downshifting while braking

[catch2otwo]

alright i can downshift just fine without using the front brake. but some situations call for both front brake, blipping the throttle and downshifting. ive noticed when i try to do all that my finger ends up coming off the front brake when i go to blip the gas. is that normal technique or do i have it wrong.

[Doc]

You have it wrong.

What are you blipping the throttle for?

[ZX-12R]

If you practice your throttle control while doing a stationary burnout, it will quickly rectify the current problem you are having.

When you are ready to learn trail braking, move on to rolling burnouts.

[OreoGaborio]

if you slip the clutch slowly enough the need to blip isn't as crutial.

But if you need to downshift quickly you're gonna want to blip the throttle to smooth it out. The motion to blip the throttle while braking becomes one more of thumb and finger movement rather than wrist movement so you don't affect the fingers on the brake as much.

Another trick I use is to grab the brakes in a way that there's a space between my palm and the throtlle... that way instead of rolling my wrist to blip the throttle i'm dropping my wrist down to the bar and that rotates the grip as well.... This also reduces the impact blipping the throttle has on my brake fingers.

Blipping while braking is a tough thing to get down.... takes alotta practice. Just keep workin on it & try different ways of doing it to figure out what works best for you.

[bigred875]

ya, jsut keep practicing....

[Crash Dummy Denno]

If you practice your throttle control while doing a stationary burnout, it will quickly rectify the current problem you are having.

When you are ready to learn trail braking, move on to rolling burnouts.

jerkoff

[catch2otwo]

You have it wrong.

What are you blipping the throttle for?

care to elaborate? i blip the gas on quick downshifts to make them smoother just like you would in a car. i understand on slower downshifts, blips are not needed since your slowing at a reasonable rate and can downshift when the rpms are right, but when you want to go down a few gears fast i thought you had to blip the throttle to bring up rpms for the next gear down?

[erik87]

im keepin an eye on this thread, as im tryin to work on my throttle blipping while braking as well

one thing i found helps me a little, since i have small-ish hands, i adjusted my brake lever all the way in

[schleppy]

I brake+blip almost all my downshifts on my bike. They are smoother and much faster, just like in a car.

As others have said, just practice.

[TTD]

A lot depends on the bike...

I used to blip a lot on 4stroke race bikes, but then got out of the habit when I started racing the 2stroke (TZ250).

Now that I'm back on 4strokers with the CBR600rr... I don't find the shifts any better when blipping... so don't bother.

[catch2otwo]

if you dont blip and just let the clutch out, dont you risk breaking loose your back tire? isnt that the whole point of downshifting is to match rpms

[OreoGaborio]

not if you slip the clutch out slow enough.

now if you really want me to throw a monkey wrench in the mix, I do the complete opposite of what Tony does.... he slips the clutch and doesn't blip.... i blip & don't even touch the clutch (though I don't suggest it... as you get faster you'll find there is a need to downshift while leaning the bike over... if you don't make your downshift perfectly smooth, yes, you can break the rear tire free and get a little squirly. This is where the smooth clutch release comes in handy that Tony uses.)

[catch2otwo]

not if you slip the clutch out slow enough.

now if you really want me to throw a monkey wrench in the mix, I do the complete opposite of what Tony does.... he does no blip & slip the clutch.... i blip & don't even touch the clutch

that wont wear out your clutch too much? if thats the prefered method ill give that a shot. always been used to giving it a healthy blip while on the brakes when im driving a car. didnt know there was different technique for bikes

[TTD]

I think a bike shifts a lot smoother than a car (unless it's got a seq. tranny).

The blip is to help the gears mesh smoother... and a side effect is that it can help keep the rear wheel from getting squirrely.

But... you'd have to be downshifting at seriously high RPM, I'd think.

I think you'll find there are lots of methods... even amongst the top racers in the world.

Personally, I stay away from clutchless downshifts... but others swear by it.

The only time I clutchless downshift is on the dirtbike, when climbing a tough uphill and the revs start getting low. I release the throttle slightly and tap the shifter and then right back on gas. I do this because it's quicker, and I feel it lowers the risk of getting wheelspin and getting stuck.

Who knows???

[catch2otwo]

guess ill try alittle bit of everything thats been suggested and see what works best for me. im sure just like everything else theres a million ways to do the same thing.

[Wishbone]

I never blip, I always slip the clutch. My bike has close to 20k on it all but 3k were put on by me and the clutch is fine.

When a racer (I'm not sure who it was) was asked why he doesn't use a slipper clutch he gave them "the finger" and said I have my slipper clutch right here

[TTD]

Agreed...you can almost mimic a slipper clutch most of the time.

It's when the shit hits the fan and you're entering way too hot that I sometimes lose that "fine touch" on the clutch.

It would be nice to have, but I wouldn't buy a bike based on whether or not it had one.

[a13x]

I think one of my favourites things in the galaxy is grabbing downshifts while airing a double and setting up for a turn right after the landing.


Uh. Oh streetbikes? YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY

[Tricky Mike]

I blip on upshifts... I mean downshifts... Still getting used to GP shift.
The motor reminds me every time I forget, though... which is, um nice

[ChR1s]

not if you slip the clutch out slow enough.

now if you really want me to throw a monkey wrench in the mix, I do the complete opposite of what Tony does.... he slips the clutch and doesn't blip.... i blip & don't even touch the clutch (though I don't suggest it... as you get faster you'll find there is a need to downshift while leaning the bike over... if you don't make your downshift perfectly smooth, yes, you can break the rear tire free and get a little squirly. This is where the smooth clutch release comes in handy that Tony uses.)

How would one know what is "slow enough"?

If you come into turn one hot and the ass end is wanting to pass up the front just a bit, that's just enough for me -- a slight tail wagging. I wouldn't go banging clutchless downshifts w/o a slipper clutch though. On the street, you'd have to be in full-on baffoon mode to warrant a throttle blip. It sounds cool though.


Practice, practice.

[jimaug87]

care to elaborate? i blip the gas on quick downshifts to make them smoother just like you would in a car. i understand on slower downshifts, blips are not needed since your slowing at a reasonable rate and can downshift when the rpms are right, but when you want to go down a few gears fast i thought you had to blip the throttle to bring up rpms for the next gear down?

you're talking about rev matching. this is not neccesary. If you clutch in, downshift, then release the clutch slow enough, there is no throttle needed. Of course the 'blip' makes the shift smoother, but you can smoth things out by easing off the clutch.

Slow out on the clutch=no blip

pop out the clutch=blip

braking and throttling=practice making tight turns in a parking lot

[union]

I often engine brake on my bike. I guess Im about 80%/20% on the non blip of the throttle. Usually I find that I need to blip the throttle more in lower speed turns to have the rear not step out a little then in turns with a higher entry speeds. If you do it right and have the timing you really dont need to blip the throttle. Its something you see a lot of racers do but they are also on the edge of control of what the bike and tires can do unlike most of us on the street.

[breakdirt916]

The motor reminds me every time I forget, though... which is, um nice