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Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 4:56 am
by chasaduc
Is this really the bike to learn on? Or is my clutch trash?

im a new rider. I got my Paso for cheap not runing and and every body panel was shot. I got it running but not well. thank to this site I repalced the weber carbs an other things too. Starts as fast and well a Ducati can. Especially of it's age. Gotta love that choke.

So my problem with being a newbie and the problems I had on my bike was the fact that I did a ton of work to get it running well. I tried to ride the bike. Stalled it a million times. When I did get it to move it took RPS and a jerk. I saw some videos and people who ride their bike seem to experience what i did. RPM"S plus slowly let out the clutch in only one little sweet spot and lost of dragging the clutch and more RPM's and then a jerk and they are well on their way to high speeds. I also saw some test rides back in the day and they complained about the clutch.

So yes it's me being new and maybe an italian bike. But also remember that i did learn to drive a standard shift car in an alfa romeo spider. Had the same problem.

Or am I doing something wrong? Or is my tranny trash?

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:41 am
by nnnnnnorman
let the clytch lever out nice and slow till it bites and the bike wants to crawl fowards lift your foot from the floor as you start to move and slightly increase the rpms. you are away! :thumbup: :cool: :) :beer: gently does it. :) :thumbup: :cool: :beer:

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:36 pm
by scimmione
Probably not the best learner's bike. Not very friendly to low speed maneuvering / parking lot riding; narrow steering angle lock-to-lock makes for very wide turning radius. The uninitiated tend to want to turn faster than the bike can at low speeds resulting in the often embarrassing, occasionally dangerous tip-over.

As far as the clutch goes, if the previous owners slipped it a lot to get going and were used to Japanese bikes (held in the clutch at red lights instead of putting it in neutral), chances are it's time for new plates, a TO bearing & mushroom

Be sure to read the FAQ including this post by paso750

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:14 pm
by chasaduc
This seems to tell me I need more practice. Im not sure what the old owners did when riding. I know I played with using the clutch and looked at videos. Plus these posts I think it must be there is only one small spot where you can ride the clutch. Give RPMs and then lurch into drive. And this bike was not built to learn on or start in an alley and go to a street shortly afterwards. Then another stop sign to get to slowly then go.

I will get it figured out.

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:13 am
by scimmione
Atta-boy.

Good luck.

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:49 am
by chasaduc
I am supposed to to listen to some crazed lunatic (nnnnnnnnnnorman) that thinks my bike and the mexican montary systen are pronounced the same?

ok good. I will. how many paso's will you give me to learn on this bike? :)

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:06 am
by Mc tool
My uncle tried to ride my SS ,which is similar and ( no shit ! :banghead: ) we were 100 m down my Dads driveway with a flat battery and a cooked clutch and he hadn't moved more than 6 feet in a single go, and he rides a gz250 everyday , so yeah they can be a bit poxy. We call it character :)
The clutch and the weber both conspire to make a sedate start impossible , so ya have to give it a bit of .... well , its a bit like kickin a sleeping dog in the guts , not a full race launch Valentino ,but if the front wheel does come off the ground ( this becomes fun later :) ) you might have to rein it in a bit.
Keeping it tuned and the clutch working properly makes life easier , but even when mine is at its best I still try to avoid busy town traffic :)

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:41 pm
by nnnnnnorman
i have to ask.....what are you guys on? can i have some please? :thumbup: :cool: :) :) :beer: ...........its paso as in paso so you say..paso! thats it. i paso you paso he paso she paso they paso we paso....paso paso paso PASO. simple hey? and as for pulling away from a stop on a paso......its like falling off a log....kind of! :cool: :) :beer: :thumbup:

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:41 pm
by Mc tool
nnnnnnorman wrote:its like falling off a log
yeah ! an Itallian log , with a poxy carb and a clutch like a trigger :lol: :lol:

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:51 pm
by scimmione
Mc tool wrote: The clutch and the weber both conspire to make a sedate start impossible , so ya have to give it a bit of .... well , its a bit like kickin a sleeping dog in the guts , not a full race launch Valentino ,but if the front wheel does come off the ground ( this becomes fun later :) ) you might have to rein it in a bit.
Keeping it tuned and the clutch working properly makes life easier , but even when mine is at its best I still try to avoid busy town traffic :)
LOL :lol: I snorted so loud it woke the cat and scared the shite out of him. He won't come near me now.

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:36 am
by Mc tool
Wow , must have been good shit man! :)

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:59 am
by nnnnnnorman
i learn't to ride from the age of thirteen in a bumpy old field on an ducati 200 or 175 that we always had to bump start. no clutch control worries there! just bump and go and bump around the field. there were often afternoons when the bike failed to start at all. next came a greeves competition trials bike fitted with a smelly villiers two stroke. this one started on the kick and lurched away over the rough ground as long as you got it reving good. at fourteen i was ready for the road with a shed find vespino stepthrough moped. the two earlier bikes were far to ramshackle to take out on the road but this one, i figured, would pass muster and heavily disguised by a full face crash helmet, my love for riding on the road was born. next bike after that was the regular loan of a uk spec jubilee bonny. at fifteen i learnt how to handle a big heavy twin on busy roads and country lanes whilst not gaining the attention of the police. no wonder i ended up with and loving a paso 906! :cool: :) :thumbup: :beer:

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:19 pm
by jayh
I learnt on a vespa super 150 posty scooter with racks on the front and back for the mail,(two mates),and found out the hard way that they don't corner well at speed.Shot off the road into a drain,went over the handlebars when the open drain became pipe,broke my mates leg,made him hop back on and rode him 20km to hospital through the twistys.Those were the days,(he still hates me for it) . :lol: :lol: :lol: Jay

Re: Learning to Ride on a Paso?

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:53 am
by scimmione
Hmm...shoulda left this in the First Ride thread....

I learned to ride on a Honda Trail 90 in'72
Image
/she didn't come with the bike.