Triumphrat

scottslob

Here is a noob rider question. I ride in semi trafficy place. Alot of accelerating upto 50mph or so and slowing or stopping. I cruise my bike, shooting for about 4000 rpm as a constant. My question is should i be downshifting to slow down, or use my breaks and then shift?

Sp00ky

Both... brake, rev it, down shift...continue braking, revving, down shifting.


S.

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2010 Street Triple. Black.

"Just because you're breathing doesn't mean you're alive"

barneys

I agree with this. But as the OP is a noob perhaps 'blip the throttle' might be better rather than 'rev'...we don't want him to get to pile into the guy in front

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I may be addicted to brake fluid, but I can stop at any time

LightningJack

Good points all around Scott. Engine braking is an essential skill that you'll want to develop, and you'll be glad to have it down very well. As you're probably already aware, concentrate on smoothness while braking. It'll become second nature pretty quickly.

Sp00ky

Agreed .... but there are "blips" and "revs"...


For instance... When I down shift and it's into a corner to get the right gear for that corner, it's a rev...a longer harder one because I don't want to lock the rear up and want to match the speed of the bike with the shift...so I rev it hard.

For stopping with brakes on and down shifting it's more of a shorter blip, if you aren't having to stop in a hurry.

For really hard emergency stops it's all brakes, forget the blips...

Sorry to be ... so contentious.

Sometimes, when explaining things we experienced riders take for granted and do automatically ... to a new rider, it's better to make it clear right from the start.

To scottslob:

Braking, blipping and revving are all relevant, depending on the situation.



S.

__________________
2010 Street Triple. Black.

"Just because you're breathing doesn't mean you're alive"

SomethingClever

Should I be concerned that I engine brake but never "blip" to my knowledge?

Mark Savage

Well yes.as you slow down say for a corner, blipping the throttle is not only much kinder to your motor and gearbox but prevents rear wheel lock up as previouslly discussed.It also sounds really tuff if done well with a good system on.

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Triumph Sprint 1050 The Highway Star...

scottslob

thanx guys, I think Im doing it about right, My driving condition eats up a lot gas. Stop and go in 50 to 60 mph traffic. started to make me think I should be coasting more, but what fun is that?

Mark Savage

Commuting needs your best game,concentrate on avoiding car drivers changing lanes at the last second and coming thru red lights while on the phone drinking coffee and smoking.Let the mileage take care of itself.. good luck buddy..

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Triumph Sprint 1050 The Highway Star...

SomethingClever

So, say you're in third going about 40mph. You approach a corner that you're gonna take at 15-20 mph, just an ordinary city street (where I ride most).

What I usually do is ease off the throttle and let the bike reduce speed to around 30, then I downshift to 2nd well in advance of the corner and re-engage the clutch.

Does this situation call for a blip? If so, where? Before re-engaging the clutch as I go from 3rd to 2nd? It already seems smooth... blipping the throttle seems like a recipe for accidental over-revving and jerkiness in the shift.

Not trying to knock your technique at all, I just want to learn if I've been doing something wrong (or differently) than most.