Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Shorts wrote:Depends on how hard you do. Do you never decelerate and downshift?

If it breaks, get a new one.

why would I want to cause it to break? Im not rich and can go buy a new motor every other year. Engine breaking is great for emergency use but for normal stopping its not a good idea I dont care what kind of vehicle you are using.

These are our first bikes, not our last. And they aren't going back to the States with us, they're expendable.


Its just an engine. Besides, we're more concerned about staying alive on the bike and I'm running out of limbs I can lose


You've never geared down in an auto while towing or just cruising in the mountains so you don't burn out your brakes???

Shorts wrote:These are our first bikes, not our last. And they aren't going back to the States with us, they're expendable.


Its just an engine. Besides, we're more concerned about staying alive on the bike and I'm running out of limbs I can lose


You've never geared down in an auto while towing or just cruising in the mountains so you don't burn out your brakes???

no cause ive never towed anything nor have I ever drove in the mountains. However isnt that why you should have brakes on the trailer your towing? the only time I use engine breaking is when im on an icy hill in the middle of January lol well that and if I need a quicker stop lol. I realize engine braking isnt gonna kill your engine right now if you do it and that it may take 10-15 years to do anything lol but it will .

Yes, trailer brakes help immensly to control the load and not overloading the tow vehicle. But riding through you cannot ride the brakes down. Use the brakes, yes, but overload them and pucker up! The point in using the engine to control how fast the vehicle rolls is so that it doesn't accelerate up again and gain momentum that you would again have to slow/stop.


Anyhow, the tranny/clutch also takes work during deceleration. I'd be more concerned about keep the tranny cool than destroying the engine. Of course, that's usually tied into the cooling system as well, so if you're cooling system is up to snuff (auxillary units always a plus!), you'll be fine.

If you maintain the engine, tranny, truck or bike, it'll last. If it didn't, eh, time for a new one!

Most folks opt to replace brake pads than clutch plates. And that's understandable, less cost, less involved repairs. If I have to replace trannys all the time I'd surely rethink my position.

Just a matter of preference

I don't know where this idea about engine braking being bad came from, but that is all wrong. Engine braking has been recomended many times on this forum. I'd like to see you provide data to back your statement it is bad. It is good for the engine to shift your power load on the plus and minus side. Also, the clutch on a bike is made to deal with loads in both the up and the down fashion.

I almost always downshift up to the light and rarely use my brakes. If I'm riding spirited I use my brakes more to bleed off extra speed, but mainly I use the transmission for speed control - as it was designed to do. If you are planning to stop, you need to work your way back through the proper gears for given speed and be in first when you stop. They do teach this in the MSF course. When you do your emergancy stop in class they check for you to be in first. It is required.

i engine brake a lot.

i rarely brake in the canyons. i don't gun it too fast on the straights since im not yet confident to try trail braking and late braking.

i set up my entrance speed mostly by engine braking.

ofblong wrote:

Shorts wrote:I haven't been on the street yet, but when I ride pillion I hear how DH shifts.

If the light/intersection is far enough ahead, he progressively downshifts to use the engine to slow the bike and he ends up just easy cruising to a stop.

But if its quick stops in city or unexpected, he clutches and and brakes, and quickly taps down to 1st or 2nd.

engine breaking is not recommended as it is very hard on the motor.

What???:shock:

Whoever told you that is full of it. You should find a new instructor. I've been driving everything from m/c's to tractor trailers to 200 ton rock trucks and you always use engine braking when slowing down. Do you ever take your foot off the accelerator when coming up behind someone? I bet you do. That is called engine braking my misinformed friend.

Engine braking is awesome! As long as you're not revving in too high of an RPM range. If it were so bad, then some sort of restrictor would have been developed by now to prevent engine braking and/or there would be piles of fried out engines from downshifting/engine braking. You just need to be reasonable about how you do it. In all the years I've driven manual transmission vehicles (about 23 years now...) I've never fried out a clutch or broken an engine from engine braking.

Cheers,
Loonette

I follow the dowshift to match speed, blipping through each gear, and arriving at the stop in first, with both brakes and clutch lever engaged. That way, I'm set to take off, or can scoot.... If quick, unexpected, will brake with both brakes, slow, pull clutch, then tap down gears to prevent stalling/keep up rpms.

Notice hubby will always stop in 2nd, and just before he takes off, he cluncks down to first. Actually, Sunday, watching him in some heavy Saratoga traffic, on a hill, instead of just taking off, I tried to clunck down to first, was already there, and stalled. Don't think he noticed, but I'm going to stop watching him. He's a very bad influence