I've seen people who have 300/600cc bikes who can take off from stops without giving the bike much throttle, and I'm pretty sure some of you watch derek's motovlogs. He is able to basically go off from a stop without giving his bike any throttle at all. How is this possible? If I try to do this with my ninja, it immediately stalls, basically like it's not getting barely any power. Is this basically just having a low idle or just not much torque?
Question about the great clutch.
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You need to stay in the friction zone, where the bike can move in it's own w/o throttle. You need to learn and feel and become comfortable with this zone. Each bike is different. I've never had a problem stalling using the friction zone and no throttle. I don't know your riding experience though, are you a new rider or experienced? 
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You can ride away with almost no throttle, and smooth engagement of the clutch can hide the load sound as the RPMs don't need to rise more than the bike needs to move. A few mm of throttle are all that are needed, especially with the low stock final drive ratio.
I've had it for about a month now. I guess I just need to get used to it, as this is the only issue I'm having. :/You need to stay in the friction zone, where the bike can move in it's own w/o throttle. You need to learn and feel and become comfortable with this zone. Each bike is different. I've never had a problem stalling using the friction zone and no throttle. I don't know your riding experience though, are you a new rider or experienced?
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Just hold in the clutch and slowly release it until you start moving on your own, then you're in the friction zone and then just keep practicing from there. You'll get it soon enough!
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listen to the engine. its revs will start to drop as the clutch gets closer to the friction point and make the bike move, be very gentle with it and you can make the bike move with no throttle at all, you can do the same in a car as well.
practice, practice, practice
practice, practice, practice
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The big difference between the car and a bike is that most cars have a dry clutch vs a wet clutch on bikes. A wet clutch is much more durable since it is immersed in lubricating fluid. This means you can stay in the friction zone for a good chunk of time without needing to worry about damaging the clutch. This is especially so for low speed parking lot maneuvers since there is very little torque involved as you let the clutch slip.
With a manual transmission car I will often give the engine a slight blip of throttle while letting out the clutch momentarily to get a slight increase in speed. I'll often use this technique to get into a parking spots. But I wouldn't dare hold the clutch in the friction zone for a long time since it is a dry clutch.
With a motorcycle, you can get off the line super slow by adding the slightest bit of throttle, hold it there, and then slowly let out the clutch until it starts to move. Then just keep it in the friction zone while slowly edging the clutch out. You can manage your speed at this point by moving the clutch in and out for very slow manouvers
With a manual transmission car I will often give the engine a slight blip of throttle while letting out the clutch momentarily to get a slight increase in speed. I'll often use this technique to get into a parking spots. But I wouldn't dare hold the clutch in the friction zone for a long time since it is a dry clutch.
With a motorcycle, you can get off the line super slow by adding the slightest bit of throttle, hold it there, and then slowly let out the clutch until it starts to move. Then just keep it in the friction zone while slowly edging the clutch out. You can manage your speed at this point by moving the clutch in and out for very slow manouvers
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Lean over front wheel, rev to red line, dump the clutch...works every time !!!! Just kidding. We slow race regularly. In a safe parking lot, draw two lines about 25-30 feet apart. Last one to the second line wins. Really improves low speed clutch use and balance/throttle/brake tech. And it's loads of fun. Everyone puts in a dollar and the winner takes all. Usually about 5-6 bucks. Great way to spend an hour before a big ride. Cheers.
P.S. We only go two at a time to leave room for possible mishaps...
In the pics (I know, riding gear missing...) you can clearly see the lines on the ground. This is in DC, at a friends place on a dead end street. We do it every year on this trip. Crazy, but some people look forward to the slow races more than the ride from Montreal to Washington..
P.S. We only go two at a time to leave room for possible mishaps...
In the pics (I know, riding gear missing...) you can clearly see the lines on the ground. This is in DC, at a friends place on a dead end street. We do it every year on this trip. Crazy, but some people look forward to the slow races more than the ride from Montreal to Washington..
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Sounds pretty fun. I enjoy riding around with just clutch only. I find myself rocking back and forth at red lights waaaay to often as well. And it was the first exercise taught in the MSF course, which will be exactly how I train my girlfriend to ride.
But the gear man! lol.
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