1st or 2nd gear at the gate??

[Stiles86]

i like to start in 2nd gear at the gate rev it and dump it, anyone have any tips or tricks for having beter starts?

[ZeroLogic]

Traction traction traction.

[JForestZ34]

Originally posted by Stiles86
i like to start in 2nd gear at the gate rev it and dump it, anyone have any tips or tricks for having beter starts?


I say 2nd also... Feather the clutch as much as you can to help you with the traction problem... AND PRACTICE PRACTICE...


James

2nd gear here too for starts. Might seem crazy but lean back. If you can control the throttle to where your not standing the front end up too much and leaning back you get a rediculous amount of traction. On hard packed though i like to spin a little leaning forward to get moving then shift my weight back some to hook up and go. Hardpacked and dumping the clutch without leaning back scares me lol

[younggun95]

2nd gear. And dont use the throttle to control the wheelie. Dont ever let off, use the clutch to control that.

[JJs450r]

2nd gear starter hear, i like to put my foot on the rear break and ease off the clutch a lil bit to get the suspension pulled back

[BlaineKaiser450]

i use 2nd and baisicly hold it wide open and use the clutch for wheelie control

[motohanks]

I usually start in 2nd gear. I really need to work on my starts though. I tend to either be slow or wheelie really bad. this was one of my worst wheelie's. I thought I was going over backwards on this one. http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n307/kyldalt/Capeway Race 7-20-08/Race Day/Production/CapewayPractice7-19-081769.jpg

[400ex28]

2nd gear and lean forward and have the clutch almost all the way out right before it grabs. then once i'm out a little bit i shift all my weight to the back. i've pulled many holeshots doing this

[KXRida]

One thing I am rather decent on are holeshots. The same that applys for bikes also works for quads. I'll first say that practicing is one of the best ways to get good at starts. 1st gear on most bikes/quads winds out too quick for a start. 2nd gear is fine. You want to be a little forward on the tank and lock your hips. As far as you clutch/throttle, that's what you need to practice. I personally give the clutch a quick let out (not fully), but not a drop. When you drop the clutch and get stood up in the gate, you're getting passed. You want to let the clutch out enough to get the rear wheels to get optimal traction without wheeling or excessive spinning. After I did my inital clutch let out, I slightly pull it in just a hair to slip it and avoid wheeling through second gear. On a bike, you should have you feet down and not on the pegs throughout second gear and bring them up as you shift into third. I could never figure out why I'd come out of the gate funny until I realized I was bringing my feet up too much.

See what I mean about beeing stood up? 85 class is a good class to see an example.
http://www.murphnturk.com/BMX1/DSC00386.JPG

haha it's also good not to miss your gate seeing how far back I am compared to the rest of everyone else...
http://www.murphnturk.com/BMX1/DSC00407.JPG

I eventually got my starts down...
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z152/Rmrider125/holeshot.jpg

hope that helped atleast some.

[hardkoratvmxr]

It depends on what you feel comfortable with and what your motor can pull. If you get comfortable with first then at a practice day or even in a moto if you feel you can do it go in second. Second is what I have always done but I practiced and practiced and practiced so that I knew what RPM the quad liked to pull hard at with minimal clutch slippage and tire slippage off of the gate. And to me it depends on what kind of gate they have and what kind of dirt the track is. Concrete gate that isnt cleaned usually second, dirt gate depends on what kind of dirt and what I think the bike will be able to pull with that kind of dirt. Kind of insane when I think about it but I like them HOLESHOTS!!! lol

[gcart2]

2nd gear without a doubt. 1st is way too short. on some loose packed tracks i can start in third without it bogging. i weigh 180 w/ gear

[Bryson#221]

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS start in 2nd. Hasn't let me down once!

...And you miss neutral :D

[csr250r]

Originally posted by JJs450r
2nd gear starter hear, i like to put my foot on the rear break and ease off the clutch a lil bit to get the suspension pulled back

I expirimented with holding the front brake a little and letting out the clutch to push the front suspension down and jack up the back end, then when i see the gate dropping let off the brake and dump the clutch at the same time.

[450rJam]

2nd gear take off

clutch for wheelie control

body position for traction

practice/practice/practice

focus

[Warnerade]

watch the motos before you and count the seconds it takes the guy to drop the gates after the 30 second board is turned sideways. If he is consistant with his timing in the few motos before yours. Odds are hes predictable and will keep the same timing foryour moto, and try timing it perfectly to take off a split second before the gate drops.

Hard to get this technique down, but its helped me get bike lengths over the rest of the field when you can get it timed right.

[ALAMX37]

^ Like he said. Figure out the sequence gate man is using. This alone will separate you from the field.

[elementryder]

2nd gear and reaction time is all that counts man, you get off the gate and lean back

<a href="http://s731.photobucket.com/albums/ww314/elementryder/?action=view&current=holeshot.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/ww314/elementryder/holeshot.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Warnerade]

Originally posted by elementryder
2nd gear and reaction time is all that counts man, you get off the gate and lean back

<a href="http://s731.photobucket.com/albums/ww314/elementryder/?action=view&current=holeshot.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/ww314/elementryder/holeshot.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> there is so much more to it than just reaction time lol...a good holeshot is an art