Blipping the throttle on downchanges?

Erm, it was probably the equivelant of the blue light course. We don't get pursuit training unless we are in the traffic.

Our driving levels are the advanced driving + emergency response. Which was basically everything you mentioned above, driving country lanes as fast as you could, commentary etc etc etc...then there is the advanced B course, which is the next level for traffic officers, it's like an inbtween course before they go to the college to do the course up there, where they will either become class 1 or 2 drivers (or fail).

We don't do pursuit unless in the traffic.

[Shellywoozle]

+1 GG - also if you are in the correct gear for the bend you have a stable car/bike.

If you are changing gear around a bend then you are accelerating or decelerating ..... you would only do that if you were not at the right speed in the 1st place. When your vehicle is balanced you have the maximum amount of grip on the road at that time. Go into the bend at the right speed, keep the power on to keep at that speed or remain with the throttle open and when the corner opens up then you can accelerate

As meercat would say ........ simples !

Arggh MBK ya missing out tis fun!!

[fizzwheel]

Getting a bit off topic here guys arent we ?

[gruntygiggles]

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Getting a bit off topic here guys arent we ?

Steered by the OP

[Richie]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Thing is I can do all that and still be slower than someone who can actually ride

you now just need to learn how to open that right hand mid corner.. :0)

it's nearly like what Mr. Miyagi said... "Roll on Roll Off....throttle"

Originally Posted by Seggons

Things become really interesting when your braking with the front and rear brake while at the same time downshifting with a blip.

Or just start slowing down earlier!

Originally Posted by christian1000

With braking and blipping the throttle, is it best to use two or four fingers on the front brake lever? Or is it just a matter of preference?

Originally Posted by christian1000

cheers, I have found ive been using all four, if I use two I find the lever gets quite close to the fingers I leave on the bar, perhaps ive just got chubby hands

Two is easiest for doing two things at once, if you're that way inclined. I use four fingers, for the rather odd reason that my other bike is a Honda Cub, and maximum braking means stretching the cable(!) until the lever reaches the bar, and then locking the back. You learn to leave space! And try blipping with 3 stupidly wide gears and an auto-clutch.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Let the clutch out a microsecond later, you want to catch the revs as they are dropping.

Originally Posted by gruntygiggles

Will look into it. I think my biggest area for development on the bike right now is when to throttle on in a bend. I do wait until I can see the exit.....but it's on the long bends that I find I hold the speed, then when it tightens up, I am VERY cautious of throttling on again, so sometimes do it a bit too gingerly and it's not very smooth.

Smooth and progressive works. You need a bit of throttle through the bend, it keeps everything feeling smooth, when it's time to start exiting the bend, gradually build up the throttle input as you stand back up. If you turn in with the throttle off, just let yourself slow down through the turn, accelerate when you start exiting again as before. Going from OFF to ON or vice versa isn't good (and I still sometimes do this after two years - just less so!)

Originally Posted by Shellywoozle

See ya point SInbad, when I used the example steering and changing gear maybe that wasnt the best to use.... but that is summat you shouldnt be doing as an advanced driver. I only do gear change overlap when turning into a left hand bend with a car behind me.

Well I must be a typical woman driver then as I found the advanced driving course intense and the system was, in theory, easy but when being pushed to go round country lanes at 100mph plus, use the system and stay in one piece I was a nervous wreck LOL. (Then again I suppose throw in auxiliary buttons, radios and doing running commentary as well as the above no wonder I was stressed, being a bird I find it hard to multi task)

he he he or maybe its just the blonde streaks in me hair

Bl**dy hell! The country lanes round here half the time 30 is near suicidal! I know that's with the police, but even God would think twice on some of ours!

I agree with you, doing two things at once isn't the way forward, unless you like the smell of fried brains in your lid!

Sorry, just re-looked at the thread and 9 pages have grown!

Well this is the most one sided blipping thread I think I've seen on the org. All the folk that don't blip and whose riding doesn't particularly suffer for it have obviously given up arguing about it! One comment from Fizz about Liz' riding and I think that was about it.

Clutch feathering on a downchange generally tells you you've cocked up, or your not bothered about you clutch and you've done it on purpose to slow straight from second gear into a slow control manoeuvre.

I only blip if a blip will help, which is actually a lot of the time, but it's not necessary on every shift, by any means. It's not as "essential" as some on here are making out, and your need for it and when depends on how you ride.

If you are changing down when there isn't a big difference between engine speed and gearbox speed, what I would call "neutral" revs (correct terminology or not I don't care), it doesn't take the rear wheel long to slow down the engine, you don't have to feather the clutch, and you don't get a lurch. If your prepared to accept a small lurch and your at "neutral" revs, then just tap the gear lever, it'll slot through and you don't need the clutch at all.

Similarly if you do change down at a rev range where there is a lot of engine braking, without a blip, and you have to feather the clutch on one down change in order to smooth it out, don't worry about it, your not going to wreck your clutch with one down change, any more than you will with one rapid launch off the traffic lights.

Most of my down changes happen because I have planned well ahead and am slowing down early, so I'm at neutral revs. If I'm pushing on a bit so want to brake a bit later I'll blip. If I'm really in a hurry and I'm standing the bike on it's nose I'll block change with the clutch in and release it again when gear and revs are correct, again no clutch feathering required.

I gave up giving my point of view because apparently you need to blip if you want to change down smoothly! (according to majority on here it seems)

But to be honest I have never cluncked into gear -only sound I get is the same sound as when I change up gear - (should I be blipping then too??) that comes from the pedal.

I have tried blipping - yeah if you have to change down quicker than you have prepared for its useful, but TBH Im not a harsh braker anyway so have never had any jerkiness or harsh cluncking or locking of wheels (apart from once when I was in a lower gear than I thought - oops)

So I might use it when the need arises but not every single time I drop a gear.

ooh it turns out when I had been slowing down anyway and the engine wasn't at same speed as bike (if you know what i mean) i have naturally blipped anyway.. But I always listen/feel for the engine when gearing up/down - never looked at speedo/revs.

my two penneth worth anyway - before I get flamed.... (again)

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by muddi

ooh it turns out when I had been slowing down anyway and the engine wasn't at same speed as bike (if you know what i mean) i have naturally blipped anyway.. But I always listen/feel for the engine when gearing up/down - never looked at speedo/revs.

my two penneth worth anyway - before I get flamed.... (again)

You should not need to look at speedo or revs, that is how it should be.

People disagreeing with you is not flaming.

The thing about the police method is not so much the "don't change gear in a corner" thing, although being capable of doing that is far better than not (how many sequences of fast-medium speed corners give you a nice straight section of road to change gear and indeed, brake, for the forthcoming really slow corner? Not all- panic stations?), it's the brake brake brake, stop braking, change gear, steer, part. It's unnecessary and weird.

What's so bad about being in the appropriate gear before you have finished braking?