How to Shift Gears on a Motorcycle

Reviewed by Jason Shackelford

Last Updated: June 11, 2024 Fact Checked

One of the most important processes of riding a motorcycle is shifting gears. This may seem like a challenge to master, but shifting gears is really a simple process. How you shift gears, however, will depend on whether your motorcycle has a manual transmission or a semi-automatic transmission.

Shifting Motorcycle Gears

Shift into first gear by closing the throttle and pulling the clutch in all the way. Push downward on the shifter, apply throttle, and slowly release the clutch.
When the motorcycle starts to roll, increase throttle input and release the clutch completely.
To upshift into higher gears, close the throttle and squeeze the clutch. Lift the shift peg up as far as possible. Bump the gear shift upwards to reach each higher gear.
Close the throttle and squeeze the clutch to downshift. Press the gear shift peg down and release it. Adjust the clutch and throttle to your current speed.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Shifting Gears on a Manual Transmission

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1
Become familiar with the clutch, throttle, and gear shifter. The clutch is located in front of the left handgrip. It is responsible for transferring torque from the engine to the transmission. The throttle located on the right hand grip. Rolling on the throttle increases the engine RPM^{[1]
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Research source} to prevent the engine from stalling. The gear shift is a bar located in front of the left foot pedal. It is responsible for switching between gears. Practice the following:
- Squeeze the clutch lever in, then slowly ease it out.
- Roll the throttle towards the back of the motorcycle ("roll on") to go faster.
- Roll the throttle towards the front of the motorcycle ("roll off") to go slower.
- Press down on the gear shift to put the motorcycle into first gear. This only works if you are in neutral or second gear, otherwise, pressing down the gear shift will only take you to a lower gear.
- Move the gear shift upwards to reach the remaining gears. The predominant gear pattern for manual motorcycles is one down, and four or five up. Neutral is found between first and second gear.
Start the motorcycle by squeezing the clutch, then pressing the starter button. Make sure that you are resting in the neutral position. Neutral is indicated by a green "N" light on the meter console; all new bikes come with this feature. At this point, you should be sitting on the saddle of the bike.^{[2]
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3
Shift into first gear. Start by closing the throttle, and then pull the clutch in all the way. At the same time, move the gear shift into first gear by pushing downwards on the shifter. Then, slowly apply throttle while releasing the clutch gently until the motorcycle starts to roll slowly. After this point start increasing throttle input and release the clutch all the way.
- Do not be in a hurry to release the clutch lever, continue to coordinate the throttle and the clutch until the motorcycle is moving. As the motorcycle increases speed, continue to ease the clutch lever out smoothly and slowly.^{[3]
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4
Upshift into higher gears. When you have achieved sufficient speed to justify shifting to a higher gear, roll off, (close) the throttle as you squeeze in the clutch. Place the toes of your left foot under the shift peg, lift the peg up as far as it will go. You can continue moving into higher gears by bumping the gear shift upwards more. One bump goes to second, another to third, another to fourth, and so on. NOTE: an experienced rider does not need to operate the clutch to shift up. He simply lifts the shifter lightly with his foot, and then, when he down-blips the throttle, the next higher gear will engage. Doing this smoothly takes a bit of practice, yet saves shifting time, and also slightly increases the lifetime of the clutch plates.
- If you are in first gear and you lift half way, you will find neutral.
- If you release the clutch and roll on the throttle and nothing happens, you're in neutral, squeeze the clutch and lift again.
- If you skip a gear by accident, don’t worry. It won’t damage the bike as long as you make sure to match the throttle to the gear you have shifted to.
Roll off ("close") the throttle as you squeeze in the clutch. Press down on the gear shift peg, then release it. Smoothly adjust the clutch and throttle together to match the speed that you are currently traveling. If you are coming to a stop, keep the throttle closed, hold in the clutch and continue to press and release the shifter until you are in first gear.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Shifting Gears in a Semi-Automatic Transmission

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All that you need to do to shift gears on a motorcycle with a semi-automatic transmission is throttle the engine and use the gear shift.^{[5]
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Semi-Automatic Transmission} On a semi-automatic, the clutch is tied in to the gear shift, so using the gear shift activates both controls at once.
Straddle the bike and make sure it is in neutral before proceeding to shift gears.
This is a very basic process, as all you have to do is throttle the engine and press down one click on the gear shift. First gear is always found by moving the gear shift down a notch, while the remaining gears can be reached by moving the gear shift upwards.
To do this, use the same process of shifting into first gear. Throttle the engine and push the gear shift upwards with your toe. Pushing it one click will move it to 2nd gear, giving it another gear will move it to 3rd, and so on.
To slow down and eventually come to a stop, you can downshift into lower gears by pushing down on the gear shift. Always put your bike in neutral when you are stopped.

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What’s the shifting pattern on a motorcycle?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Typically, first gear is at the bottom, followed by neutral, then second through fifth. Some motorcycles have a sixth gear.

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How do I shift gears smoothly?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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One way to do it is to pull the clutch while releasing the throttle. While you’re still holding the clutch, shift into the next gear. Then, slowly release the clutch lever while twisting the throttle.

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Will I cause any problem if I release the clutch quickly?

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Yes, the bike will kick forward quickly, then stall.

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Keep your knuckles pointed upward to the sky, especially for beginners as to not give the bike to much throttle in first gear.^{[6]
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Motorcycling demands 100% of your attention 100% of the time. Learn to operate all of the controls from muscle memory by “playing” with your motorcycle in a safe environment.

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When the light turns green, look left and right and left one more time to make sure that no one is “trying to beat the yellow light.” Pulling out in front of a red light runner can turn a great day into a not so great day.

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Warnings

When shifting up, listen to the engine. If it is making a very low grumble, shift down. If it is whining loudly, shift up.

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When downshifting, only downshift one gear at a time.

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When shifting into neutral from first gear, make sure that you let the clutch out slowly to ensure you really are in neutral. Releasing the clutch quickly, while still in gear, will cause the vehicle to stall (at best) or leap forwards unexpectedly.

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If your shifts "clunk" a bit, try playing with your jetting settings to get it just right.

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If You don't shift up when the engine hits the rev limiter, your engine could eventually blow

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