braking

[Aidey]

Ooh, Smixy, he wants you to look where you're going too! Still, he hasn't asked you to navigate as well, so maybe you'll be OK :dunno:

Not rising to the bait. Smix knows the road as well as me and knows what I meant!

 

[Gatso shy]

Doh ......

Thanks for nothing !!!!



Now I'll never ride again ......




I've read through that lot .......

that's far too much information .......

 

[Centaur]

What Eric says is true Smix

When I started riding/driving the gear would not go in on the changedown unless the revs matched so it became automatic to do it. I wouldn't worry too much about actually matching revs (far too complicated) as the modern gearbox will take the gear anyway BUT blipping sounds good and does make the change down smoother. If you don't blip then you must slow the release of the clutch to avoid a jerk or in the worst case a lock up! At the last RSID a few of us were listening to bbirds changing down approaching the chicane and it was surprising how many were not blipping. An instructor commented that it would improve their smoothness immensely if they started. If you ride a V-twin such as a SP2 or Firestorm and don't blip especially in the lower gears you are heading for an off. I only brake with 2 fingers so use the rest to blip. Start practising and it will soon become second nature. We are not talking a large handfull if you are only going down one cog.....just a blip!!! Hope this helps.

 

[Artemis]

Not rising to the bait. Smix knows the road as well as me and knows what I meant!

Ah, but the bait was not for you anyway, Aidey, and Smix knows what I'm getting at.........

 

[Smix]

When I started riding/driving the gear would not go in on the changedown unless the revs matched so it became automatic to do it. I wouldn't worry too much about actually matching revs (far too complicated) as the modern gearbox will take the gear anyway BUT blipping sounds good and does make the change down smoother. If you don't blip then you must slow the release of the clutch to avoid a jerk or in the worst case a lock up! At the last RSID a few of us were listening to bbirds changing down approaching the chicane and it was surprising how many were not blipping. An instructor commented that it would improve their smoothness immensely if they started. If you ride a V-twin such as a SP2 or Firestorm and don't blip especially in the lower gears you are heading for an off. I only brake with 2 fingers so use the rest to blip. Start practising and it will soon become second nature. We are not talking a large handfull if you are only going down one cog.....just a blip!!! Hope this helps.

have been trying a little before I asked, but so far can only blip if i'm not braking with the front brake (so slowing on the gears as I don't tend to use the rear brake in the dry unless needing to slow dramatically!!)

To use the front brake I have to almost let go of the grip with all my fingers even if only using one or two on the lever (and yes, it is wound in as far as it will go!) so not sure I'm going to be able to do the blip, but will go find that bit of straight road and see what happens!!!! :}


I did wonder if it stemmed from riding old bikes, but then the person that told me about it was talking about blackbirds. Hence why it has stayed as a question in my mind for so long!!

 

[Flying Scotsman]

ok - two things to make one query!! (I know, should be somewhere else, but thought I'd get more giggles in here!!)


I have a bad habit of locking the rear wheel when braking (and changing down) fast.

also - I've been told I should be giving a little bit of revs in between down changes?




If I learn to do the little blip, is that likely to solve the rear lock ups??



and how do you know how much of a blip and when????




I think that turned into two queries!!! :} :} :}

I sort of agree with all the answers you have, but who's driving , YOU are. You do have to blip a bit, but its only you that can play with it and find whats good for you. Im sure every person on the site rides differently, so just use all the info, find whats good for you, and dont worry about the rest. Just trust in your instincts and what feels right.What im basically saying, is have confidence in yourself, take advice, but make it work for you, we're not all the same!!

 

[Howard]

Well, I'm not a blipper, and have never had any troubles changing down, though I know some do blip, I was never taught this.

I sometimes had the opposite problem of wheelspin, but never lock the rear!

Should one blip, can one be arsed? Is it really necesarry, in my measly 7 years of riding I've never found a use for it, just close the throttle, change down and all is smooth. I often use downchanges for engine braking which helps, and co-incides with the whole slowing down process.

and by the way, i want to make my 98 bird accelerate faster, thinking of downsizing the sprocket, any other ideas??? Already tried an iggy advance, but in the winter it idles like poo, so took it out.

Try a 16 tooth sprocket on the front, lotsa fun! although this will make your speedo read wrong and your mpg go down.

