racer

Sure, I can see a couple benefits. I guess I just decided to triage learning it. What benefits do you see? What do you mean by "triage learning it"?

I was checking out a 2002 Repsol CBR954 Fireblade that came into the shop today and was surprised to find that, sure enough, the sticker on the swingarm specified 42 psi rear and 36 psi front for "normal" loads and the same pressures for heavy loads. Huh. I'm going to pursue this as far as I can to find out why they specify the same pressures for light or heavy loads. I suppose if you are running street tires designed to run at lower temp's, say with a high percentage of silica in the compound, then the temp of the compound doesn't matter. However, I know the tire will deform and flex more under a heavier load, so, I have to wonder why. Why have the tire so hard under a light load? Will it really last longer? Won't the traction be affected? I suppose the smaller contact patch will manage a lighter load. But, I still think a lower pressure and larger contact patch will allow better traction.

I was trying to learn it at slower speeds, but couldn't feel what was going on because of the low RPM's. I couldn't tell what was working, and what wasn't. 80 feels good because all the way down to 3rd I can feel a difference. OK, but, where does 80 mph and third gear go together for downshifting? That's going to be nearly redline on a typical sportbike, eh? Can't really accelerate up from there. And the lash is going to be fairly hard and the rpm spread between gears the greatest and most difficult to time well. In any case, now that you know what is going on, you should find it much easier to execute at lower rpm and slow speeds where very little blipping is even required. This is also the easiest place to begin the no-clutch shifting as there is less lash on the drive train and less rpm difference between gears.

Good grief. That sounds like he died and I'm speaking at his wake.

I'll never forget the way he helped me lift and roll his Superbike out of the crash zone at Charlotte when he was riding for Two Brothers back in the day. And then invited me into his trailer at Mid-Ohio to hang out and chat two weeks later when I returned his gloves that he left in the corner at Charlotte. How many World Champions do you see lend corner workers a hand picking up their own bikes when they fall down? Go Freddie Go!

Ciao Italia! I chose my first station at a listening post in the mountains above Nuremburg(?) when I signed up for the USAF DEP in 1983. Then I found out I was very slightly color blind and would never be allowed to fly jets so I changed my mind and backed out. Somehow, the idea of Computer Operations and Telecommunications seemed boring and the value of a TS security clearance didn't click. Hey, I was 19 years old and I just couldn't understand why anyone would want to enlist if they wouldn't be allowed to fly an F16 someday. (I mean, why do you think I built an entire squadron of Falcon models and hung them from my ceilng when I was 12?) I kick myself in the arse and think what an IDIOT I was everytime I think back to what I could have accomplished if I had stayed in the Air Force. Like getting my PPL for free in the base flight club. Idiot idiot idiot idiot Oh well. Now I'm learning to fly on my own and I'm going to build my own airplanes! Anyway, thanks for your service guys. And welcome to the forum, Tex. r

So that's where Keith got the idea for AADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder)...

No. We're talking about his leg... LOL! I had to read that post twice as my juvenile mind saw ... ... the first time through.

*slaps forehead* Bingo! Buy that man a beverage. Good answer, mate! I can't believe I didn't think of that. DOH! I'm going to watch some videos to see if I can tell when he lets off the brake and if it corollates to the foot coming back up on the peg.

Ha. Hi C. We were posting at the same time... lol.

There's nothing fishy about it, Jay. Cobie and I aren't talking about racing. First, we're talking about learning how to downshift properly. And, there are plenty of instances during normal street riding when downshifting doesn't include hard braking or riding in the powerband. I don't follow what you mean about bouncing off the rev limiter. MOST normal street riding doesn't happen near redline at all. And the proper blip/downshift happens when you need to raise the revs back up into a usable rev range. The properly executed blip only goes far enough to engage the next gear. Why would it ever hit the rev limiter? Regardless, for this instance, learning to blip/downshift, the bike is already slowed before practicing the blip/shift.

Tire flexion builds heat. Less pressure increases flexion and increases heat. Higher pressure reduces flexion and reduces heat. In any case, typical street riding won't build enough heat anyway. That's why I recommend not running track tires on the street. It's basically pointless. Unless you are pushing hard enough to be dragging your knee, you won't build or maintain enough heat to activate a track compound. You just wear out your tires faster.

No. We're talking about his leg...

Hey Hub, Like Cobie and I said, learn to blip first. Then you can learn how to add the braking later. Blipping is all about downshifting smoothly. And, yes, Cobie is right... once you get the hang of matching rev's (blipping) with the clutch, you can learn to do it without the clutch, but, that's a more advanced skill. Best not to worry about that now. Please read the previous posts and Keith's lessons again carefully. All the info is in there. I posted the exact order: Clutch in. Blip. Shift. Clutch out. Execute quickly in one smooth motion. (Try preloading the shifter very lightly to get a feel for the timing) And DON'T try learning to do it at 80 mph in 3rd gear, for God's sake!!! It is MUCH easier to learn below the power band where the rev difference between gears is smaller. Blipping is all about smooth downshifting. The point is to match the engine rev's to the next/new gear. Like Cobie and I said, you can learn to add the brake later. Focus on learning to downshift smoothly for now. It's a primary foundational skill that is critical for everything else that follows. Once you get good at it, then you can worry about what comes next. r

Freddie, Freddie, Freddie. Not again. Sigh. 'sniff' Get well soon, Freddie.

