Down shift/braking

All depends on how fast you want to brake. i would recommend dropping one gear at a time until you get used to what the feedback from the bike is going to be. if you drop too many gears, the back tire can get loose and you could go down. just try it at lower speeds and try one gear down at a time, then maybe next session, try 2 gears. it depends on your bike and your skill level. just take your time and learn what the bike wants to do and see what you think.

if you are going more than one gear, most people will drop 2-3 gears per clutch cycle.

 

I use "engine braking" but in all reality the engine isn't a brake. Personally, when coming off a hot straight I do ONE shift regardless of how many gears. Hence, 6-2 in one shift. In slower corners I normally go down one gear at a time. The key is to ensure your engine matches the tire speed. If you've never down shifted and just dropped the clutch without syncing the two you won't care for the result. I've seen riders crash due to improper clutching.

No matter what you decide be smooth, smooth, smooth and consistent.

 

I think it's a "to each his\her own". Tom Kipp used to go multiple clicks in one shift. Many of the other top riders thought he was crazy and what if he forgot whether he went down 1 click, 2 clicks, etc. It depends. Tracks are different and turns are different and you'll adjust. But, in the end, like Nick says and Brian describes, be smoooooooooth!

If you watch the top AMA riders closely, some will go 1 gear with a wild movement of the throttle for each gear (ala Josh Herrin), and some will brake and go several at a time so smooth that you can hardly tell they've downshifted. Remember, the ultimate goal is traction management. Another top AMA racer, Eslick, will back it in solely using the clutch and engine braking. Contrary to what some think, he is not a rear brake kinda guy.

 

i suggest do them all at one time, and i preach no blipping.

keeps things simple...less to think about....less to screw up...and allows later brake marker because there's less to get done in the braking zone

you get stronger engine braking when you do them all at once, and your only concern is to modulate the release of the clutch slowly and smoothly.

apply brake
pull in clutch
bang, bang, bang the downshifts
gradually release the brake and clutch at the same time

 

Sorry but that aint so. Danny will go thru a set of rear pads per race. He told me so!Tdub

 

no. i've never understood (with modern gearboxes) the need to blip to match revs. you pull the clutch in....the gear will go in just fine....so it's not to ensure going in gear better like you have to do in cars with synchronizers. and once it's in gear during braking, the rear wheel is changing speed (decelerating) so quickly i think we're fooling ourselves to think that we 'matched' the no-slip-rpm with the blip.

since we're not going to hit it right anyway....i came to the conclusion that you might as well just teach how to get the rpm and wheel speed matched at clutch release. if you blip, you have to do that anyway (albeit a smaller amount), if you don't blip...there is a longer transition of clutch release to match rpm to wheel speed. i like to just take as many elements out of the scary braking equation as possible.

 

i have found my view is in the minority among coaches....but am sure that i'm in the majority among racers.

i remember doing a count at mid-ohio one year watching the ama guys come into t5 and seeing how many blipped vs not blipped. the non-blippers were over 5-to-1.

and i also remember a poll or discussion on the wera bbs a bit ago that concurred that no-blippers were in the majority. it wasn't by as wide a margin...but i attribute that to the blippers being more vocal about it for reasons i'd rather not get into (<----that's me being flowery)

 

Depends: Bike
Size
Speed into the Turn.

My old Duc being 904cc/82HP or even a SV compared to in-line bikes
are night and day. imo But I'm still slow and blip dn 1 and engine brake more just to keep up with the in-line peeps going into the straights. :thumb:

 

I used to do one at a time, modulating the clutch as I shifted. You don't want to use engine braking. As you get faster, there isn't time to shift individually. When you start to USE THE BRAKES to slow, you'll need to hit them all at once. This is why matching RPMS is important. I'M TERRIBLE AT IT. Practice blipping and matching rpms now and make it part of your riding skills package.

 

Here is an article which might help. Don't miss the video link near the bottom. http://www.trackdaymag.com/thementalaspect/283-throttle-blipping-for-downshifts.html

 

I also like to keep the rear wheel and motor generally connected. I pull in the clutch part way on each down shift until the last. The last one I release it slowly to match things up. It works for me for now. At some point if I get fast enough I might have to change. For now it is smooth and for track days that it enough. If I ever start racing I might have to change.

 

I'm not a fast guy or anything, but this is how I try to do it.

I used to do all the braking and then drop down gears at one time right before turn in but a few times locking the rear while leaned over into the second to last turn at Barber (pit in turn) made me ditch that way. That method only seems to work when more or less upright. Any lean angle caused major stability issues, for me at least.

 

Another thread on another forum got me thinking about this again. It concerned "auto blippers" used on all the MotGP and WSB bikes and the availablity to Joe Normal now as an aftermarket item.
Seems like some very knowlegeable people think blipping is required or at least preferred.
IMO the slipper is not there to assist the downshift, but rather the results of said action...

 

Enjoyed the article link and video!

 

You people are Blippin me off..... Let the slipper do the job...

I just wait to see God in turn 1 at Roebling brake...then go from 6th to 2nd.. short shift to 3rd and stay on the gas until I turn right again.....

 

What the heck does blipping the throttle have to do with the function of the slipper??? The blip assists the shift...the slipper assists with the aftermath...jeesh :bounce: Just ride the damn thing :cheers: