Blipping, tell me why I am wrong

**willytheekid** · 7th August 2010, 22:21

95 Guzzi Gear Box!

So not only do i Blip..I also have to jump violently on the gear lever!....then pray I don't find one of the MANY false neutrals lol (Guzzi does it on purpose!...keeps ya on your toes...litterally!)
Besides that, my gear box sounds like Im dropping a bucket of bolts on every gear change...and thats AFTER I re-shimmed and alligned it lol
Blipping sounds great on a Big V-twin, and it stops my fat bitch from lockin the arse up and havin a "moment".

Blip, Blip

**Pixie** · 17th August 2010, 10:47

Originally Posted by theblackstig

well, im' a blipper too.......

They call him Blipper, Blipper, faster than lightning,

No-one you see, is smarter than he,

And we know Blipper, lives in a world full of wonder,

Flying there-under, under the sea!

Everyone loves the king of the sea,

Ever so kind and gentle is he,

Tricks he will do when children appear,

And how they laugh when he's near!

They call him Blipper, Blipper, faster than lightning,

No-one you see, is smarter than he,

And we know Blipper, lives in a world full of wonder,

Flying there-under, under the sea!

**R-Soul** · 17th August 2010, 12:26

Originally Posted by Deano

This is interesting because when I watch the MotoGP and from the bike cam, it doesn't sound like they are 'blipping' the throttle on downchanges. If anything, it sounds more like they 'hold' the throttle at high revs to match engine and wheel speed. Watching the rev counter seems to confirm this.

I've noticed with my racing that as I got faster and brake later, I don't have time to blip the throttle between downshifts (I don't seem to need to because they are very fast downchanges and the revs don't have time to drop), and also, when blipping the throttle, I found that my fingers were releasing the front brake a little each time.

So now it is all a lot more rapid. Brake hard and downchange quick with no blipping. I do use clutch control and slip it a little if in a slightly lower gear to avoid lock up at a couple of corners.

I always blip on the road.

GP rideers probably all have slipper clutches and dont need to blip. But what they do need to do is ensure that their bike is at the optimum revs for maximum power output coming out of corner (i.e. at or just below the power peak). So (I imagine) they are keeping revs as high as possible and as close to the revs for power peak to be able to get the gront coming out of corner.

**schrodingers cat** · 17th August 2010, 18:10

Bugger the technical stuff - it sounds cool.

You are now equipped to make your own decision

**Insanity_rules** · 18th August 2010, 22:49

I only blip on the change the day after a a big curry.

**sugilite:Me** · 25th September 2010, 20:33

I felt a bit frustrated last time I posted here that I could not show a video showing down changing with out blipping can be done smoothly, and I just now found a wee you tube video I forgot about made back in 2007 when I reviewed a GSR600. Now before the PC brigade set their keyboards to "destroy" My awesome farming neighbors that live either side of me (on the very few occasions I've requested) move large mobs of sheep simultaneously effectively giving me the road to myself (seeing three cars in an hour on this road is considered rush hour anyways lol). Anyways, I change down two gears, though it kinda sounds like only one. I change down at about 3.5 seconds in the video, then again at 5 seconds. so with out further ado, smooth (imho) blipless down changes bought to you by Sugilite

**phiretrojan** · 4th October 2010, 13:55

Popping the clutch when shifting to a lower gear doesn't "lock up" the rear tire unless you've managed to kill the engine in the processes. It may cause the rear tire to temporarily slide, since it could be spinning slower than the road speed, but that is different than being locked. And it's not the sort of thing that is likely to cause a high-side like locking the rear tire with the brake and then releasing it. Still, it will cause the rear to slide around for a second or two, which can cause a bit of nervousness in an inexperienced rider and could cause you to go down if done while in a turn.

let's say that in 3rd gear at a given speed your engine is running at 3000 rpms and in 2nd gear it's running at 4000 rpms at the same speed. If you quickly downshift and let the clutch out without attempting to match engine speed, your engine is still at 3000 rpms but the rear tire wants it to be at 4000. The rear tire can slide until it speeds the engine up to 4000 rpms to match the road speed.

However, if you blip the throttle to get the engine up to 4000 rpms before letting the clutch back out, you're now at the right speed and all will be smooth when you complete the shift.

You don't have to hit 4000 rpms exactly, either. If you're close when you let the clutch back out the rear tire only needs to make the engine change speed by a tiny bit, which shouldn't upset your traction.

The alternative is to let the clutch out slowly, which will also get the engine up to speed without upsetting the rear tire, but that causes more wear on your clutch. Still, it's probably the best choice for a new rider until you get the hang of matching engine speed during downshifts.

It should also be noted, that a downshift that makes your engine go from 1500 rpms to 2000 rpms is much less upsetting to the rear tire than a downshift that makes your engine go from 6000 rpms to 8000 rpms. In other words, if you downshift at low engine speeds, you're pretty safe. If you do it at high engine speeds, you need to match speeds for smooth downshifts.

**R-Soul** · 5th October 2010, 12:34

Originally Posted by phiretrojan

Popping the clutch when shifting to a lower gear doesn't "lock up" the rear tire unless you've managed to kill the engine in the processes. It may cause the rear tire to temporarily slide, since it could be spinning slower than the road speed, but that is different than being locked.
...

let's say that in 3rd gear at a given speed your engine is running at 3000 rpms and in 2nd gear it's running at 4000 rpms at the same speed. If you quickly downshift and let the clutch out without attempting to match engine speed, your engine is still at 3000 rpms but the rear tire wants it to be at 4000. The rear tire can slide until it speeds the engine up to 4000 rpms to match the road speed.

Remember that in the time that it has taken to pull in clutch and change gear, the revs have probably dropped to 2500rpm (because teh throttle is off, and clutch is in), and now have to go back to 4000rpm.

My rear locked up pretty badly going into a corner at Puke because I did not blip. Not sure if I dropped two gears at a time though...

**SpankMe** · 5th October 2010, 13:10

I blip and pop.

MAKE SOME NOISE!!

**NighthawkNZ:Me** · 5th October 2010, 13:15

I blip, fart, cough and sputter... and this is all before I get on the bike...

**avgas** · 5th October 2010, 14:37

Originally Posted by Fatjim

But on the road, blipping is smoother.

So is riding a scooter

**Banditbandit** · 5th October 2010, 14:55

I blip. I don't know how necessary it is on modern bikes - it's a habit from riding older British machinery ... brake, clutch, flick the gear lever, blip, release the clutch ...

My understanding is that it it helps the change - means the gears and dogs and all slip into place as the engine spins without pressure - makes it a smoother change ... when you release the clutch everything is where it should be ...

**cowboyz** · 6th October 2010, 02:22

bleh.. i just bang it through the gears and hope for the best.......

**p.dath** · 6th October 2010, 08:13

Originally Posted by cowboyz

bleh.. i just bang it through the gears and hope for the best.......

I'm pretty sure your bike has a slipper clutch in it ... so it will compensate to a large degree if you just "bang it through the gears". You'll need more than hope if you shift to a bike without a slipper clutch.