This is a dumb sounding question, but I’ve heard it is very bad to coast on a motorcycle if the engine is off.
And on a big bike transmission, your transmission speed and engine speeds are usually somewhat closer than a bike that is at top speed with the engine in neutral. I know to rev it up if I’m shifting to first and still going 15 kph or so, so as to more closely align the speeds.
I have a continuous transmission on my 150 Yammer Hammer SR. A 12345N12345N or 54321N54321N Transmission.
It’s very nice to get up to “high” speed, and just go into neutral and coast, then go back into 5th. I actually found that I like this continuous transmission, though the 1 down 5 ups definitely feel a lot sexier.
Sorry for how dumb this question sounds, I actually do know a fair amt about machines, just not this.
Just wanna make sure I’m not screwing up my transmission.
I don’t think “continuous transmission” is the right term. That implies a scooter-style automatic. Should be “cyclic transmission”
Don’t think it makes any difference mechanically whether the engine is on or off. Either is OK.
Most people will, however, tell you that its foolhardy, bad driving, defying the gods, flying in the face of nature, wicked and/or illegal to coast with or without the engine on, because you don’t have engine braking available as a way of controlling your speed, (which you can’t do in neutral) and because you don’t have instant acceleration available at all times (which you certainly havn’t when coasting with the engine off) to cope with eventualities.
The first is partly a matter of driving/riding style, but the second is undeniable, so its a “calculated” risk, but then so is riding a motorcycle in the first place. Lots of people are more likely to accelerate into trouble than out of it.
Most cars unfortunately now have engine vacuum assisted braking (though some brake adequately with this disabled) which tends to rule out engine-off coasting, but here engine braking is clearly dispensible, since most automatics offer hardly any.
[quote=“Ducked”]I don’t think “continuous transmission” is the right term. That implies a scooter-style automatic. Should be “cyclic transmission”
Don’t think it makes any difference mechanically whether the engine is on or off. Either is OK.
Most people will, however, tell you that its foolhardy, bad driving, defying the gods, flying in the face of nature, wicked and/or illegal to coast with or without the engine on, because you don’t have engine braking available as a way of controlling your speed, (which you can’t do in neutral) and because you don’t have instant acceleration available at all times (which you certainly havn’t when coasting with the engine off) to cope with eventualities.
The first is partly a matter of driving/riding style, but the second is undeniable, so its a “calculated” risk, but then so is riding a motorcycle in the first place. Lots of people are more likely to accelerate into trouble than out of it.
Most cars unfortunately now have engine vacuum assisted braking (though some brake adequately with this disabled) which tends to rule out engine-off coasting, but here engine braking is clearly dispensible, since most automatics offer hardly any.[/quote]
:bravo:
You bet. I flunked the second try of my Class 2 road test for coasting up to a set of train tracks in Neutral…
All cars with automatics and even a few with manuals have positive pressure lubrication in the transmission which relies on a pump driven by the engine. In such a transmission, continued coasting with the engine OFF will cause serious damage.
Bikes are seldom so complex.
I used to like to coast down small farm roads in the mountains on my NSR with the engine off so as to get a look at the wildlife which would normally flee at my approach. The NSR has plenty of heat capacity in the brakes to get away with a 20 minute descent and on a small road with no traffic I considered it reasonably safe to do this. On a bike with weak brakes, or where there is any traffic, I would not recommend it.
Freewheeling is fine if your brakes are OK. You can go 60mph downhill on a pushbike with tiny rim brakes. Me any my mates frequently went 50+ on cheap mountain bikes in our teens. We used to ride to the top of the steepest hills in our area, have a rest at the top to regain energy in order to cane it down as fast as we could. This was on crappy mountain bikes with Chang-Star brakes, and of course no helmets or gloves. My father got me started on it and I’m glad he did because I only fell badly a couple of times and it was funny as hell. What an irresponsible man, encouraging his 12 year old boy to see how fast he can go down a hill on the road on a pushbike with no helmet. What a legend.
You can do the same on a motorbike, the weight might be 100kg more but the brakes are better. You’re never going to get much over 60mph coasting so no worries!