Hello, I was wondering about down shifting. Upshifting seems fine for me. But when i read about down shifting it sounds too complicated. Lets say im going 80 km/h and a red light comes up can i just stop the bike fully, then shift down or do I have to shift down while stoping.
Shifting Gears
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You can do it either way, but shifting down while slowing really isn't that hard and it ensures that you're always in the right gear for the speed you're traveling.
When you're slowing down, just pull in the clutch, kick the gear lever down and blip the throttle and let the clutch out. Most of the time, you don't even have to throttle it that much because the difference between 2 gears is just 1,500 rpm or so.
It's really simple I don't know what trouble you're having, haha.
When you're slowing down, just pull in the clutch, kick the gear lever down and blip the throttle and let the clutch out. Most of the time, you don't even have to throttle it that much because the difference between 2 gears is just 1,500 rpm or so.
It's really simple I don't know what trouble you're having, haha.
Either way is ok for the bike, but I prefer to shift down a gear at a time for safety.
Let's say you are coming to a stop, slowing down. and doing 10 MPH. You check your mirror and see the grill of a tractor-trailer bearing down on you, with tires smoking. You probably would want to be in the correct gear at that moment to move out of the way, rather than having the bike lug and die on you if you are still in high gear. Being in the proper gear to accelerate away from a possible hazard if needed could save your life.
I'd recommend practicing until you are able to downshift proficiently.
Let's say you are coming to a stop, slowing down. and doing 10 MPH. You check your mirror and see the grill of a tractor-trailer bearing down on you, with tires smoking. You probably would want to be in the correct gear at that moment to move out of the way, rather than having the bike lug and die on you if you are still in high gear. Being in the proper gear to accelerate away from a possible hazard if needed could save your life.
I'd recommend practicing until you are able to downshift proficiently.
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The faster I'm moving, the easier my bike downshifts. I don't always downshift-clutch-downshift-clutch, especially during quick stops if I miss a green light, but don't wait till the bike has come to a standstill before deciding to downshift. Some bikes will refuse to shift gears if the rear wheel isn't moving. My Ninja and Virago are 2 that I can name.
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a sequential transmission is designed to be shifted while in motion, get used to rev matching, you'll be glad you did.
remember that excessive wear will come with downshifting in the lower gears. i come to a near stop in 3rd, and go into 2nd just as i stop, then to N/1 at a full stop.
remember that excessive wear will come with downshifting in the lower gears. i come to a near stop in 3rd, and go into 2nd just as i stop, then to N/1 at a full stop.
lol all i have to say is(no1 told me this!) remember what gear your in, first time riding i was thinking i was in 5th while i was in 6th, shifted to what i thought was 1st, and stalled cause i was in 2nd.
when i stop it depends on what kind of stop, if i have enough room to speed up more/cruise, ill pull the clutch in, and just wait till i coast down to the lower gear(so if i was in 6th, i wont engine break untill i can go down to 5th) then ill slowly downshift-make sure no1 is behind you, if there is, apply some break so your lights go on and they know your slowing down. so for longer stops at red lights or stop signs, i use the engine untill about 20-30 mph, and then use breaks.
when its more sudden, like light just changed red, car infront stops, or i dont want to run the red light(never run one
) just use breaks and hold the clutch in-i do this because im more worried about stoping than using the engine to slow me down more, and having to worry if im in to high/low of a gear(and might look down as a result).
when i stop it depends on what kind of stop, if i have enough room to speed up more/cruise, ill pull the clutch in, and just wait till i coast down to the lower gear(so if i was in 6th, i wont engine break untill i can go down to 5th) then ill slowly downshift-make sure no1 is behind you, if there is, apply some break so your lights go on and they know your slowing down. so for longer stops at red lights or stop signs, i use the engine untill about 20-30 mph, and then use breaks.
when its more sudden, like light just changed red, car infront stops, or i dont want to run the red light(never run one
) just use breaks and hold the clutch in-i do this because im more worried about stoping than using the engine to slow me down more, and having to worry if im in to high/low of a gear(and might look down as a result).
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As we've already ascertained, being in the right gear is important. We aren't talking about engine braking, we're talking about downshifting while moving.
I never have to down shift unless slowing down.
Well, some bikes actually need to shift down to speed up, depending on the engine configuration. One of the advantages of the V-Twin is the amount of torque you can put to bear even at lower RPMs. The V-Twin does sacrifice the high RPM horsepower of inline-four bikes however.
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Try a 2 cylinder 250.
Low RPM range AND i have to downshift to speed up. The worst of both worlds!!
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...Wouldn't most bikes speed up more quickly if you downshift? I mean, unless you were already cruising close to the peak torque rpm of your particular bike, you're usually gonna boost your torque, and thus rate of acceleration, by downshifting, right? Or am I missing something entirely?
It depends on engine configuration and gearing. At say 65 MPH in high gear, the most efficient way for my bike to pass another vehicle is to just crack open the throttle. At 3000 RPM in 5th at 65, I'm running at about 50% of red line and just at the bottom of the power band. The engine has the torque to pull the bike fairly quickly up in speed. It's not going to win any races against an inline four bike, but it's pretty convenient not having to grab a lower gear to accelerate quickly.
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He's just saying he has a torquey low end bike, lol. You guys asking all the questions in here are thinking way too hard. Just settle down, have yourself a lemonade and quit thinking so much.
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Sorry, I'm halfway through a mechanical engineering degree, I can't help but think about this stuff
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