Divya Sharan Thank you!

Well i would like to also put up my experiences here , when i purchased my HH Super Splendor in 2006 its engine was in full glory and most powerful, but now the power has reduced to some extent.

Earlier and even now, since my bike has self start whenever I stop in signals I stop the bike at 3 or 4 th gear and just leave the cluth with brakes applied so the engine switches off. Then whenever the signal turns green I just self start the bike and then slowly leave the clutch, so even today my bike can take singles / .doubles on 4th gear from signal i.e from 0 to 35 or 40 km/hr gradual increase,,, sometimes it struggles on 4th gear on doubles but almost every time it takes off from directly 4th gear itself.

But in morning while first taking the bike i kick start it and then go on to 1, 2 ,3 4 gear.

THe bike surely has capacity of taking from 3 or 4 gear from 0 speed, but is it harmful? Many people while stopping at signals or stopping the bike at some place bring it to neutral but i just stop the bike at any gear with the clutch pressed down and apply brakes after slowly slowing the bike and then when i again start the bike i bring it to neutral at that time sometimes it gives some problems while shifting gears when bike is stationery. Also while the bike is on side stand in some slope i keep it in gear to avoid falling .

Well i used to do that in my car (M800) after a couple of engine stalls i got the knack of it and i could start and move the car in 4th gear. Not always though. But here in the case of my bike (i have a little experience riding just 2600kms) Its impossible i can never start and move the bike when its in 3 or 4. Even the engine stalls when in 1st when i take on speed breakers Now doing that in a bike is really bad or harmful for the engine. Click the link from above post by Divya Sharan and also read this What is Engine Knocking? Do you really know? | Bike Chronicles of India

Replied colorfully!

Hi. What to do if the speed is varying between 25 and 28 kmph?

Oh, god.. I can't believe what i am reading..
Buddy if you love/ care for your bike, please give away this habit. But I guess the harm has already been done.
as @Divya colorfully said, please follow that

yeah guess i need to improve on my driving skills, actually since the bike was taking off in 3/4 gear itself with my single load, i thought that why to shift it to first gear, but now will follow your advice also please clarify:

once the vehicle is in motion then even if speed falls below ten(ie. during speed breaker ) is it necessary to downshift and then again upshift gears my bike just takes on from 4 th gear all i do is keep clutch pressed and then slowly match the accelerator clutch timings to get up the speed without the dug dug sound.

WHile turning vehicles which gear is recommended???? as while turning speed is very low ,,

Also while approaching signals do you downshift the vehicle slowly or after stopping change to neutral gear, I am a very cautious driver hence i see the signal light from far away and then slowly reduce my speed but dont change / downshift gears, .

Advice me on the above.

Always keep the speed to gear ratio in sync!
Give away the habit of dis-engaging (pulling in) the clutch while riding.

Your question may have multiple answers, as different people have different levels of control and riding pattern.

In traffic, assuming that you're moving at 20-25 kmph, keep your bike in the 3rd gear, while approaching the traffic stop light, slot into 2nd and while coming to zero; come down to neutral/1st (depending upon the number of seconds left for green).

For instance, I usually corner in the 3rd or 4th gear depending upon the situation (usually speeds are over 35 kmph).
In heavy traffic (5-10 kmph), I don't even slot into 2nd gear; its 1st gear all the way.

Note this - you may red line your engine once in a while, as it helps reduce carbon deposits on the piston head. But never lug/knock/labor the engine!

would love to meet you too

ya I'll be home then.

@rsk11584, moving on from top most gear from standstill without any knocking can also be a sign of worn out clutch plates, but if your clutch plates are ok then salute to your clutch-throttle sync (I'm not teasing you, its just shear respect of your abilities ) my dad also used to do that earlier in our alto and may be that's the reason for needing 20w50 oil now.
Don't do that. Period. Its very very harmful.

@ franklyspeaking, if speeds are variation between 25-28kmph, on my cbf, I'll stick to 4th, on ashwin's city, I'll choose 3rd.
Btw, i try not to go below 2.5k rpm unless its pathetic slow moving traffic needing 1st gear with little clutch slipping (like riding through bazaar) . And on highways i always stay above 3k rpm.



Edit: always try to use engine braking with sync to (primary friction) brakes. This will keep sure one is riding in right gear always. Also if using front brake+ rear brake + engine braking makes rear wheel to lock then use front brake + engine braking (no need of rear brake or very minor pressur/tap is needed, may be like only 10%)

You're right! I took a whole long day to learn that in my car! later came to know that its bad!

THanks for the compliment i also realized that inspite of driving so cautiously (Means never indulging in over speeding and sharp cutting in traffic) i am literally harming my bike, which might result in more expenditure in the long run. But as you see this will be the common in all bikers i guess once you shift into 4 gear very few people will shift the gear to 2-3 while slowing down, als0 if you strictly keep on slowing down for speeds less than 30 km / hr then considering indian road conditions, you will end up changing gears for the whole ride. As you get free space and race the bike then again traffic, speed breaker then again free road, hope you got it.

Regarding the bold part, as I said its safe to rev the engine compared to lugging it. Hence, in such traffic conditions you can continue riding in 3rd gear even at speeds of 40 without harming the engine.
Mileage won't take a hit because you've already compromised on it when you ride from 0-40 in 4th, hence doing 30-40 in 3rd makes perfect sense.
Moreover, it won't harm your engine.

This is the precise reason we get 5-7 kmpl less than highways in city rides.

Ya buddy, you have to do that in the city riding conditions. But again, thats the fun of riding/driving a motor vehicle. U got to enjoy the synchronization of all those factors.

And if you think that most of them ride without changing there gears, I will be happy to give u a ride on pillion, so that you can notice the no of time I change gears. And also I can vouch that once you get that connection of feeling the RPMs, changing gears, keeping the bike at a correct power band, you will seriously start to enjoy ur rides MORE, and all the LAZINESS will be gone

I use a lot of clutch before reducing the speed or braking... Whenever I notice bad road or bit traffic I first of all press clutch and notice for a while about the circumstances in road and decide to go down with gears or not.. So guys I think I have a habit of pressing the clutch more.. Is it good or bad for my bike.. I usually do that in scenarios like

the braking light glows from my just front vehicle
crossing roads
bad roads

Use engine braking and downshift along with brakes while decelerating for a red signal or when You know that You are going to stop. During emergency, depress the clutch and apply front brakes(70% of front brakes and 30% of rear brakes, though it depends up on Your bike, riding style and road conditions)
Riding with half clutch is a bad practise. Don't use clutch as a on/off button. Clutch needs to be engaged fast and released slowly and steadily.