Looking for advise on using gears for slowing down. I tend to blip the throttle to gear down before hitting the brakes. Is this the how a Rocket is ridden or is it advisable to brake first and then gear down? Also, I hear a loud pop at times during gearing down a high revs. Is this common and ok?
Riding Style
- Thread starter Pjey0
- Start date
TxRIIIRider
Living Legend
Depending on what exhaust mods you have, you may be running a little lean which can cause popping when gearing down.. or on decel...
xhdskip
Living Legend
I don't "blip" the throttle up before gearing down.
I use the motor to control the speed mostly.
Mine only "pops" if the revs are to high when I downshift.
I use the motor to control the speed mostly.
Mine only "pops" if the revs are to high when I downshift.
rumbler05
.040 Over
I always try to rev my engine when down shifting .I have found the transmission excepts the down shift allot better. I run my bike with std exhaust when on long distant rides( allows my satellite radio to give me the tunes I need for the road) . Around town I use Triumph Performance exhaust . Love to hear them when firing the bike up and going thru the local twisty back roads. We have plenty of those roads in Kentucky.
JRock
Turbocharged
I always blip the throttle when downshifting the rocket before applying brakes.
It matches the engine revs to the next lower gear for a smoother shift.
I do it on my stick shift cars.
Listen to formula one cars. they all do it too. (The paddle shifter does it automatically.)
In fact my wife's automatic Can Am Spyder blips the throttle, too, like the F1 cars.
So to answer your question, ALL manual transmission vehicles may be downshifted in this manner prior to braking.
The only exception might be a panic stop where multiple downshifts would take too long to avoid a crash.
On a stock bike, the pop is not harmful.
When I had the stock exhaust I would get small explosions in the CAT box if I blipped on downshift just so.
It matches the engine revs to the next lower gear for a smoother shift.
I do it on my stick shift cars.
Listen to formula one cars. they all do it too. (The paddle shifter does it automatically.)
In fact my wife's automatic Can Am Spyder blips the throttle, too, like the F1 cars.
So to answer your question, ALL manual transmission vehicles may be downshifted in this manner prior to braking.
The only exception might be a panic stop where multiple downshifts would take too long to avoid a crash.
On a stock bike, the pop is not harmful.
When I had the stock exhaust I would get small explosions in the CAT box if I blipped on downshift just so.
albertaduke
former airline pilot without the big bucks
are you serious!! you change exhaust before going on a ride !! just because it is a long one then back to TORs for the city man !! that is some serious wrenching ..
scot in exile
Living Legend
This is basic 101 riding, riding this type of bike you should be able to feel just by the engine noise what gear you are in and when to shift up or down, use your brakes to slow down before shifting, I am sorry to say but engine braking(apart from steep roads) is a very bad driving habit you should avoid.
Back in the day a lot of vehicles shifted better when you double clutched not so much now a days
Back in the day a lot of vehicles shifted better when you double clutched not so much now a days
out of taff
.040 Over
I think, if one wants to use the motor as an accelerated stopping/slowing power then you should use the throttle blip method, someone has already said; that the engine speed matches the ground speed, sort of, when the clutch is released.
If not, maybe there could be quick deceleration that is not good for motorcycle control or drive train system.
If you have all the time in the world (trafic light turns red a good 1/4 mile up ahead) why not come to a leisurely slow down. Run down the ground speed for each gear before pulling the clutch and droping down a gear without throttle blip.
Anyway, the throttle blip would not work in this case because you have the motor RPM higher (at the blip) than necessary for the ground speed. It would sound silly and kind of buck you around a little.
This is what I do most of the time...If I remember
Ho' the brakes...use them if and when you need to.
Ogremeister
Turbocharged
Advanced riding techniques involve SIMULTANEOUS use of throttle/brakes/gears/body position/steering.
Novice riders think of a downshift in steps....
1. slow down by back off throttle & braking
2. pull in clutch and blip throttle
3. downshift and let clutch out
It really should be one smooth transition...
as you pull clutch (without rolling off throttle) rpms rise and the shift is completed....
it is almost an instantaneous change from higher to lower gear along with lower to higher rpm...
the trick is modulating throttle to match the increased rpm to avoid excessive strain on bike but also to avoid a rear wheel skid.
Novice riders think of a downshift in steps....
1. slow down by back off throttle & braking
2. pull in clutch and blip throttle
3. downshift and let clutch out
It really should be one smooth transition...
as you pull clutch (without rolling off throttle) rpms rise and the shift is completed....
it is almost an instantaneous change from higher to lower gear along with lower to higher rpm...
the trick is modulating throttle to match the increased rpm to avoid excessive strain on bike but also to avoid a rear wheel skid.
