Showing posts with label b. Show all posts
Showing posts with label b. Show all posts

Friday, August 14, 2009

Riding Skills Series: Smooth Downshifting

Riding Skills Series: Smooth Downshifting

From the March, 2010 issue of Sport Rider
By Andrew Trevitt

Riding Skills Series Smooth Downshifting
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On a quiet road you can first... 
   
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Riding Skills Series Smooth Downshifting
On a quiet road you can first practice just matching the engine rpm to road speed while downshifting. A clean downshift with properly matched engine and road speeds should hardly upset the chassis at all.
Even though many of today's sportbikes with slipper clutches let you make sloppy downshifts with little penalty, there are still situations where proper technique can make for a smoother corner entry, even with a slipper-clutch-equipped bike. The key is to correctly match the engine's revs to the bike's speed, which may seem obvious but is difficult to master in practice. In addition, there are situations where the process can be modified to other advantages
Riding Skills Series Smooth Downshifting
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To properly blip the throttle... 
   
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Riding Skills Series Smooth Downshifting
To properly blip the throttle while braking, you'll first need to get used to two-fingered braking as you'll be using the other two for working the twistgrip.
Rather than jump in the deep end and try everything at once, practice with your bike safely parked. It's practically impossible to work the throttle when you have all four fingers on the brake, so you should be accustomed to two-fingered braking before attempting this. With your bike parked and turned off, work the throttle while applying the brake to become accustomed to the required motion. Add the clutch to the act, pulling it in first, then blipping the throttle, then letting it out slowly. Now start the bike, and repeat the exercise with the engine running (er...and in neutral, obviously) to see the relationship between the throttle and engine rpm.
Riding Skills Series Smooth Downshifting
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The goal you want to work... 
   
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Riding Skills Series Smooth Downshifting
The goal you want to work toward is downshifting at maximum revs and hard braking while slowing for a turn at the racetrack. The better you are at downshifting the smoother your braking will be, allowing you to brake harder and deeper into the corner.
With a bike equipped with a slipper clutch, an alternative is to not blip the throttle but rather slowly let the clutch out between downshifts and use that to help with braking. This is especially useful on the final downshift, as it can allow you to release the front brake earlier than otherwise, taking some load off the front end at a critical point. Before you go blazing into a corner at the track and attempt this technique, however, note that it requires quite a bit more concentration to accomplish than just blipping the throttle. You should first try it in a straight line to see how the chassis is affected and how much smoother you have to be in letting the clutch out to keep things under control. In an extreme case, racers will use the clutch to step the rear end out during hard braking, setting the bike up in advance for the corner.
Riding Skills Series Smooth Downshifting
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Being smooth on the final... 
   
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Riding Skills Series Smooth Downshifting
Being smooth on the final downshift into a decreasing radius corner is where this technique pays dividends. The more precise you are with the downshift, the smoother your braking will be and you'll find that you can brake later and deeper into the turn.
Even though you may not have to blip the throttle on every downshift, it's a good habit to get into as the more you practice the smoother you will be and the quicker you will be able to make each shift. Eventually it will become second nature and you will have perfectly matched downshifts without even having to think about it.