I've down shifted for many years so that I'm in the correct gear for the next acceleration event or stopping. For example as I pull into a gas station I will down shift to first then as I stop I'll slip the bike in neutral, jiffy stand down remove gas cap with my fingerless gloves, put it in my jacket pocket. Gas the bike while it's up right till it's full of premium gas. Then I reverse all afore mentioned steps. Did I cover the down shift question, I think I got carried away there.

 

i downshift to keep it in the correct RPM range for what's coming up. i downshift as i come to a stop and even pop it in neutrel when i'm gonna get off of it before i come to a stop. look in the owners manual it will tell you at what speed you can downsift in all the gears. i try and take it easy on the trans. like it was said before, brake pads are alot cheaper than an engine or transmission.

 

Being the question was about downshifting to help in SLOWING the bike, I don't.
Brake pads are cheaper than a tranny and easier to replace.

 

When it's time to stop, I apply both brakes and downshift as the bike slows, letting the clutch out to assist in the slowdown. I do this evenly/smoothly with the brakes, using both systems in a balanced way. Having just pulled my clutch at 22K to check the grenade ring, the friction discs measured at practically new specs. The stress on the drivetrain is only a fraction of what it's dealing with on acceleration, AFAIK.

I know it's not a car, but this is the same technique used on a car with a standard transmission.

To each his own...ride your own ride.

 

It depends on the speed I'm going when I'm coming up to a stop, but usually, I'll downshift to 4th, then 3rd and break from there. Stop sign, I usually downshift all the way to first so I can take off without putting my feet down.

 

I down shift to brake / slow and prefer to do that. Well over 100k miles on several bikes and no issues. I do the same in my 5 speed Mustang GT.

 

What if it's hot and you're not wearing a jacket?

 

Thanks for the responses, lots of good points..they have all been helpful.

 

For the many who posted something along the lines of "brake pads are cheaper then a clutch/tranny so I don't downshift..." have no clue how to shift manually and should resort to your two wheel riding on scooters where no shifting is required, or stick to an auto tranny in a car/truck.

 

some people say the earth is only 6000 years old, too...