Proper way to down shift?
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 50
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From: North Central Texas
[quote=archergodwin;5122124]Well, there is a little more finesse in it than that 
The truck drivers here know and understand about having road speed, RPM and gear range in sync....doing so exhibits your control of the machine...maybe it is a male ego thing but it feels good.
I can't figure why (before this thread comes crashing to an end) my theory on "driveline decompression" has not been comented on?..
The truck drivers here know and understand about having road speed, RPM and gear range in sync....doing so exhibits your control of the machine...maybe it is a male ego thing but it feels good.
I can't figure why (before this thread comes crashing to an end) my theory on "driveline decompression" has not been comented on?..
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Joined: Feb 2008
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Novice
Joined: Feb 2009
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Friction zone. There's no need to "blip" the throttle. The clutch is designed to slip in and out providing variable amounts of friction rather than just immediately engaging and disengaging.
What's much more important is to use the brakes to retain control of the vehicle prior to disengaging the drive train. Coasting is dangerous enough that it's prohibited by law in some places. One of the reasons is that it's easy to lose traction when you try to engage the drive train again. Engaging the drive train to slow down after coasting is especially dangerous on two wheels because you don't get the chance to "drift" very long before you're completely down and sliding.
What's much more important is to use the brakes to retain control of the vehicle prior to disengaging the drive train. Coasting is dangerous enough that it's prohibited by law in some places. One of the reasons is that it's easy to lose traction when you try to engage the drive train again. Engaging the drive train to slow down after coasting is especially dangerous on two wheels because you don't get the chance to "drift" very long before you're completely down and sliding.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: Northwest
ah hell, I give up.... I'm just gonna stop reading this thread.
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2009
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From: Murrieta Ca.
This is one of the more interesting opinions I have seen expressed, lets start with added wear from engine breaking being 100%, where did you get this value as I would really like to know its origin?
Transmission gears are ground with symmetrical teeth, both faces of a gear tooth can absorb thrust to an equal design value so it doesn't matter which direction a transmission gear is loaded from, the same goes for the bearings and the splines the gears ride on. The engine may actually see less wear under compression breaking than under acceleration or steady state due to a lower heat load from combustion.
Next up is the opinion that engine breaking can put more torque to the clutch than acceleration can. This is my opinion, the peak of maximum torque the clutch sees is the point that the rear tire looses traction, which is a greater value under acceleration due weight transfer to the rear of the motorcycle, under engine breaking the weight is transfered forward reducing the available traction to a lesser value reducing the peak torque the clutch sees to a lesser value... The only item in the drive-line that "might" see more wear under engine breaking is the "shoe" for the primary chain tensioner as the "shoe" sees more loading under engine breaking than acceleration.
This is only my opinion and is subject to errors and omissions so if I stated something incorrectly let me know it and I will fix it.
: Mike
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 972
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From: NC
brake 1 : a device for arresting or preventing the motion of a mechanism usually by means of friction 2 : something used to slow down or stop movement or activity <use interest rates as a brake on spending>
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break 1 a: to separate into parts with suddenness or violence b: fracture <break an arm> c: rupture <break the skin> d: to cut into and turn over the surface of <break the soil> e: to render inoperable <broke his watch>
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Amen SC I am still riding there
