First put the bike in neutral, it is half way in between 1st and 2nd gear. Squeeze the clutch ( found on left handle bar) before trying to shift. You will know you are in neutral if a green light is showing on your gauges or if the bike rolls freely with the clutch out. Once in neutral you can start the bike, but keep the clutch in. According to your bikes shift pattern (Standard or GP Shift) you then shift into 1st gear by pushing the shift pedal up or down. Slowly let out the clutch while simultaneously increasing your RPM's with the throttle. The bike should start moving forward and as it does, release the clutch completely, but stay on the throttle. Once the bike is moving you can roll on the throttle to increase speed. As your RPM's increase you will need to shift into a higher gear; to do this you will need to squeeze the clutch in again. Then according to your bikes shift pattern, go to the next highest gear. Now release the clutch and roll on the throttle. To down shift you squeeze the clutch and shift to the next lowest gear, release the clutch. Be sure to match your RPM's to the wheel speed on a downshift or your rear tire can lock up resulting in a high-side.
There are currently two shift patterns on modern motorcycles, standard and gp. Standard shift is well…standard, it will be found on most motorcyles. GP shift refers to the shift pattern used by professional racers. GP shift is reversed so that a rider does not have his foot under the shift pedal when needing to up-shift in a corner, it also makes for faster up-shifts. GP shift is primarily found on sports bikes and bikes intended for use on the track, but most sport bikes come with standard shift from the factory.
Shift patterns are set up as follows…
- Standard Shift (starting from neutral):
First gear is down 1
Neutral is up one and it is indicated by a green light on your bikes gauges. If you are not sure you are in Neutral ~ it is the only time when your bike will freely roll backwards when the clutch is not engaged.
Gears 2 ~ 4/5/6 are all up.
- GP or Reverse Shift (starting from neutral):
First gear is up 1
Neutral is down 1 and will likewise be indicated by a green light on your gauges.
Gear 2-6 are all down
Shifting gears on a motorcycle may seem awkward at first, but try it a few times in your garage or drive way with the bike off. Roll on the the throttle and practice using the clutch to shift up and down. If while riding you start going to fast or you feel as if you are not in control, pull in the clutch to disengage the engine from moving the rear wheel and apply brakes accordingly. Within a short time shifting through the gears will be second nature.
If you try to take off in 3rd gear you're going to stall. Do it too many times and depending on your bike you're going to wear out the clutch faster/prematurely.
And check http://www.sportrider.com under the riding techniques section theres a article on "blipping" the throttle on downshifts.
Blipping the throttle on downshifts is just matching the RPM of the engine when downshifting with the clutch in upon release. It makes it smoother.
I am a little afraid, but want to start riding myself, and though it might be a good bonding hobby for us to share.
I'd start out on something like a used Suzuki GS500, or a Kawasaki Ninja 500. They are great to get the hang of street riding on. Take a motorcycle safety course, just to get use to the "rules" of the road if nothing else.
You are wise to steer away from the chinese bikes as they are really only for riding once then they fall apart and you need to replace them. It works out a bit expensive that way.
Make sure you spend the money on a pair of proper mx boots as I have seen some very nasty burns from kids not wearing the right gear. They only have to drop the bike and be pinned under it.