To Blip or Not To Blip??

[cootertwo]

I tend to "blip" a little. Funny thing the other day, I was coming up to a 4 way stop intersection. Something was going on at the gas station across the street, and caught my attention as I came to a stop. I waved one person through, and looked at another, who waved me to go, and I let out the clutch, only to here the motor load down. I thought what the heck, gave her some more throttle, and off we went, IN 4TH GEAR! Wow this thing has some torque!

 

[MIG]

Having started riding on old Brit bikes, some that used more oil than petrol, I have always "blipped" the throttle as I go down the gears as this was the accepted way to make gear changes smoother.

My youngest daughter (15) has just started riding lessons in preparation for getting her licence when she is 16 and the instructor has told her not to do this as -

a) It confuses the bikes electronics

and

b) It is anti-social

My view is that she needs a different instructor!

What do you think?

I'm a little late to this thread...but as a RiderCoach, I can tell you I've never heard such claims. Electronics do not get "confused" by operating the throttle and simply giving the throttle a "blip" when downshift has zero to do with your social status and everything to do with "riding your own ride". Your daughter is probably learning on a 250cc that does not require as much finesse as larger bikes. As you know, you'll be able to show her, and she will quickly learn, each bike she gets on will have it's own personality and feel... requiring a little tweaking to her riding style.
-MIG

 

[Sonofcorax]

Motorcycle Downshifting Techniques

It lays it out pretty well in this article, I was taught to blip, and ya the instructor that said not to need his education advanced.

 

[Willyone]

A lot of Harley Riders are blipophiles ,ever noticed how the louder the exhaust the more blips they do, I don't blip just throttle up slightly as I release the clutch on downshifts, the slipper clutch on the GTR makes downshifts smooth anyway,

Well now, I gots me two Harleys (still Rocket hunting), both are fairly/kind'a loud but not obnoxiously so. Shifting before transmissions were syncronized (spelling??) was prolly some what of an art form and I think blipping, of sorts, was required. Now that transmissions are syncro, I guess the blip can be done with. But I blip anyways when down shifting as I believe spinning up the gears a bit helps take some strain off the transmission and gears. Disclaimer.... I'm no wrench so I could be wrong, but it's what I do. I blip therefore I am....

 

[Rocket Scientist]

Well now, I gots me two Harleys (still Rocket hunting), both are fairly/kind'a loud but not obnoxiously so. Shifting before transmissions were syncronized (spelling??) was prolly some what of an art form and I think blipping, of sorts, was required. Now that transmissions are syncro, I guess the blip can be done with. But I blip anyways when down shifting as I believe spinning up the gears a bit helps take some strain off the transmission and gears. Disclaimer.... I'm no wrench so I could be wrong, but it's what I do. I blip therefore I am....

Bike trannies are still not synchronized for some reason.

 

[BigNorm]

Bike trannies are still not synchronized for some reason.

Just ask Jim.

 

[Old N' Grumpy]

Just Google - that's all I did. Well OK I used Duckduckgo

Try startpage.com

 

[Willyone]

Bike trannies are still not synchronized for some reason.

Thanks for the enlightenment RS, I stand corrected. I figured because gearing up/down was straight forward, the transmissions are synchronized. Not so, I'm told sequential manual is a closer or more proper term. Either way, I blip when down shifting and have for better than 45 years, no trans problems .....yet

 

[TURBO200R4]

Having started riding on old Brit bikes, some that used more oil than petrol, I have always "blipped" the throttle as I go down the gears as this was the accepted way to make gear changes smoother.

My youngest daughter (15) has just started riding lessons in preparation for getting her licence when she is 16 and the instructor has told her not to do this as -

a) It confuses the bikes electronics

and

b) It is anti-social

My view is that she needs a different instructor!

What do you think?

just to add a little to what has been said. u can not confuse the electronics.
by working the throttle a lot u may eventually wear out the tps however a tps is $130 and a transmission is $2000 plus. so i would say wear out the tps.

 

[Rocket Scientist]

Of course I'm having my coffee. So you must blip the throttle before pulling in the clutch. Because if you do not your raising the rpm of the free floating clutch basket not the inner hub which turns the input trans shaft. Now I'll give more thought to the shifts that do not involve the input shaft gear movement.

I believe even when the clutch is disengaged the outer basket would still have a significant influence on the inner hub due to the plates rubbing together, oil film, etc. Also at the split second your in between gears, the input shaft is free wheeling except for the drag clutch on fifth gear.