Here's a comment extracted from another thread (about MPG):

"We did very little braking, but used engine braking instead by shifting down (which did suck about half a quart of oil)."

Does engine braking do this? If so, how and is it a significant concern?

 

every time you roll off the throttle you are engine braking. there is no way around it. the guy may have been hotrodding to the extreme. in normal riding i don't think it's a problem.

 

...uhmmmmm.......................no..

 

+1 I always engine break, and my bike uses no oil.

 

what kind of bike. a crotch rocket or standard model no problem. stripped down crusier no problem but get into the heavier touring bikes and you can really tax that motor downshifting and motor brakeing and that could cause oil to blow by maybe.
espically if he is really hammering in the twistys on a Ultra or somesuch.

 

Engine braking is done everytime you roll off of the throttle and it is a must for mountains. If he is using oil then he has another problem---it is not the braking.

 

Engine braking is a very useful tool. I always use it on my bike, and any other manual trans. vehicle, for that matter. However, the extreme manifold vac. situation created by doing this can cause oil to sneak past the rings, or more likely, valve stem seals if they are not in good shape. If they are flat worn out, you will see the telltale blue smoke every time you roll off the throttle.

 

Thank you, mopardik, for the correct answer. I'm the guy this thread is referring to.

Our bike "uses" no oil, never did. However, in three days of driving mountain roads in Yellowstone at 45 mph, we never got out of 4th gear and used brakes only to come to a stop. We did downshift earlier than normal, which brought the rpm's up higher than I would normally have in a closed throttle situation. This creates a higher vacumn than normal in the cylinder during the intake stroke when not much air/fuel mix is drawn into the cylinder, which can cause oil to suck past rings. Also, some grades were extended downhill grades. Both my lady and I often commented about the cars in front of us riding their brakes all the way down grades, even though numerous signs told motorists to use lower gears.

Do a web search and you can find many articles about it, including using engine braking during break in periods to help suck the break-in wear particles off your cylinder walls and expel them out the exhaust.

 

During normal riding conditions (NOT in the mountain twistys) it's important to understand that using your drive train to slow you down generates excesive wear on the engine, transmission, primary chain, and final drive belt. IMO it's NOT a good habit, and can cost you hard earned $$$. Brake pads are a lot cheaper than drive train components. Just my .02
-clutch-

 

Totally disagree. Proper use of clutch/throttle during downshifting prevents most problems. The purpose of a transmission is to match engine speed with road speed--at all times. Proper riding entails downshifing through the gears as you slow down--not coming to a stop and then crunching gears down to first.

As others have said, every time you roll off the throttle, you are "engine braking," unless you have pulled in the clutch.