Noob questions

[Ballzac]

So I've had my bike 3 or so months. Almost have 8000 miles on it (100 a day for work). Just a few quick questions I've grown curious about. Mainly habits I have that may not be the best practices.
1. Does holding down the clutch wear out the cable? For example sometimes at a light I wont drop it in neutral, just hold the clutch for a few minutes.
2. Does running over the reflectors in the middle of lanes cause extra wear to ones tires? I split lanes alot... I try to avoid them when possible.
3. Similiar to question one. When I come to a red light sometimes I just downshift then finally hit my brakes when Im around 10mph (traffic permitting). Is that bad?

Last 2 are ticket related.

4. Can you cross double-double yellow lines in between fast lane and car pool lane? 4 yellow lines total. Evil California freeways...
5. Lastly when you are entering the on ramp for a freeway and theres a stupid@ss red light there, can you split the 2 onramp lanes and just time it so you cruise through it when it turns green? Or are you required to come to a complete stop regardless. Hopefully that makes sense.

Appreciate the feedback. I don't really know anyone else that rides so have no where else to get this information. Loving this bike though.

 

[Guitar Man]

1. Does holding down the clutch wear out the cable? For example sometimes at a light I wont drop it in neutral, just hold the clutch for a few minutes. Maybe after many years of doing it. I don't really think you have anything to worry about though.

2. Does running over the reflectors in the middle of lanes cause extra wear to ones tires? I split lanes alot... I try to avoid them when possible. I don't think you will have that much more wear on your tires. You could loose traction if the roads are wet. This has happened to me, but not to the point where I thought it would cause the bike to crash.

3. Similiar to question one. When I come to a red light sometimes I just downshift then finally hit my brakes when Im around 10mph (traffic permitting). Is that bad? You're ok. It's personal preference really. I like being in 1st gear at intersections just in case you look in your mirror and see someone about to plow into you and you need to move out of the way in a hurry.

4. Can you cross double-double yellow lines in between fast lane and car pool lane? 4 yellow lines total. Evil California freeways... I'd say legally no. I don't know how California freeways/roads are marked. I would consult your DMV for more clarification.

5. Lastly when you are entering the on ramp for a freeway and theres a stupid@ss red light there, can you split the 2 onramp lanes and just time it so you cruise through it when it turns green? Or are you required to come to a complete stop regardless. Hopefully that makes sense. I know that lane splitting is allowed in Cali. Like the above answer, consult your local DMV for clarification.

 

[Popeye70]

So I've had my bike 3 or so months. Almost have 8000 miles on it (100 a day for work). Just a few quick questions I've grown curious about. Mainly habits I have that may not be the best practices.
1. Does holding down the clutch wear out the cable? For example sometimes at a light I wont drop it in neutral, just hold the clutch for a few minutes.

The extra strain on the cable should not cause any significant reduction in expected cable life.

2. Does running over the reflectors in the middle of lanes cause extra wear to ones tires? I split lanes alot... I try to avoid them when possible.

Any extra little bump will cause extra wear (on a microscopic level), but it's nothing you will notice and nothing to worry about.

3. Similiar to question one. When I come to a red light sometimes I just downshift then finally hit my brakes when Im around 10mph (traffic permitting). Is that bad?

The only problem I see with this, is that you give no visual warning to anyone behind you that you are slowing down. If you just touch your brake handle (without really brakeing much) you will at least let the ones behind you know that you are brakeing, thus reducing the risk of them plowing into you because they didn't see that you were slowing down.

My 2 cents...

 

[Red Wazp]

#4 It's not legal to cross a double yellow so I doubt it's legal to cross a double double yellow.

#5 Nope, it's says ONE car at a time. In this day of tickets you would be asking for trouble with either 4 or 5 and he may just add a reckless driving to the ticket which will cost you big in tickets and insurance

Lane splitting is only acceptable when done in a safe manner.

 

[dev_usc]

May I add one...
Many times at un-maned parking garages -- the kind where you pull the vehicle towards the gate and machine gives you a ticket and opens the gate --
the machine cannot detect my FZ6 and I have to move back and forth.....
most of the time I just go around the gate and park.....
Can I get into trouble for this......

 

[VEGASRIDER]

May I add one...
Many times at un-maned parking garages -- the kind where you pull the vehicle towards the gate and machine gives you a ticket and opens the gate --
the machine cannot detect my FZ6 and I have to move back and forth.....
most of the time I just go around the gate and park.....
Can I get into trouble for this......

That's the beauty of riding a bike, free parking!

 

[Ballzac]

Appreciate the feedback guys. Will definately start depressing the brake to at least trigger the light for safety purposes.