LOL Yeah, he's probably bored and doing it just to mess with our heads and make everyone wonder why. Now he has half the WSBK guys doing it (just because he is) with no idea why. Meanwhile, he's sitting back laughing his a$$ off reading these posts. Next year he's going to stick the other foot off to see how many people he can get to do it too. Did anyone catch him standing up and picking his underwear out of his butt crack for the rear bike cam at Phillip Island? Or was it Japan... That was hysterical. I wonder if Eurosport edited it out after the live broadcast... Keith could get him to chime in here if he really wanted to. And what a coup that would be for this forum... eh? Of course, it's probably still a secret weapon, so, no such luck.

i didn't even get to it, think the webmaster nuked 'em before I got there. Kevin was up on the board when the POS posted the list of porno links filled with viruses and ActiveX malware. I PM'd him to point it out and BAM... another one bites the dust, hey hey, another one bites the dust.

Josh took 9th at Magny Cours two weeks ago.

and a big hand goes out to the CSS moderator/admin team who killed that virus/malware attack in about five minutes flat from original post time that has to be some kind of record lol

wow. that thread brings back some memories. has it really been 3-4 years already...

lol I first listed 32/36 as the place to start for street tires then edited it to 32/34 as we're coming into winter here.

No. You don't have it. Read it again. The whole point of blipping the throttle is to raise the engine rev's to match what is needed in the next gear. It is the opposite of the rev's falling when you shift up. Get it? Hence, the order is self-explanatory. Clutch in. Blip. Shift. Clutch out. There is practically no time between these actions. They are done almost on top of each other in one fluid motion. As a learning tool, for the goal of getting the feel of it, you can apply a slight pressure to the gear shift pedal prior to pulling in the clutch and blipping, then, the bike will basically shift itself when the 'blip' hits the right rev point. Try that to get the idea of the timing and revs you need. Once you have it, don't pre-load the shifter anymore. If you do it too hard, you can cause damage. Good luck. Out. r PS - Forget about the engine braking thing. I get it. It's just what happens when you roll off the gas on a four stroke. It isn't really relevant to what you need to learn here.

I'm sorry. I'm not sure you are following me here. What you are describing is very different from what I'm suggesting in my last paragraph. The throttle blip is a quick short very small "blip". And is done nearly simultaneously with letting the clutch lever back out. The entire process takes about a quarter of a second. First, do not pull in the clutch lever at all until you are ready to downshift. The throttle is closed while you are decelerating. Then... when you are ready to accelerate again, quickly pull in the clutch just enough to reach the disengagement point (not all the way to the handlebar), give the throttle a short little blip and shift the gear pedal down one gear only, and quickly release the clutch in that order. But, very quickly so the motor rev's do not have time to fall again. When you pull in the clutch, you are almost already blipping and shifting and then letting the clutch pop back out in one quick action. The blip and shift is a nearly single simultaneous motion. When done right, the whole thing takes about 2 tenths of a second. And remember, shift ONLY ONE GEAR at a time. If you need to go down another gear, repeat the entire process for each shift. racer

Then we'll be wrong if we go by the Owners manual. Mine says 36/42. Too much for street riding. Squares the center of my Michelin Pilot Pro tires. The Dunlop D208's (or was that D209s') I had would do better (longevity) at those pressures. I get really long life out of my tires and I want it to stay that way. Right now I've got about 10k, 1-1/2yr and 3 Trackdays and am nowhere near the wear bars, nor dry rotted tires. Hi Jaybird, What bike are you riding? In any case, I'd guess the manufacturer probably isn't thinking about race compound or semi-race dual-compound tires being used on the street. Regardless, this is a good example of why I suggest using a single compound street tire like the Dunlop Roadsmart for normal street riding. And, why I suggest talking to your tire rep. racer

Hi Hub, OK... You said you are having some difficulty with the throttle blipping. I don't know if you mean specifically blipping the throttle at the same time you are using the brake or just the basic skill of blipping while downshifting in the first place. But, I can offer some helpful hints that I hope will be, well, helpful. If your difficulty stems from the act of trying to brake and blip at the same time, maintaining even brake pressure while blipping, the basic trick is to use only two fingers on the brake lever and to let them slide back and forth over the lever as you blip the throttle with your last two fingers and thumb on the throttle. This definitely takes some practice, so, don't give up. And wearing gloves definitely helps. If you are having difficulty with blipping to match revs in the first place, then I suggest practicing downshifts without the brake to really get the hang of it first, before learning to add the brake later. Once you understand the how and why of the process, knowing when and how much to blip requires a certain degree of "touch" or "feel". Practice makes perfect. Don't give up. IMO, this is the most important foundational skill for a rider to master. So, using the long straightaway as an example, the best or proper procedure to follow when decelerating in preparation for the corner is to roll off the throttle and apply the brake, leaving the bike in gear and the clutch 'engaged'. Toward the end of your braking is the time to execute any downshifts that may be required. For a number of reasons, you do not want to downshift early to use the engine as a brake. Selecting the proper gear for your road speed is the last thing you want to do before turning in and accelerating again. If you have any questions, please ask. I'm glad to clarify anything I've said or try to help with anything I haven't covered. racer