Engine Braking, Blip or no Blip
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,502
Likes: 6
From: Lapeer , Mich
yep I blip , but food for thought my dealer told me that down shifting is one of the big causes of the harley cranks twisting like mine did , and yes I still do it but have never done it real hard
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,945
Likes: 4
From: Victoria, Australia
I wouldn't think a normal downshifting process of say, downshifting coming up to a red light would twist a crank as I think it would take a very agressive action to do that.
Sorry to hear you suffered a twisted crank yourself. Hope it wasnt't too painful in the $$$$ dept....
Bunch 'o blippers
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,846
Likes: 173
From: Simi Valley, CA
Done correctly, downshifting should put approximately the same load on the crank as simply letting off the throttle. If you're constantly chirping the rear tire, or even if you just feel the rear tire grabbing during a downshift, then you need some practice.
Last edited by 2black1s; Oct 18, 2011 at 06:37 PM.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 17,548
Likes: 7,197
From: Oxford, Nc
Can you imagine a car dealer telling you not to downshfit your Ford Focus because you might twist the crank? C'mon!
And yes I blip when downshifting and have nearly 100,000 miles on this drivetrain ( with the original clutch plates too!)
Last edited by Stiggy; Oct 18, 2011 at 06:34 PM.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,615
Likes: 50
From: Baton Rouge, LA
To answer the original question, I do "blip" to equalize RPMs when braking, but I use engine braking only very moderately by keeping the strain on the drivetrain as low as possible. For me the majority of the braking duties should go to the brakes.
There was a technical article on this subject in a car magazine a decade or two ago and the point made was that engine braking not only wears the rear tire(s), but everything in the drivetrain--engine, transmission, primary chain, clutch, belt, etc. Using the brakes is the most economical option because brake pads are cheaper than drivetrain components.
Keep in mind that that any braking, using engine or brakes, will wear either the front or rear tire. I try to anticipate braking and coast to a stop as much as possible using the highest gear I can.
There was a technical article on this subject in a car magazine a decade or two ago and the point made was that engine braking not only wears the rear tire(s), but everything in the drivetrain--engine, transmission, primary chain, clutch, belt, etc. Using the brakes is the most economical option because brake pads are cheaper than drivetrain components.
Keep in mind that that any braking, using engine or brakes, will wear either the front or rear tire. I try to anticipate braking and coast to a stop as much as possible using the highest gear I can.