[ptcary]

So this morning was my 3rd time out on the CBR, have not been back to the MSF yet, planning on next month depending up weather.

Today was the first time that I felt like I am making some significant progress in learning. I still need to be smoother with the shifting, I discovered that the CBR is much like my Mazda in that I don't need to pull the clutch lever so far in to be able to shift, and the same with the shifter lever; I was able to feel the actual point where it changes gears today and was previously being a little too rough with it.

I can hear a very audible click with each shift; -with more experience will this go away? Am I putting too much force with the shift lever? Or is this normal.

Next question for you guys is about gloves. I have a set of Honda gloves, they are part leather, part textile. They are the kind that come pre shaped with curved fingers. They fit great with the exception of the left hand thumb. It is tight and I really can't reach the turn signal without looking down, and stretching it.

I am going to sit here and try to loosen it up it out some; but if that does not help, I'll be shopping for new gloves. Anyone encountered this before?

 

[Xplorguy]

PT! You may want to replace those gloves sooner than later with a pair that fits you better..the ones you have sound too small. You don't need your gloves to be a distraction while you are trying to ride safely and concentrate on your surroundings..........

 

[DoubleRGirl]

the click in the shifter is normal, it's actually louder on bigger bikes. your gloves may be too small but it takes a while for them to break in. but if it's really uncomfortable i would replace them.

keep practicing as often as you can. before you know it, things that seemed hard will be natural

 

[ptcary]

PT! You may want to replace those gloves sooner than later with a pair that fits you better..the ones you have sound too small. You don't need your gloves to be a distraction while you are trying to ride safely and concentrate on your surroundings..........

Thanks! I'm gonna stop by CycleGear on my way home from work tomorrow and try on some others.

My hand is small, but I have long fingers, so I mail ordered these and they felt ok, until I try to open my left hand to get to the turn signal.

I'm going to try some medium sizes and various brands.

 

[ptcary]

the click in the shifter is normal, it's actually louder on bigger bikes. your gloves may be too small but it takes a while for them to break in. but if it's really uncomfortable i would replace them.

keep practicing as often as you can. before you know it, things that seemed hard will be natural

Thanks again! Glad to hear the click is normal. I was worried I was being to hard on the lever. This morning, I was trying to consciously slowly move the lever with my foot to get a better feel for when it actually went into the next gear. A few times when I got the whole process timed just right it felt a lot better.

I am so much smoother with the car than the bike. I did not expect this at all. Always figured that balance would be my main problem.

I also figure that since I am only in a parking lot under 25mph and 3rd gear or less, seems that smoother shifting may come with getting the bike up to road speeds, similar to a manual transmission car.

 

[Pete]

I learned on a Nighthawk 250 15 years ago and hated the shifter. It was so silent, and with no feel to it, that I as never sure if I had really shifted. I love the ka-chunk of this bike's tranny.