Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Have a question about technique?
Post Reply
Worm
Member
Posts: 32
Joined: 03:43 am Jul 22 2014
Country:
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by Worm »

I noticed first gear is really low (91 kdx200). When I have a slow speed corner I drop it down into first and it revs out so quick im almost instantly flicking it into second.
Am I better off keeping it in second, laboring the engine a little and using the torque to drive out of the corner? The bikes does seem to pull fine in second. Perhaps first is really only for taking off from standstill?

cheers guys
MikeNZ
Member
Posts: 34
Joined: 05:51 am Mar 08 2013
Country:

Re: Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by MikeNZ »

is the front sprocket standard 13 tooth. If it has 12 you could try 13 tooth (they are cheap). Even with 13 tooth front second gear is usually better option try riding with one or two fingers always on the clutch then you can feather (slip) clutch instead of labouring engine, this allows you to stay in the power. Clutch control is important, especially with two strokes.
Dodger
Member
Posts: 45
Joined: 09:12 pm Nov 27 2010
Country:
Location: NSW,Australia

Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by Dodger »

Which model KDX do you have?

If you have the Australian "road legal" registered version with a metal fuel tank then the internal gearbox ratios are different from the "E" series non compliance version.

More info here: http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopi ... 90&t=10878

Cheers
I may be old, I may be slow, but hey I'm still getting my leg over - a dirt bike!
User avatar
SS109
KDXRider.net
KDXRider.net
Posts: 5770
Joined: 05:11 am Aug 23 2009
Country: USA
Location: Tucson, AZ, USA
Contact:

Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by SS109 »

I only use 1st when in hike-a-bike type terrain. Actual trail riding I never use it. BTW, I run 13/48 gearing.
Youtube Channel: WildAzzRacing
AZ State Parks & Trails OHV Ambassador - Trail Riders of Southern AZ
Current KDX: '98 KDX220
Old KDX: '90 KDX200 -White/Blue
'11 GasGas EC250R
ohgood
Supporting Member II
Supporting Member II
Posts: 925
Joined: 10:00 am Jan 04 2014
Country:

Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by ohgood »

Worm wrote:I noticed first gear is really low (91 kdx200). When I have a slow speed corner I drop it down into first and it revs out so quick im almost instantly flicking it into second.
Am I better off keeping it in second, laboring the engine a little and using the torque to drive out of the corner? The bikes does seem to pull fine in second. Perhaps first is really only for taking off from standstill?

cheers guys
i'm old, and slow, but use 1st gear a lot. actually, i might use 6th gear .... once a week, if that. everything i do is 1,2,3,4... but even 4th is extremely rare.

mines a woods bike, ridden as a woods bike, and 'race' isn't a mode i operate in. if you do, change your gear ratios to suit. it's easy, cheap, fast, and going from "hare scramble" to "woods" mode in gearing is painless. :supz:
Worm
Member
Posts: 32
Joined: 03:43 am Jul 22 2014
Country:
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by Worm »

Bike is metal tank road going version. The ride I was on yesterday I only got into 6th on the way home on the main dirt road out if the forest. On the single tracks or 4wd tracks I would only get into 4th briefly, mostly 2nd and 3rd. Not sure on the gearing, ill check today when I give it a wash.
Clutching to keep it in the power seems pretty hardcore! I'm pretty much never on the pipe when riding single trails, would be way yo fast haha
Fitterman24
Supporting Member II
Supporting Member II
Posts: 96
Joined: 10:28 am Jul 13 2013
Country:

Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by Fitterman24 »

13/51 gearing here. 1st gear is useless with my ratio, but I knew that when I did it.
Worm
Member
Posts: 32
Joined: 03:43 am Jul 22 2014
Country:
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by Worm »

My gearing is 14/48. Should make first gear longer.... Anyway, first dirt bike, ill just ride it as is and keep her in second. :supz:
sperz1
Member
Posts: 5
Joined: 07:51 pm Sep 03 2022
Country: SE USA

Re: Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by sperz1 »

