gear changes, please offer your pearls of wisdom

[ophic]

Originally Posted by skyline

Quick gearchanging question from me as I'm looking to get better at this too...

With downshifting from high rpms, do you need to snap the throttle completely shut every time or can you get away with slacking the throttle off a little, same as with upshifts?

E.g. 8k rpm up to a corner, clutch in and thottle off/slacken throttle, change gear, blip throttle to match revs, drop clutch at right moment?

Sorry to butt in on your thread AndyBrad

I usually don't shut the throttle all the way, if I'm downshifting for power. The throttle is shut when i'm on the brakes tho.

Originally Posted by ophic

But if you end up mostly naked on the back of a winged horse with a mahoosive horn (the horse, i mean) - take it from me, its gone badly wrong

There's a mahoosive saddle horn too but you can't see it (but it explains the pose of the naked chick)

I couldn't wait to start learning the rev-matching downchange technique. To me it's impossible to make downshifts to high-rpm without doing it, and no matter how gently you feather the clutch out it's just a bit tortuous. I think that generally when people do it without blipping the throttle, by the time they've let the clutch back they've slowed the bike enough with just the brakes for the revs to not be that high anyway. So a shift to what would have been 9krpm is actually to just 4k or 5k. Fair enough it's not that lurchy, but you've got the clutch disengaged for quite a while, and you're not using the available engine braking.

Besides which it sounds too nice to not do it!

Originally Posted by ophic

usually pedals are positioned specifically to allow this, if the manufacturer has decided its a good idea. Unfortunately not with most roadgoing cars, and I've no intention of popping my kneecap off.

So true, normal roadcars are often very awkward, I think the manufacturers are afraid of people hitting both pedals in an emergency. Ever tried left-foot-braking in a modern car? I don't pretend to have driven every modern car available, but if you so much as breathe on the brake pedal with the throttle slightly open in VAG cars or Toyotas then the engine management says "NO!" and you get a huge cut in power for a few seconds. Quite unnerving when it first happens. Anyone else ever noticed this in their car?

[dizzyblonde]

whats all the talk of 8k or 9k to upshift, downshift..meh like whatever blokes.....
I don't rev the knackers off my bikes and they do exactly the same thing as you lot round a corner, or in a straight line.

I'll leave you lot to talk twaddle

[ophic]

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

I'll leave you lot to talk twaddle

its what we do best

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

whats all the talk of 8k or 9k to upshift, downshift..meh like whatever blokes.....
I don't rev the knackers off my bikes and they do exactly the same thing as you lot round a corner, or in a straight line.

I'll leave you lot to talk twaddle

There's twaddle, and then there's what some people think is twaddle

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

whats all the talk of 8k or 9k to upshift, downshift..meh like whatever blokes.....
I don't rev the knackers off my bikes and they do exactly the same thing as you lot round a corner, or in a straight line.

I'll leave you lot to talk twaddle

So you use very little engine braking, and very little of the available power.

You can't tell us you ride your own ride, and then say us talking about how we ride ours is twaddle.

[dizzyblonde]

You know very well I rarely use my brakes and use the engine braking instead.
I just don't rev the knackers off my bike, I can't see the point

I just can't see why I have to rev the bike so hard to do the job I need it to do.
Plus its gives me headache at that height of revs.
I use my bike to get from A to B, and everything else inbtween is not scrutinised to pieces. I use the gears efficiently to what I want it to do, the gear box doesn't crunch like an old post van, and it don't lurch anywhere, because i've changed too early and haven't matched it all up. I use the power when needed, and don't use it un-necessarily.

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

I use the power when needed, and don't use it un-necessarily.

Davepreston can prove otherwise I believe...

*Ahem* Peaks Rideout *Ahem* Dizz Wheelying *Ahem*

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

You know very well I rarely use my brakes and use the engine braking instead.
I just don't rev the knackers off my bike, I can't see the point

I just can't see why I have to rev the bike so hard to do the job I need it to do.
Plus its gives me headache at that height of revs.
I use my bike to get from A to B, and everything else inbtween is not scrutinised to pieces. I use the gears efficiently to what I want it to do, the gear box doesn't crunch like an old post van, and it don't lurch anywhere, because i've changed too early and haven't matched it all up. I use the power when needed, and don't use it un-necessarily.

Not being silly dizzy but you use yours for a-b if people need unnecesary speed then using the available power becomes necessary. Providing the engines warm I can't see any issues with using the available rev range. 7/8k+ is rather fun , or so yorkiechris or some other hooligan told me....

It's just using the bike for what you want/riding styles.