in gravel is extremely hazardous), use both brakes very progressively, carefully interpret the noise from the front and rear tyre while braking to detect and counteract any wheel lock-up, know your road surface, and take particular care when braking on gradients, inclines, and heavy cambers.

New rider motorcycle safety: avoiding common accidents

The most common accidents that we bikers get involved in are collisions at junctions, collisions while overtaking, loss of control, either from a shunt or, and, surprise, surprise, failing to get round a bend.

The key to minimizing the risk of any of these happening is anticipation, whether that’s reading the road ahead or another road users’ intentions, if you can react in plenty of time to prospective hazards you should keep out of trouble.

So, when you’re out in the countryside always look for clues to the way a bend is going to run, whether that’s a line of trees, telegraph poles or the hedges.

If you’re heading along a busy urban street, cars pulling out are your prime danger, so look for signs that they are going to move, like the driver’s hands moving on the steering wheel, the wheels starting to move, or an oncoming vehicle flashing to let someone pull out on you.

Shunts happen when you don’t leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front, so work on your road positioning and get to know how well your bike’s brakes work so you can always stop in the distance you can see to be clear.

With just two small tyre contact patches we have got to have lots of respect for the road surfaces. Poor weather, diesel spills, manholes, mud and painted road surfaces can all catch us out.

So, look for clues like harvesting or ploughing going on, a bus station with lots of diesel-laden coaches turning in and out of, or back clouds ahead and oncoming vehicles with headlights blazing.

This is all part of a lifetime of learing these new skills, which will give you a great deal of satisfaction, and keep you safe

For more information go to: http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/info/ridesafe.pdf

tune you 4 stroke CV carburettor

A little Guide to tune you 4 stroke CV carburettor for the optimal ( Not power oriented ) air fuel mixture.

There are mainly two screws used for the tunning of a carburetor

1.Fuel screw(4 stroke) or air screw (2 stroke)
2.Idle Rpm screw

The main difference between two stroke the fuel screw is that for the fuel Clockwise tightening makes the mixture lean , and anticlockwise loosening makes the mixture rich.

For two stroke bikes using an air screw the setting is exactly opposite.

The idle rpm screw is what sets the warm engine idle rpm . The greatest significance of the idle rpm or pilot setting would crop up at the point that it affects 1/8th of the initial throttle response. After that , it’s the butterflies and other that take over . But this initial turning is critical so as to ensure a smooth pickup as well as control knocking or over racing.

Judging the air-fuel mixture for the bike can only be done on a warmed up engine.

Warming up the engine

1.Drive for atleast 10-15minutes before trying to adjust any of the carburetor setting.
2.Especially for CV carburetors,use 1/2 throttle on an uphill for 1 minute. ( alternative )

Setting the mixture

1.Set the idle screw at 3000rpm
2.Now adjust the fuel screw for the leanest possible mix without stalling the engine.
3.Now after adjustment is made the rpm becomes constant
4.Now , adjust screw to tune within the lean range
5.Decrease idle rpm to about 1100
6.Check the throttle for a quick and crisp response. The crispiness is important
Also check for instant start


After warming and adjusting , drive for a while to check the spark plugs for the following signs
1.White Deposits : Lean Mixture
2.Black deposits : Rich mixture
3.Sandy side of chocolate brown : Ideal mixture.

Please note that the fuel mixture is always checked by driving between 1/4 th and 3/4th of the total throttle twist. This also goes to imply that the throttle body must have a uniform response to the same twist at all levels and is working perfectly.
The other , not so accurate way to check the correct mixture is the silencer or exhaust fume . Place your hand at the exhaust as you rake the engine after 1/4th of the throttle .

1.The sign of the optimal mix is that your hand feel slight warmish moisture as the throttle is increased a bit . Then check the same sign at constant throttle.
2.The very heat or temperature of the fumes at the upper limit of the power band should not feel too much to keep the hand there for about 10 seconds.


A few signs for your carburetor out of tunning
1.RPM rises fast but reduces slowly : Mixture is not optimal , usually on the leaner side.
2.Grunting sound (too much torque) : Rich mixture.
3.Engine knocking at low rpm without power : Lean
4.Not enough power , overracing at high rpm for same speed : Clutch setting req . Mix is a little lean



A Lean mixture is usally more harmful than a richer one . This is because , the engine is knocking at a higher rate for the same power . Thus the high compression damages the pistons causing holing(hole in the top center of the piston).It also jerks the entire combustion chamber which may loosen the o-rings as well as cause uneven wear.
For this reason it is necessary that you always try to keep the needle in the powerband for medium and overdrive gears, and also never try and keep the bike in the same gear for thought of better efficiency.

For those of you who think that a richer mixture is a gateway for more power, it may be noteworthy of a mention that even a richer mix is damaging and causes faster wear and tear.

Hence engine life is reduced though it will function better than a len mixed carburettor. In case performance is what you look at , Jetting of the carburettor is the right way to go. It is basically increasing the fuel pipe radius as well as the air pipe, to allow for a greater fuel flow rate. The most significant increase of jetting is felt at the top end , where the limiting fuel flow is increased, thought a difference is also felt throughout the entire RPM range.

However , once you drive a day or two , you will figure if your setting is correct or not . If the mixture is the optimal one then just a single anticlockwise turn ( richer) or maybe two will give you a reasonable boost in the power , though naturally you are sacrificing the Fuel effiency , although it wont matter much . But , repeat , test the optimal setting for atleast two days , before switching to the optimally rich setting . Coz knowing what is right is the only way to know , know what is beyond right.