The ThrottleĪnd finally, don’t forget that you have to play with the throttle as well to safely and securely shift gears on your bike. If your bike is semi-automatic, it probably doesn’t feature a clutch lever and only has a shift lever or shifting buttons on the handlebar. To activate the clutch, just grab the lever with your fingers and fully squeeze it against the left handlebar grip. The clutch lever on a bike is located on the left side of the handlebar, so you can control it with your left hand. If your bike features a heel -toe shifter, just press the heel shifter with your heel.ĭo You Have to Use the Clutch When Shifting a Motorcycle?īesides moving the shift lever, you also have to use the clutch when shifting gears in a motorcycle. To shift into higher gears, you have to move your foot under the lever and move it up.

Since you control this lever with the front of your foot, this design is often referred to as a “toe shifter.” In a nutshell, you can shift into first gear by pressing this lever down but to reach higher gears you simply move the lever up. If you sit on a bike and place your feet on the footpegs, you will find the shift lever directly in front of your left foot.

Sportbikes and dirt bikes are equipped with footpegs, which are basically short metal rods. (If you’re already familiar with these, you might want to skip to the next section.) Where is the Shift Lever on a Motorcycle?Īs a rule of thumb, the shift lever on a motorcycle is always located at your left foot.

Understanding how these controls work will help you properly shift gears on your motorcycle.

When it comes to shifting gears on a motorcycle, you have to basically play with three controls, the clutch lever, the shift lever, and the throttle. 8.1 Related Articles Motorcycle Gear Shift Controls

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