Starting Off And Shifting - Suzuki VL800 Owner's Manual

STARTING OFF AND SHIFTING

 WARNING
Riding this
excessive speed
your chances of losing control
of the motorcycle. This may
result in an accident.
Always ride within the limits of
your skills, your motorcycle,
and the riding conditions.
 WARNING
Removing your hands from the
handlebars or feet from the
footrests during operation can
be hazardous. If you remove
even one hand or foot from the
motorcycle, you can reduce
your ability to control the
motorcycle.
Always keep both hands on the
handlebars and both feet on
the footrests of your motorcy-
cle during operation.
motorcycle at
increases
 WARNING
Sudden side winds, which can
occur when being passed by
larger vehicles, at tunnel exits
or in hilly areas, can upset your
control.
Reduce your speed and be
alert to side winds.
Make sure that the side stand is in
the fully up position. Pull the
clutch lever in and pause momen-
tarily. Engage
depressing the gearshift lever
downward. Turn the throttle grip a
little toward you and at the same
time release the clutch lever gen-
tly and smoothly. As the clutch
engages, the motorcycle will start
moving forward. To shift to the
next higher gear, accelerate gen-
tly, then close the throttle and pull
the clutch lever in simultaneously.
Lift the gearshift lever upward to
select the next gear and release
the clutch lever as you open the
throttle again. Select higher gears
in this manner until top gear is
reached.
NOTE: This motorcycle has a side
stand/ignition interlock switch. If
you shift the transmission into
gear when the side stand is down,
the engine will stop running.
5-3
first gear by