SO confused on downshifting

[phiretrojan]

UPdate 4pm. 28/06/07

i can Downshift not smoothly tho but good enought!!! did my first trip to porirua to tawa =) just about crashed tho, as i didnt slow down in time but apart from that, wannbe boyracers in porirua, i was lined up at the aroundabout by plaza, and this wanna be boyracer in his little hotup intera (spelling) reving his engine, so please! he doesnt know the kickoff of motorcycle, i can tell he was going to race off, so i waited till he tookoff, thinking he's hot shit, and then i tookoff, and overtook him with ease and wave byebye behind me lol =) you can hear his engine increasing trying to catch me, damn if a police office saw me, =( im screw... just the power of the bike, wow! im loving it more and its only a 150cc - im not going to do it again, tho, i just though ill show him what a learner can do lool

[Rosie]

Keep practising!
I spent weeks focussing on nice smooth gear changes before I got it sussed.
I need to change gears pretty frequently on my 150, so once I get a bigger bike I'll be a gear-changing expert. Or something

[Biff]

Use you brakes to slow down. That's what they're for. Don't use your engine, too much. Easier to change brake pads than engine bits.

Erm...I don't quite agree with you there, not as a general rule anyway.

If you're hooning it fairy snuff, but on a relatively leisurely ride you should anticipate the corner much further ahead than you are if you need to brake for all but the tightest corners. Not that there's anything wrong with using your brakes, but I wouldn't suggest that you must always brake as a matter of cause. I was always taught to avoid using the brakes wherever possible, and use the natural engine breaking to slow down wherever possible.

As for 'blipping' - the next lesson it getting used to blipping while on the throttle, rolling off a little and using the palm of your hand to slightly 'tweak' (blip) the throttle as you disengage the clutch. Hours/months of fun.

[Whynot]

Maybe so but I leave cool black lines on the entry to corners!

yes its fun isn't it
chews the rear up pretty quick though ....

[fishb8nz]

Totally agree, Biff - Anticipation is just about the best skill that every rider can use and acquire. Better to roll off the throttle as you enter a slow-down zone and there's no need to brake.
What I meant was, changing down a gear and using the engine breaking isn't a good idea instead of using the brakes. Better not to use either. I've just changed brake pads on my cage for the first time @ 180,000 km and I don't use my brakes to slow down, I anticipate and just get off the throttle. Only slow down as little as needed at a junction. Look well ahead and keep moving. Makes for smoothness, a quick exit and a saving in gas.

[Stryfe_NZL]

What is this 'clutch' thing you are speaking of???
You mean you're supposed to use that lever on the left hand side when you change gears and not just when you are moving off from a standing start???

**Wanders off to ponder the application of the clutch**

[McJim]

wannbe boyracers in porirua, i was lined up at the aroundabout by plaza, and this wanna be boyracer in his little hotup intera (spelling) reving his engine, so please! he doesnt know the kickoff of motorcycle,

I was travelling home from a friend's one evening and was using the local drag strip (Te Irirangi Drive) to get home. A bloke lined up next to me at the lights and revved his engine - I looked at him, he looked at me...I then revved my little 600cc debaffled Ducati and the fella smiled, gave me the thumbs up and shook his head as if to say "Fair enuff - I won't be able to compete with that from a standing start".

Some people do understand power to weight ratio after all.