Up/down hill gear selection?

[TOTO]

I find that lower gear and higher gear gives me more stability and more reasurance that if something happens and I need to reduce speed, when I release the trottle I will decrease double the speed that I would have decreased if I was on higher gear. it may only be 5-7 Ks but it helps.

my 2c

[mowgli]

However you use more fuel...

Haha the Hyo uses so little (compared to my Pajero) I've barely noticed the price increase this week.

So, to gear selection... it surely must depend on the road, speed, conditions and you the rider? I would have thought that correct braking and vision through the corner would have more influence on the gear selected? Your thoughts? Cheers DJ

I was taught that gear selection came fourth in priority after lookout, road position and speed (acceleration is fifth). I guess now that I've developed a healthy awareness (fear of cages ) of hazards and am getting consistent lines through corners I'm just looking for the next thing to work on.

When going downhill there is a lot more weight moved towards the front end of the bike. Applying the front brakes increases this front end loading.

By dropping down a gear and allowing the bike to rev a little higher you are applying engine braking and moving the weight to the rear of the bike thereby lightening up the handling a little.

Scary thing is that this makes complete sense to me

[Jantar]

Ixion is correct. The general rule of go downhill in the same gear you go uphill will normally see you right. There are a few exceptions: If your bike is so under powered that it can only creep up in 1st, then maybe go downhill a gear or so higher; conversely if you have so much torque that you never need to change down, then try a slightly lower gear.

For most circumstances down and up in the same gear will be pretty close to ideal.

[Mr Merde]

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Scary thing is that this makes complete sense to me

Even scarier is that it makes sense to me, and I wrote it.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

Ixion is correct. The general rule of go downhill in the same gear you go uphill will normally see you right. There are a few exceptions: If your bike is so under powered that it can only creep up in 1st, then maybe go downhill a gear or so higher; conversely if you have so much torque that you never need to change down, then try a slightly lower gear.

For most circumstances down and up in the same gear will be pretty close to ideal.

Sounds about right to me

[Lucy]

The old rule was : go down a hill (a twisty one, anyway), in the same gear that you would go up it.

Yep, I remember being taught that when I learnt to drive.