General C50 Noob questions
 

Hey guys, I bought a new '06 C50 last month and I love it to death. After riding it for a while I came up with some questions for all you veterans:
1. For about 2-3 stoplights, I started the bike off in second gear when I thought I was in first (the clunky start kinda tipped me off eventually). Is this bad for the engine/tranny even if I never do it again?

2. The shifting from 1st to second and vice versa is very loud and whiny, is this typical of cruisers?

3. Since I am still breaking in the engine and tires, is it safe to take it on the interstate freeway?

4. I plan on taking the bike to my university to go back and forth between classes and the duplex. Anyone have suggestions for a weatherproof cover? (parking is uncovered outside)

Thanks all and ride safe

RE: General C50 Noob questions
 

Well I can say that starting off in second is bad. Try not to do that ever again. And well the clanky shifting seems to be normal, I would consult the manual for the proper shifting mph recommendations and try to just baby it. The whine however should not be there, this could be a result of starting off in 2nd but should go away. Anyhow make sure at your 600 mile service you tell them about a whining noise if you still have one.

You should be good taking it on the highway during breakin.

RE: General C50 Noob questions
 

krukster86,
It sounds as if you are a fairly new rider, so I suggest taking a MSF Basic Rider Course . The class consists of 4 hour class time and 6 hours on a Saturday and Sunday. They provide the bike, so no damage to your own during class. They will show you how to shift correctly

I have talked to folks who have riden since the 60's and take the experienced riding class frequently just to brush up.

wife and I took it and very glad we did.

After completion, they give you two cards...the MSF card will allow you to ride on military bases and has some other benefits, the other card you take to your local licensing bureau. By showing them the card you do not need to take the riding test to get your MC license.

Go here: http://www.msf-usa.org/ to see where your local rider course is.

RE: General C50 Noob questions
 

The clunky shifting is typical of Suzuki's gear box especially from 1st to 2nd gear. A decent breathable cover is the parts unlimited II size XXL. It sells for about $99.00 but you won’t get any condensation under it in any weather.

Jerry O.

RE: General C50 Noob questions
 

Guys, I posted this message on another section of the forum, prior to seeing this ‘thread’.

Hi All, just recently returned to riding after a break of 20 years, and purchased a Suzuki C50 – great bike and beautiful to ride. My question is; the owners manual suggests the gear change speed for Canada (doesn’t mention Australia) is 1st to 2nd 20km/h, 2nd to 3rd 30km/h, 3rd to 4th 40 km/h and 4th to 5th 50km/h. Would this be the same for Australia, riding the bike it seems very low, and almost like I’m labouring the bike. I’m breaking the motor in and in reality change by the sound of the motor. Any ideas would be appreciated.[/i]
[/i]
I was very interested to see the responses to the initial message by krukster86, and thought I would repost my question here.

In addition, I find shifting from 1st to 2nd, a bit clunky and on occasions place the bike in neutral, (perhaps I’m a to gentle) all other gears are fine / smooth. However, I do find it difficult to change down into 1st when coming to a stop, or slowing to a crawl at a set of lights.

Further to my post above, placing the bike in top gear at 50km/h, just doesn’t seem right.

Any advice.

RE: General C50 Noob questions
 

It's the same in my owner's manual (Middle East), I tried it, but I think its not healthy for a bike in the break in mileage so I'm shifting at these speeds now (in normalriding conditions) 1st up to 20km/h, 2nd up to 45 km/h, 3rd up to 65 km/h, 4th up to 80 km/h, 5th above 80 km/h.

The owners manual says ride it in different engine speeds during the break in period, but dont twist the throttle more than 1/2.

RE: General C50 Noob questions
 

That’s about the same speed that I ride. When you consider the speed / gear change the manual dictates it would mean that 5th gear takes the bike from the 50km/h range all the way up to top speed. Surely that’s not right.

RE: General C50 Noob questions
 

Except during the break in period, what time you shift isa personal pref. If you really need to know when to shift a good area is half of what your RPM range is before the red line begins. On the C50 i beieve that is 7200, so around 3600 RPM is your shift point. This applies to all motorcycles and you do not need to be exact either it is just a range. Some people prefer to shift at high RPM and some like low RPM shifting A.K.A. "babying the motor". A good way to tell is when you stop feeling that quick acceleration in that gear and it starts to creep as the rpms soar higher.

RE: General C50 Noob questions
 

1st off starting in second wont hurt it UNLESS you are lugging the engine(ie too low rpms and a jumping lurching sensation)(if it happens time to time its ok just try not to do it too often)
2nd shifting 1st to 2nd keep in mind u are going from 1st bypassing neutral to second so there is gunna be a clunk sort of sound-as for the whinning maybe ur hearing gear noise? Like my car in 1st and 2nd gear u hear it?
3rd as far as tires go-starting and stopping take it easy and in turns dont lean it over to far take turns nice and slow and gradually increase the lean over a few days or soo. Highway wise u should be fine keep ur speeds at what is posted for ur area-very speeds if u can by like 5-10 mph slower and faster to make sure everything syncs together at the same time.--Pretty much what the mfg doesnt want u to do is red line the bike in every gear till u get to final and cruising speed... id say dont pay attention to ur spedo while shifting shift around 2000 rpms to 3500 rpms--dont lug the engine nor should u rev/race the engine while u are stopped or in neutral this can damage the engine. after break in period feel free to use the engine to its fullest potential by increasing rpms with every shift red line it once a week-my view is if it has a redline use it to once everytime u ride it. you will get to know the sound at which point u shift. My M50 doesnt have a tach on it only a spedo sooo i listen to it and i know when to shift and same goes for down shifting as well. the suggested shift points in ur manual are for fuel saving purposes only. usually the shift points are just right at the beginning of the power band or just b4 it.

as for the cover i believe it is neilsen riggs or something like that i dont have my cover right in front of me but it was like 42 bucks it breathes-check it out as far as i know there isnt one specifically designed for these bikes but generic is better then nothing-i had to go to the larger sizes to give room for the stock pipes(they cut right into the suggested size cover) anywho that is my take let me know what u think