Stalling in corners

[ps2112]

Greetings
I'm having problems stalling in corners on the MX track. I've read some tips that say don't pull in the clutch while braking some so to do it. Any tips to help
Thanks

 

[High Lord Gomer]

I was told by a former four stroke champion to pull in the clutch and use the brakes.

Yes, engine braking does slow you down, but not nearly as well or as predictably as brakes do.

If you're still stalling, even with the clutch in, some possible causes are:

• Notched clutch basket/hub that cause drag in clutch even when pulled
• Warped clutch plates
• Too low of idle
• Too lean idle circuit jetting
• Less than ideal spark plug condition

What kind of bike are you riding? Some bikes need a little throttle, even under braking, to keep running decently in turns (specifically, the early YZ400s I rode).

 

[ps2112]

I'm riding a kx250. I'm working on going hard into the corners. If I sissy the corner I have no problem, it's just when I brake hard.

 

[CaptainObvious]

Sound like a low idle or it could be a float problem causing the engine to stall. What about hard braking in a straight line, does it still stall? How does the bike behave on jumps?

 

[ps2112]

Everything is fine on jumps and rough sections of the track. I think most of it is in wanting to break hard I'm locking up the wheels or slowing so much that it stalls. Increasing the idle may be an idea, right now it will idle but it's pretty slow.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

On a 2 stroke you *definitely* want to pull the clutch when braking. There's little-to-no engine braking to help you and it *will* kill the motor.

Sitting still with it in gear and the clutch pulled in, does it try to move when you rev the engine? If it does, you've either got a notched clutch basked/hub or warped plates.

Sitting still with it in gear and the clutch pulled in, does it idle or die? If the first test was OK, then you may want to up the idle a little bit if it won't idle in gear witht the clutch fully in.

 

[ps2112]

There is no drag on the clutch when it is pulled in and it idles fine when in gear with the clutch pulled in....
The main basis for my question was reading this

place 1 or 2 fingers over clutch lever, but DO NOT pull in the clutch. Three things slow the motorcycle down, brakes, gearing and compression, and pulling in the clutch is like being in neutral, and you will lock up the rear wheel.

This is from a tips section of a national MX school web site.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

Which one?

I disagree with that approach. If you're braking hard, you'll occasionally lock up the rear wheel and kill the motor if you don't have the clutch in.

Maybe a pro rider can brake hard and just at the edge of locking up the rear wheel without ever realy stopping the rear wheel and killing the motor, but I can't imagine a "normal" person doing that.

 

[whyzee]

Originally posted by High Lord Gomer
If you're braking hard, you'll occasionally lock up the rear wheel and kill the motor if you don't have the clutch in.

This would be the reason for Gomer kissing my bike at Top Gun... I locked it up. :|

Maybe a pro rider can brake hard and just at the edge of locking up the rear wheel without ever realy stopping the rear wheel and killing the motor, but I can't imagine a "normal" person doing that.

Ya see, I'd have to question any use of the word normal coming from Gomer. :confused:

 

[CaptainObvious]

Good luck doing a brake slide without using the clutch!

The brakes ARE for slowing down and stopping.

 

[KDX'r in IN]

Use the brakes. It may be as simple as your timing is off. Make sure the clutch is for the whole time when braking. That was a problem I had.