Blipping, tell me why I am wrong

[rwh]

I mostly just slip the clutch, because I'm invariably braking at the time, and I haven't practised blipping enough to be able to do both with good control - ie if I try and blip, I'm likely to vary my brake pressure. I will sometimes blip if I'm changing down without braking, like often on an uphill motorway offramp.

Richard

[kwaka_crasher]

Wow, I just thought I said I did not fry clutches, I did not realize I'd presented a theory on clutch life complete with evidence.

So then exactly what was the point of mentioning it in the context of a discussion that to a large degree involves clutches especially with you having mentioned you use yours a great deal but don't fry them in the same post?

[YellowDog]

I mostly just slip the clutch, because I'm invariably braking at the time, and I haven't practised blipping enough to be able to do both with good control - ie if I try and blip, I'm likely to vary my brake pressure. I will sometimes blip if I'm changing down without braking, like often on an uphill motorway offramp.

Richard

If you are going to blip, you need to do it nice and early to set yourself up for the manoeuvre.

Doing it mid manoeuvre can be dangerous.

[Smifffy]

If you are going to blip, you need to do it nice and early to set yourself up for the manoeuvre.

Doing it mid manoeuvre can be dangerous.

This Exactly

[CookMySock]

You can still match rpm and change down without doing an obvious blip.

Ride along and throttle off onto your pilots, but no so much that you go into overrun. Very quickly, clutch and downchange without moving your wrist whatsoever.

You get the gearchange smooth by knowing (guessing?) how much throttle to pre-set, and how quickly you do the actual gearchange. When you get good at it, you don't need to throttle off much at all.

edit: It doesn't matter a shit either way, and pretty much you should just go ride it.

Steve

[MotoKuzzi]

I do both, depends on the situation and it's nearly always subconscious. In fact after I have made a choice either way I sometimes think back and question what made me automatically do it.

[sinfull]

I have a very loud exhaust ! I blop rather than blip !
Oh and my shit does stink yes !

[ckai]

Some wankers in cars do it changing UP through the gear, WTF??

We have to do that in the wifes' mini cause of the square gearbox. Gotta get things spinning otherwise it ain't going it. But people that do it in modern cars are kidding themselves. Unless it's old, brittish or a truck, you're a dick

[sugilite:Me]

So then exactly what was the point of mentioning it in the context of a discussion that to a large degree involves clutches especially with you having mentioned you use yours a great deal but don't fry them in the same post?

I got my ZXR750 in early 2006 and I replaced the fiber clutch plates immediately as they were well shagged and slipping. Since then I've raced an entire actrix series (won championship) raced many other events such as Wanganui and various rounds of other race series setting fastest laps, pole positions and race wins along the way. In addition I've also completed MANY road kilometers and I'm still on the same clutch plates now in 2010 4 years later, so yes I feel I have earned the right to say can say I don't fry clutches. The term frying the clutch insinuates excessive and rapid clutch wear rates over a short space of time. Would you agree on those points professor wordy?

[p.dath]

If blipping means...

1. slightly engaging the clutch but not releasing the throttle (so that the engine revs jump up to the rpm your want due to less load)
2. drop a gear
3. then as you release the clutch apply slightly more throttle so that when the clutch is fully disengaged the engine revs stay matched for the lower gear and the bike is still moving at the same speed

Then I do that too. From there I either get into the throttle to accelerate or back off the throttle to slow down. You need to be quick and smooth but the change down feels like how an automatic gearbox changes.

I've been wondering how people do clutchless downshifts and blipping. This is too advanced for where I am at, but I can understand how it is done now.

[rwh]

If you are going to blip, you need to do it nice and early to set yourself up for the manoeuvre.

Doing it mid manoeuvre can be dangerous.

If by 'manoeuvre' you include the whole of braking for a corner - then if I'm going to need to change down 2 or more gears, I'm still going way too fast for the lowest one before I've started braking. At the very least, it'll make a hell of a din for a suburban street.

Not saying you're wrong, but interested in clarification.

Richard

[p.dath]

At seems to me that you have now changed definitions of blipping. For any meaningful discussion it is of course necessary to define one's terms. The blipping you seem to be talking about now, is, as you suggest, increasing the engine revs sufficiently to prevent rear wheel lock up. If I remember the other blipping thread correctly, you were all about mashing the gears down as far as possible in order to take a corner at elevated revs (I wanted to say maximum revs, but I don't want to confuse us all with discussions about redline). IIRC your reason for doing this was to be able to exit the corner under maximum power delivery.

This thread of mine has been the result of a lot of contemplation since I low sided my bike several months ago. I've re-considered the use of blipping, and started this thread to test my understanding. I think my understanding is correct.

I think a lot of either unbalanced advice or pure bad advice was given in my original thread.

I'm firmly of the opinion that blipping down is the right thing to do, but with regard to my low side - should I have been changing down so low - probably not. Was the tyre lock up a result of a a bad blip, yes (or possibly a compression lock up through letting out the clutch to quickly, but I think probably a blip done wrongly). Should I have simply re-engaged the clutch to let the wheel spin again, yes. Was I revving too high the issue, not directly, I was at 66% of red-line revs.
But I don't want to distract this thread with the one that has already been discussed.

Overwhelming people are confirming my understanding of the use of blipping and why it is done in this thread. So I think I have done my learning.

[Leviticus]

Anyone ever driven an Alfa Romeo or Fiat with a Selespeed Gearbox? When changing down gears, the Engine control unit blips the throttle for the same reason. Cambio Corsa Maseratis and Ferraris also.

[Okey Dokey]

edit: It doesn't matter a shit either way, and pretty much you should just go ride it.

Steve

I think that would sum it up for me, too. But it is fun to sometimes debate these things in a forum.

[blackdog]

Anyone ever driven an Alfa Romeo or Fiat with a Selespeed Gearbox? When changing down gears, the Engine control unit blips the throttle for the same reason. Cambio Corsa Maseratis and Ferraris also.

iv'e driven a selespeed 156. when just ambling about it was positively the worst ever transmission i've ever used. when fangin' the crap out of it tho' boy did it sound sweet. (stil a pointless load of crap idea though)

much better at the same thing is the electronic clutch can-am spyder. actually better than the traditional manual ver imo