How to downshift im confused

[safety-boy]

If residential … maybe best at less active times...

Saturday mornings after sunrise. Get going early and the roads should be all yours. School parking lots are great places to practice, especially if they have built-in obstacles, like small tree filled areas (usually two car-spaces in size at regular intervals.

As for the downshifting while rolling (Brackstone). That is a bit of an issue with Kawasakis. They don't like downshifting from a stand-still. If you are stoped in a high gear, and the bike won't downshift, let the clutch out a bit (to the friction zone) and try again. This will resolve the problem on all the Kawas I have had.

--Dave

[koji52]

The best tip I can give you is make sure you downshift while the bike is rolling. It won't change gears if you are at a stop or moving very slowly.

I find that my Sportster has that problem as well. It will go down one gear but that's about it at a standstill. As Safety-Boy says, releasing the clutch a bit lets me downshift at a stop.

[Brackstone]

The best tip I can give you is make sure you downshift while the bike is rolling. It won't change gears if you are at a stop or moving very slowly.

[Fast Eddy B]

The best tip I can give you is make sure you downshift while the bike is rolling. It won't change gears if you are at a stop or moving very slowly.

[storysunfolding]

Braking with the clutch held in will require a lot further distance to stop than braking with the clutch out and in gear.

That might have been true back in the day. Today's motorcycles all come from the factory with the brakes strong enough to lock the rear wheel. Therefore, they can provide just as much stopping power if not more than using the motor to brake.

When you need to stop suddenly, I'd pull the clutch and rely 100% on the brakes.

However, since your question was just slowing down that's personal preference. Some people like to use engine braking, and others don't. I've seen justifications go both ways though I've yet to see conclusive proof. Here are some common examples
-I have more control stopping with engine braking
-What is cheaper and easier to replace? Brake pads or a clutch?
-Motors don't like to be reverse loaded like that.
-I don't want to overheat my brake pads.

Bunch of poppycock. Do what you like but if you choose to use engine braking, make sure to at least touch your brake so the car behind you knows what you are doing!

One last word of advice- no need to ever try engine braking in first gear and every bike has a different degree of engine braking. It all depends on the compression ratio- alot more force from a sport bike than say an air cooled cruiser.

[jonnythan]

Braking with the clutch held in will require a lot further distance to stop than braking with the clutch out and in gear.

No it absolutely won't.

[Skier]

If I were to summarize my stance on this issue with one sentence, this would be it:

Do what you like but if you choose to use engine braking, make sure to at least touch your brake so the car behind you knows what you are doing!

Moving on.

Braking with the clutch held in will require a lot further distance to stop than braking with the clutch out and in gear.

Check out the braking report from Promocycle.

With the goal of reducing the chance of locking the rear wheel and its negative consequences, certain observers suggested not declutching during a hard stop. The rear wheel thus remaining coupled mechanically to the engine is less susceptible to lock.

The mean braking distance recorded over 35 passes with the clutch engaged was 41.51 metres.

[jstark47]

Today's motorcycles all come from the factory with the brakes strong enough to lock the rear wheel.

Not taking issue with the rest of your post, but this is just not true. I have a Bonneville, you can have legs of an elephant, and still not be able to lock the rear wheel. Push that pedal as hard as you can, you'll barely slow the bike. Before I changed out the stock front pads for EBC's, I used engine braking a lot on that bike (it was either that, or drag your feet!) Thankfully at least I now have front braking; the rear is still useless except for holding the bike on hills.

[storysunfolding]

I should have said all GOOD bikes

j/k- I take back my previous statement. The V-strom rear brake just has me spoiled I guess. Want to lock it up? No problem... makes practicing emergency stops that much more important. Especially emergency brake and swerves (not together, on the brakes, off, then swerve)

[shane-o]

lol



hmmmmmm




I wasnt refering to rear braking, I dont use rear brake.


If you go out, jump on your stead, get her up to 35mph, take notice of a ref point, clutch in grab the front and come to a strong stop, note where you stop.

repeat said process but this time, remain engaged, I will be surprised if you do not stop more efficiently with greater stability. Also, you run a lot less risk of front lock up as you dont need as much front to stop as you would with the clutch in.


Now you can put up as many pretty graphs up and quote articles until the cows come home, it is a technique I use every day, and I know it works.


I dont know how you guys ride cause ive never seen you at it, but thats how i ride and the guys i ride with as well.


Anyhooo, its jus an opinion I was offering, I dont mind whether you think im off reservation or not