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Gp Shift Pattern


aslcbr600

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How many of you guys that are frequent trackday or racers use or prefer the GP shift and why? From what I have read it really depends on the track that depicts whether it will help or not. Also from what I have read from other various places is that the main benefit of the GP pattern is so for when you are leaned over in a LH turn that you can still upshift without risking your foot hitting the pavement or worse.

 

Here is my question, upshifts especially with a QS are pretty quick and you have more time to upshift then you do coming into a corner downshifting. I find it from a mental aspect that downshifting for a corner from say 4th to 1st would take more time since you have to click it up instead of just pressing down.

 

What do you guys think?

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I very much prefer GP shift pattern. It feels much more natural to me, to step down on the shifter when leaned forward accelerating and lift up on it when sitting up more for braking. I also find it simpler for blipping the throttle on downshifts, since I am going 'up' with throttle and shifter, instead of up with the throttle and down with the shifter. The biggest advantage is upshifting in a corner though, repositioning my foot to get under the lever while leaned over was much tougher than just clicking it down.

 

FYI all the coach bikes at CSS are set up for GP shift pattern.

 

It's a little scary to change, at first, because you dont want to shift the wrong way! I just remember it by imagining leaning forward (and stepping down on the lever) to shift up and leaning 'back' (lifting up on the lever) to shift down. Whenever I have to ride a standard shift pattern I remind myself 'up for up, and down for down'. :)

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I run GP shift on my track R-6 and like it very much, definitely easier to shift at lean, in both left and right hand turns, unfortunately my daily commuter I'm unable to switch to GP so i have to go back and forth, it was a little tricky at first and I screwed up a few shifts on both bike, but I'm getting much better and using both patterns

 

Tyler

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I just bought a race prepped ZX-6R for running track days this year and it's setup with GP shift. I test rode the bike yesterday when I picked it up and I immediately blew the first upshift by clicking up to 1st instead of down to 3rd :blink:. It made sense once I got the idea correct in my mind but I'll definitely have to practice a bit.

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I had to put a piece of painters tape on my tank with "GP" written on it for the first week or so of street riding when I made the change. Stop lights and any emegency braking were where old habits kicked in.

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I had it by accident for a while on my Triumph 900. Didn't like it, never made it into second nature. It will be simpler to incorporate on a track where you do the same thing lap after lap, but on the road where there are so many other things that require attention I sometimes went the wrong way. Not a huge problem because I could always hear instantly that I had done wrong by the sound of the gearbox, hence I could correct before releasing the clutch, but I decided to revert back to a normal shift pattern.

 

Note that one can get respectable results with a street shift pattern also; both Biaggi and Bayliss, among several, used up for up shifting.

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Actually if you ride on the track or race they like for you to put something on the dash area of the bike to label it GP shift, in case track workers have to move the bike in the event of a crash or mechanical failure.

Hmmm, I hadn't heard this before but it makes very good sense. I'm going to add this to the "to-do" list for my new bike.

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  • 2 weeks later...

When you buy a new bike, a lot of people don't think to make it theirs. Just like with a car, adjusting the seat back and forth, the seat back, the steering wheel, radio. On bikes they may change a couple of things, but I know of nobody outside of professional motorcycle racers who adjust the shifter. Mine fits just so I can get my foot under it, and it feels just right. In all fairness, I have little experience with GP shifting and didn't like it.

 

On the other hand, there is a huge corner at Auto Club Speedway between turns 4 and 5 that isn't even counted. I went with a friend that I could stay right with until we got to it. He was able to shift up to 4th at his leisure while I was stuck at redline in 2nd.

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We have found that virtually all preferred it, once they got used to it. One coach rode his street bike for 2 weeks GP and purposely didn't go back and forth, then it was easy to do it. He even tricked his wife by changing hers (she kept procrastinating). She was pissed at him for a short while, but then got used to it (and they are still married).

 

For me (short legs) hung off on the right, way easier to click an upshift. Also easier to do the downshifts, very positive with the foot to lever against the peg. For sure coming out of a LH turn, don't have to try and dig your foot underneath the lever while leaned over.

 

We had one police motor cop that was a coach. His day job was riding a "street pattern" bike. He asked me if he could run street, I relented (after forcing all the others to change--I know, I'm mean). He came to coach at one school, the bike was on GP, he rode for 2 sessions, came over and said, "I'm sold!"

 

If riding a street patterned bike one thing is to put the left foot in the position that will make the instinctive upshift. This has kept some out of trouble--that and short shifting :).

 

Best,

CF

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Cobie;

On the track I think it becomes more intuitive. You exit a corner and as you accelerate you also lower your torso down as low as you can and begin to upshift. Your foot moves down (as you did with your upper body) on the lever so your moving body parts in the same direction.

When you decelerate you may begin to rise up to better see your RP's and having your foot follow in the same direction with your downshifts becomes second nature.

At least that's how I see it.

Rain

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Cobie;

On the track I think it becomes more intuitive. You exit a corner and as you accelerate you also lower your torso down as low as you can and begin to upshift. Your foot moves down (as you did with your upper body) on the lever so your moving body parts in the same direction.

When you decelerate you may begin to rise up to better see your RP's and having your foot follow in the same direction with your downshifts becomes second nature.

At least that's how I see it.

Rain

 

I totally agree with this, and that is also how I remember to shift the right way when going back to GP after riding a standard shift bike.

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I've kept my bike standard shift mainly because I do have some bikes that are not GP shift. And unfortunately I have ridden a GP shift bike and have "forgotten" that it was GP before. Nothing like coming out of a fast turn toward the straight and hitting up (thinking upshift but going to 1) when you should be hitting down (to go to 3rd). Quite a scary feeling that has happened a couple times, so I've stayed in street. .. I'm not good/fast enough yet to need the advantages that are obviously there yet. . ..

 

I agree that GP shift has advantages coming out of turns. No doubt. For me to go to GP - I need to make sure that all my bikes are set up the same.

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anthem;

I did that on a School bike (standard shift pattern) at Laguna right on the main straight where Will could hear my "mistake"; I dodged him the rest of the day. Ironicaly I came out of 10 carefully (remembered the pattern going from 2nd to 3rd) but as I accelerated toward the bridge my torso was down on the tank and my foot pushed down to click into what I thought was 4th...

 

Rain

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  • 3 weeks later...

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