I noticed that last time I went out. I only used first to get going. After that I never used it again. Even it tight turns 2nd and working the clutch did the trick. 95 kdx200 us here.
User avatar
KDXGarage
KDXRider.net
KDXRider.net
Posts: 14047
Joined: 06:45 am Nov 01 2004
Country: United States of America
Location: AL, USA
Contact:

Re: Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by KDXGarage »

sperz1, you might want to check the date. The last post was from over 8 years ago.
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
To post pictures from a device: viewtopic.php?f=88&t=24128
User avatar
MoonStomper
Gold Member
Gold Member
Posts: 560
Joined: 02:05 pm Jun 02 2020
Country: USA
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Contact:

Re: Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by MoonStomper »

Well, while we’re on the topic here’s a great sprocket calculator resource for figuring out what you want gearing wise…
https://sprocketcalculator.com/
577CCD5B-96DB-44E7-A366-5A1E95344DF1.jpeg
577CCD5B-96DB-44E7-A366-5A1E95344DF1.jpeg (297.71 KiB) Viewed 81893 times
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Let the good times ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
‘99 KDX 220 / '03 KDX 200 - @%@ '18 Trek Slash 8 @%@ ‘22 Rieju MR300 Racing

BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA USA
User avatar
Goat
Supporting Member III
Supporting Member III
Posts: 720
Joined: 03:22 pm Oct 22 2019
Country: USA
Location: Clinton, WA

Re: Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by Goat »

I only ride in 1st, when I screw up my line, rythm, or balance.
(I am in 1st gear a lot)
Goat
95 KDX200
22 KX250
User avatar
Chuck78
Supporting Member II
Supporting Member II
Posts: 609
Joined: 06:20 pm Nov 30 2016
Country: USA
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: Trail riding - do you use first gear?

Post by Chuck78 »

First gear with a 13/50 seldom got used on my old 99 KDX220 on mostly faster trails, but 1st gear on my '97 KDX220 with a 12/44 gearing (close to a 13/48, 13/47 is stock) gets used ALL THE TIME, especially as I seek out a lot more technical terrain with large rock shelf steps and large boulders, steep ravines and deep ruts, etc... It all depends on the terrain you ride.
I test rode the '97 with the previous owner's supermoto gearing, but not with his KLX's supermoto wheels on it any longer (smaller diameter, required different gearing. He had a 14/45 gearing, which is ridiculous with a 110/100-18 rear tire. I didn't even notice the gearing handicap on the wide open terrain test ride, I subconsciously just slipped the clutch as needed to get it going from a stop.

First woods ride, I ripped around some flat terrain trails, and had the same sensation and feeling that I had on the test rides, WOW THIS THING IS SOOOOO MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN MY WORN OUT '99!!!!!
Until... the first time I got down into the ravines and hollows, and tried a technical line up a steep 10 foot deep ditch...stalled immediately. Tried it again, stalled, tried an easier spot adjacent, stalled... the 14/45 gearing was only a handicap in the KDX's native terrain, tight technical woods riding.
Gear the KDX for the lowest speed you'll expect on the steepest most technical terrain you expect to come across. Then if you ride mostly wide open trails, just use 2nd primarily. If it's an issue, gear it 13/48 and second will be slightly lower so you won't have to lug it or downshift to first out of those tighter corners. If you max out 6th gear and never see any technical hard enduro type terrain or even any steep obstacles or ditches, then go 14/47, that's probably in the range of 13/44 or 13/45, if you think first gear is way too low.
'97 KDX220R - purple/green! - KLX forks, Lectron, FMF, Tubliss
'99 KDX220R project - '98/'01 RM125 suspension, Titanium hardware, Lectron Billetron Pro, Tubliss
'77 Suzuki PE250 & '83 Suzuki PE175 Full Floater - restomod projects
'77 Suzuki GS750-844cc, '77 GS400/489cc & '77 GS550/740cc projects
'62 GMC 1000 Panel Truck
'88 Suzuki Samurai TDI/Toyota swaps
'88 Toyota 4x4 pickup
Post Reply