Pushbike

Went for an afternoon bike trip with some friends today. At least, that was the plan. So what do I do? Clean my bike, tighten and grease the chain, check tyre pressure, check oil level, fill up with petrol, etc. All prepared I joined the group.
As it turned out, this would be about the first real trip of the year for each of the three others. One was in dire need of petrol before we started off; another needed some more air in his tyres; so the first stop would be the nearest petrol station (Gulf in Zandhoven). Arrived there, it appeared they don't offer pressurised air. Off to the next station then (Total in Zandhoven), where we found air, but where one of us found out that leaving his bike unused for a few months takes its toll on the battery.
First we asked a few fellow visitors of the station whether any of them had jumper cables. Tough luck; apparently nobody carries relics like those around anymore. In the end, one of the guys called his boyfriend to come over with jumper cables. Once they arrived, we attempted a jump start. Unfortunately, the cables were too thin to let through starting current.
Finally we decided to try push-starting it. First our unfortunate friend tried it on his own, which didn't work. Then we gave him a push to get him up to speed until he could engage his transmission. This worked first time! I never imagined you could actually push start a motorcycle, because the engine usually runs at much higher rpm than car engines. But still, it worked and we could finally set off.


Today, I also learned the technique to shift gears without declutching: for an upshift, put light pressure on the gear lever, lessen the throttle a little bit, and you should shift easily into the next gear. A downshift is the same, but immediately after the gear change, you need to open up the throttle enough so as to match the speed of the engine with the speed of the wheels.
Upshifting without declutching happens a lot; apparently race drivers do it (probably to not lose speed while reclutching). Downshifting without declutching seems to be even more debatable than upshifting.
Anyway, I tried both and it works. The operation does need some practice, though. And because I have a two-cylinder bike (which reacts immediately to the slightest change in throttle), gearshifting without declutching causes a bit of a shock. I will practice further (it's good to know how to drive a bike to the garage if your clutch cable snaps) but I won't be using the technique much I think. Using the clutch is much smoother.