I was reading the rear braking thread and a pissing match over engine braking started.

That reminded me about my recent experiences with engine braking. I used to use it aggressively, to help me slow down. I enjoyed the cool noises and violent jerking. Until I noticed that I needed a new rear tire with only 6200 miles on it.

That mostly happened from practicing panic stops, but a friend of mine said aggressive engine braking wears on tires, too. Also I had read a thread on here that said you should blip a little when downshifting to smooth things out, and save your transmission. I though that sounded stupid, because I want
to slow down.

I tried it on my last trip and it felt very natural and smooth. I just raised the rpms a little while easing out the clutch. Smoother rider and less wear and tear. So now I blip while downshifting, just to stay in power curve, but no blip if engine braking for hard stops.

When do you blip and or engine brake?

 

Always and always for me.

Got that from my road racing days.

And I never ease out the clutch when downshifting. That's why you blip - so the engine rpm matches the speed of the bike. The whole downshift thing should only take a fraction of a second and if you're doing it correctly feel very smooth.

 

I always blip the throttle before downshifts.

 

I blip!

 

Personally, I always try to match the engine speed with the gear I've just shifted down to.

To me, that's the best way to minimize stress on the drive train and also keep from possibly reducing traction on the rear wheel.

I'm not saying that this is the only way to do it, it's just how I was taught to do it back in the day, and so far it's worked just fine for me.

 

Yep, always blip here too for those good reasons.

 

Yep, I try to match the engine speed with what I expect the engine speed to be in the gear I am going to. With some practice shifts can be as smooth, sometimes smoother, as an auto tranny.

And, it's part of the fun of driving a clutch. And, as mentioned, it does sound cool.

 

Anybody that's ever driven a truck knows this naturally.

 

Yep

 

I'm a Blipper too !