 

[Smix]

I sort of agree with all the answers you have, but who's driving , YOU are. You do have to blip a bit, but its only you that can play with it and find whats good for you. Im sure every person on the site rides differently, so just use all the info, find whats good for you, and dont worry about the rest. Just trust in your instincts and what feels right.What im basically saying, is have confidence in yourself, take advice, but make it work for you, we're not all the same!!

thanx hun, but tis ok. I'll always read and think about what is suggested, then I'll go sort it for myself. Its nice to get the info though. and might make track days easier next year if I can suss out how to do it!!! :k

 

[Flying Scotsman]

thanx hun, but tis ok. I'll always read and think about what is suggested, then I'll go sort it for myself. Its nice to get the info though. and might make track days easier next year if I can suss out how to do it!!! :k

Ive never done a track day in my life, raced Karts for years so know damn fine id push too hard and do something daft! Dont ever let anyone tell you how to do it, listen and sort it out yourself, or youll try too hard and never get there. I started riding bikes at 18, im 47 now, i dont know everything, but i know what NOT to do. Be CONFIDENT, find it yourself!

 

[Pugwash]

I found that taking my girlfriend out on pillion changed my gear clutching up and down the box, else she'd be butting my back and punching my ribs. I still sometimes lock the back wheel briefly in the wet, but I learned how to be smooth on the road, if not the sack. :yo:

 

[Smix]

Ive never done a track day in my life, raced Karts for years so know damn fine id push too hard and do something daft! Dont ever let anyone tell you how to do it, listen and sort it out yourself, or youll try too hard and never get there. I started riding bikes at 18, im 47 now, i dont know everything, but i know what NOT to do. Be CONFIDENT, find it yourself!

I'm planning on doing the CSS first cos I need the confidince in cornering before I go play!!! and yes, I suspect I'll push it too hard on a track, but hell - gotta try it once haven't i!!


And yes - I have stopped trying to do what others say and now use info to learn what suits me. A very expensive and painful lesson learned!!!!! c7u8

 

[Smix]

I found that taking my girlfriend out on pillion changed my gear clutching up and down the box, else she'd be butting my back and punching my ribs. I still sometimes lock the back wheel briefly in the wet, but I learned how to be smooth on the road, if not the sack. :yo:

never had a problem taking pillion and making it smooth, but then I never tried to slow so fast with pillion!!! and having spent ten years gong pillion before I got a licence I surely wasn't going to put any one through a cr$p ride on my bike!!! I think everyone who rides should have to go pillion enough to learn how it feels on the receiving end of rough gear chages at the very least!!!

 

[Flying Scotsman]

I'm planning on doing the CSS first cos I need the confidince in cornering before I go play!!! and yes, I suspect I'll push it too hard on a track, but hell - gotta try it once haven't i!!


And yes - I have stopped trying to do what others say and now use info to learn what suits me. A very expensive and painful lesson learned!!!!! c7u8

Hmm, my turn to be thick, whats CSS????

 

[Smix]

Hmm, my turn to be thick, whats CSS????

california superbike school - teach cornering on a track, but a lot of it is the theory which I think will suit me as I like to know why (about bike riding) as well as how - I have given up with the why on the mechanics side though!!!

 

[Flying Scotsman]

california superbike school - teach cornering on a track, but a lot of it is the theory which I think will suit me as I like to know why (about bike riding) as well as how - I have given up with the why on the mechanics side though!!!

Ah, not just the pink fluffy one arty keeps saying about then! Go for it!

 

[Artemis]

Ah, not just the pink fluffy one arty keeps saying about then! Go for it!

Well Artemis keeps saying pink and fluffy because that is how our Smix describes herself. Please note that it is not the pink and fluffy one at all, but The Great Pink & Fluffy One as in The Great Oz. It's a title.

Mind you, I wouldn't want to argue with her..................

 

[Flying Scotsman]

Well Artemis keeps saying pink and fluffy because that is how our Smix describes herself. Please note that it is not the pink and fluffy one at all, but The Great Pink & Fluffy One as in The Great Oz. It's a title.

Mind you, I wouldn't want to argue with her..................[/si

Well ive never met her, but i did like how you moved to small print, LOL!!

 

[Smix]

Well ive never met her, but i did like how you moved to small print, LOL!!

just remember - Arty is the scary one!!! I'm not!!!

 

[mick the knife]

Mind you, I wouldn't want to argue with her..................

I'm gonna try it, Now I know she's got a flogger.

 

[Artemis]

Easy you just go to the toolbar above where you're typing your post and change the number from 2 to 1.

It's the box next to the font box.