Riding Style Question

[QUOTE=punyXpress;2122377][QUOTE=Amanda;2122209]

Originally Posted by merlin427

Why is there no option for braking and changing down simultaneously?

You're right of course, Amanda but blokes NEVER read instructions!

In fact I did read the instructions. The first indicates that all the gear changing is done in one go (clutch in tap-tap-tap 'til you get the required gear, clutch out) after braking. The second specifies brake THEN change gear. The third was a frivolity (we all slow down at some time), so much for trying to keep the poll as short as possible.

Originally Posted by bm1957

What helped me learn the 'blip' technique was this bit of advice:

1. Apply brake (smooth, getting firmer) using 1st and 2nd fingers only (and maybe 3rd).
2. Pull clutch.
3. Drop 1 gear. At the same time, having 2 (or 1) fingers off the brake allows you to 'roll' your palm on the throttle whilst keeping a firm grip on the brake lever. (This is the 'blip').
4. Just as the revs start to drop back down smoothly release the clutch.
5. As soon as the clutch is back out, repeat! (At no point do you ease up on the brake).

Becomes 2nd nature in next to no time. I guess proper technique would involve the rear brake at some point, I tend only to use mine for slow speed maneuvering.

Why only 2 (possibly 3) fingers on the brake?
I've never understood that habit, I know some bikes have very strong brakes (but the SV doesn't - or at least my curvy didn't) but even so the braking power is not governed by the amount of fingers but by the amount of force each transmits. What happens if you unexpectedly need to slow down quicker than originally intended and need more power than 2 fingers can provide? Now you've got to hope for the best or try and get more fingers to the lever. Worse still what about if your lever comes back so far it pinches your remaining fingers (I've read many post regarding spongy brakes on here), now you can't even apply the pressure available with the 2 fingers.
I always blip (or at least raise the RPM) on the down-change but do it using my thumb and the area of my hand between it and my index finger.
Oh, and what about your foot?

Originally Posted by merlin427

Why only after a lay off?

I would bet that lady sized hands with not a lot of reach or strength to start with and a drop in conditioning during a lay off might have something to do with it.

Originally Posted by MattCo

It would be better to at least use half clutch pull to avoid banging the gearbox around.

Cheers

I sometimes use a half (or even full) clutch pull if I'm not changing at the optimum RPM (moving in traffic for instance) as the 'box does not respond too well in those circumstances, but normal riding I never feel the need for it and the 'box does not bang, and I've never had a bike where it did.

Originally Posted by MattCo

I would bet that lady sized hands with not a lot of reach or strength to start with and a drop in conditioning during a lay off might have something to do with it.

I understand that but my question was more aimed at why not do it all the time. If it works after a lay off when all your other riding skills (such as judging gear change RPM and co-ordinating foot and throttle hand) are rusty why wont it work all the time. If anything I would be more inclined to use the clutch after a lay off.

Originally Posted by merlin427

Why only 2 (possibly 3) fingers on the brake?

For me, it is so that there is always a positive grip on the hand grip with one or two fingers.

Originally Posted by merlin427

I sometimes use a half (or even full) clutch pull if I'm not changing at the optimum RPM (moving in traffic for instance) as the 'box does not respond too well in those circumstances, but normal riding I never feel the need for it and the 'box does not bang, and I've never had a bike where it did.

The engine has quite a bit of inertia and on a clutch-less shift you are asking it to change rpm very quickly. The loads (more importantly the rate that the load is applied) are fed back through the entire drive train. You may not hear or feel it, but with any decent rpm on board it is definitely happening. The cush drive will absorb a fair bit of it. At low rpm it is not so significant due to much smaller rpm changes and far less energy.
Like blipping on the down shift, it is simply kinder to the bike.

Update!

After the Southern Shady drinking meet last night where I was the only one that took the bike I made a concerted effort to try blipping it. With a few attempts of getting the blip to early and then too much, I managed to get it absolutely spot on with an approach to a roundabout near home.

I can honestly say it made the world of difference to the riding. Usually I would brake quite alot and downshift in low revs to try and smooth it out. However when I was blipping it I found that I was able to slow the bike by downshifting and only used the brake to take the initial edge off the speed. Much smoother and easier.

Need more practice but I definately understand the technique now

Well done!

I've been doing it for 30 years and I don't have a bloody clue. I just ride instinctively without wasting time on thinking about how I do it.