Downshifting

[faffi]

Interesting. I find clutchless downshifts something I can do, but I always get a hint of acceleration with each shift. Also, I find them difficult to perform with high rpm while at the same time braking and observing the road ahead etc. You do not see many top level racers omitting the clutch on downshifts, either - although that in itself is no guarantee that using the clutch is the best way, of course.

 

Personally, I find that a quick, partial dip with the clutch and a blip with the throttle is easy to perform without wasting what limited brain capacity I have on this matter, spending it instead on braking and steering. Perhaps I'm just not willing to practice sans clutch until it becomes second nature...

[CHRISTOS]

I've spent the last few days seeing what the downshift 3 is about, and it's pretty hard. I can, and habitually do, downshift 2, give it a good blip, and am back to work. I tried downshifting 3, and when I blipped, I couldn't give it enough of a blip to get the RPM's up. It was crazy. I had to let it coast for a second, then it would allow me to crank the throttle and get some RPM's. I wonder how that works.

 

Here is something you might try: when you brake, scrub off a bit of speed first, then make the downshifts later--this way you never have to blip it as high.

 

CF

 

The cluchless downshift moved my mind and efford closer to the braking purpose: slow down to "target" entry speed with the brakes. Not the engine! At the "scrub off with the brakes", in lower revs, without having the engine spinning at the noisy redline or near it, it is much easier to perform an accurate cluchless dounshift. Hope that helps.

[Cobie Fair]

The cluchless downshift moved my mind and efford closer to the braking purpose: slow down to "target" entry speed with the brakes. Not the engine! At the "scrub off with the brakes", in lower revs, without having the engine spinning at the noisy redline or near it, it is much easier to perform an accurate cluchless dounshift. Hope that helps.

 

+1

 

CF

[Jasonzilla]

I don't ride hard enough, even on the track for the most part, to have problems with the slipper clutch. Even before I started coming to this forum, when I was engine braking HARD, I didn't have problems with the slipper clutch. I've since had my tranny rebuilt (funsies). I've never ridden a bike over 60% on a track (they weren't mine) that doesn't have a slipper clutch, but while I was in the carousel on East (it's a decreasing radius) taking photos, there was a guy who came in to it every time kicking that rear out. He scared me EVERY TIME he came through. When I spoke with him, he said he doesn't even notice it. It was crazy. I'm keeping my bike for some time, but my next bike, once I buy one, will have a slipper clutch, no question.