Beginning Motorcycle Rider Course (1974, Unit 2, Part 1)

this is unit 2 knowing your motorcycle part one locating and operating controls you don't have much time to make decisions in a situation like this so you have to know where every control is located and be able to operate each control without looking in an emergency you don't have enough time to find the control and operate it your reactions have to become automatic and that's what this unit is all about you'll learn to locate and operate all of the important controls locate and learn the function of all important motorcycle parts and perform a pre-ride inspection to make sure everything's in safe operating condition you've got to be able to do these things before you even start the engine motorcycles are not like automobiles the location of the steering wheel accelerator brake and clutch are the same for all cars but motorcycles are not standardized different brands of motorcycles may have some controls in different locations also motorcycles have some controls which aren't on many modern cars we'll be talking about this motorcycle throughout the film but you can check the owner's manual if your motorcycle is different the main controls are located in two places and operating controls are on the handlebars controls operated by the feet are located on the left and on the right side of the motorcycle just below the engine the ignition switch on most motorcycles is located in front of the handlebar or just under the fuel tank a key operates the ignition switch all ignition switches have an off position switch on when you're going to start your motorcycle some motorcycles also have a third position which turns on the headlight and tail light others have the headlight tail light control on The Handlebar check your owner's manual for the exact location the headlight dimmer switch is also on the handlebar marked H for high beam and L for low beam on most motorcycles an indicator lights up when the high beam is on off for low beam leaving the headlight on even during the day is extremely important it makes you much more visible to other drivers the turn signal switch is also located on The Handlebar push the signal to the left for Left turns or to the right to Signal a right turn the indicator light shows you the signal is flashing unlike cars this switch on a motorcycle doesn't shut off automatically don't forget to turn the signal off yourself leaving signals on after you've turned confuses drivers near you your horn warns others that you're there the fastest way to stop the engine in an emergency is to hit the kill switch when you operate the kill switch the engine stops instantly every motorcycle has the throttle on the right handlebar it does the same same thing as the gas pedal and a car turn the throttle toward you to increase engine speed away from you to slow the engine down toward you to increase speed away to slow down when you let go it returns to idle by itself the front brake lever is located on the right handlebar on most motorcycles you won't be using it until you've mastered basic riding and stock stopping skills the choke is located on the left handlebar or under the seat using it helps start a cold engine but turn it off after the engine started the clutch lever is located on the left handlebar on most motorcycles squeeze the clutch lever to operate it this disengages the rear wheel from the engine when the motorcycle's in gear releasing the clutch sends power through the transmission to the back wheel and you go go the gearshift lever is located here on the left for most motorcycles you change gears with your toe releasing the lever each time between gears lift up for a higher [Music] gear press down for a lower gear when the motorcycle is shifted to neutral a green light indicates this on the instrument cluster some motorcycles have different shifting patterns so check your Rider's handbook on most motorcycles the rear wheel brake lever is on the right side press to brake let up to release the brake most motorcycles have [Music] kickstarters a good hard push gets the engine going many large motorcycles have electric starters to make starting easier this small lever the fuel control valve is very important you set it to the off position when parked to the on position when you're going to start up when you're low on fuel the reserve position gives you enough to make it to a gas station your speedometer tells you how fast you're going when you're driving glance quickly down at the speedometer then eyes back to the road if your motorcycle has a tachometer it'll show the engine's revolutions per minute don't let the tachometer needles stay in the red area this will cause engine damage now a quick review this Rider is riding correctly he's got his eyes where on the handlebars on the road ahead or on the front wheel his eyes are on the road ahead he's too busy to look at the handlebars front wheel or anywhere else when the rider shifted gears he operated the clutch shift lever and throttle did he use Touch alone touch and sight or just sight he used touch alone watching the road ahead you won't have time to stare at your motorcycle's controls control levers are located on the handlebars on the left and right side of the engine or all three locations control levers are on all three locations the handlebars the right side and the left side quickly now name these controls rear wheel brake lever [Music] throttle choke gearshift [Music] lever ignition switch [Music] Kickstarter dimmer switch this completes part one of unit 2