You release the clutch after you blip. Yes, the revs are falling at this point, but you over-rev on the blip, and catch it at the right rpm as the revs fall.

Best thing is for you to go to an empty parking lot or back road, and practice it.

 

Nike.

 

Am I the only one that went, "You cheeky *******!"

 

1) Pull clutch

2) Blip throttle (approximate the anticipated crankshaft speed in lower gear)

3) Downshift

4) Re-engage clutch

?) Profit ???

I believe? getting the crank synced up with where the new gearing will be makes it easier to get the gear cluster to switch down.
I may be full of it, but I've found shifting to be smoother this way.
And the back end isn't hopping all over the road too.

 

The clutch has to be disengaged before you blip.

Then you select the next gear down (essentially I do this as I blip)

Then you engage the clutch at or near the correct rpm for the new, lower gear.

 

2. blipping the throttle (which I understand the concept but not the practice) - What I have been doing and I assume its wrong: pull clutch - downshift - blip throttle and wait till revs calm down (which I know probably defeats the purpose) and the release the clutch.

If you're spending that kind of time thinking about it than you are doing it way too slow! Think of it as all one big choreographed motion between your hands and feet where the first 3 steps take place almost exactly at once, followed immediately by releasing the clutch. Try not to do it one step at a time.

With practice you will be able to do a blip downshift almost as quickly as a clutchless upshift.

You might look a little silly at first, but each stoplight gives you 5 chances to practice.

 

You might look a little silly at first, but each stoplight gives you 5 chances to practice.

Nicely put

 

For normal every day riding, rev matching is not necessary, the gear ratios are close enough. Downshift one gear at a time and you'll be fine.

 

ineedanap explained exactly how I do it, basically I pull the clutch in, click down the next lower gear and give the engine a blip all at once. Then let out the clutch smoothly and I'm done.
Stoplights and stopsigns are where I practise.. sometimes I overrev and the bike kinda lurches forward. but for the most part I don't worry about how much to rev it..
If I'm riding slow, I rev a little bit, say 1/3 throttle, if I'm riding fast and the engine has a lot of revs already, I give it 1/2 throttle for the blip.

Right now I'm practising using the front brake to slow down while blipping and downshifting at the same time..

 

Once you master blipping the throttle, then you can move to using the front brake to slow down and blipping the throttle at the same time to change gears. It's the same as heel/toe shifting in a car. Braking, blipping and changing gears at the same time. Some pull the clutch, blip then shift and others pull the clutch, shift and then blip right before releasing the clutch. Of course, as stated, this is all accomplished quickly before entering a turn.

 

In a car, you want to clutch, blip, then select the next gear down and release the clutch pedal. Blipping before selecting the next gear down reduces wear on synchros in a car.

It makes it easier on a bike too.

 

bikes have constant mesh transmission,

blipping might help reduce tire, chain & sprocket wear,

I rarely blip for downshifts , if the change in gearing is abrupt, I smooth the shift with clutch slippage and open the throttle plates slightly to reduce engine braking

 

Some things happen at the same time or overlap a bit, such as blipping the throttle and downshifting.

As you practice, it will become 2nd nature.

 

as you gain some experience try droppping two gears like when you would pull out to pass someone. You will have immediate feedback on how you are doing. When you get it right it is really smooth and it feels like the bike is following your thoughts.

 

I do it like this:
I will slightly weight the shifter. I clutch it, and at the same time I "lean" slightly on the throttle. When I clutch it, the weight or preload if you will, on the shifter will do the shift(eta: might make it easier to practice this first. figure out how much weight on the shifter you need so that clutching it at that point results in a shift without changing the weight on the shifter), and without the clutch engaged, the revvs will go up with the slight lean on the throttle. Release the clutch, and if it is right you'll get a smooth shift without slowing or speeding up. It's a timing thing, and it all happens quickly. Like others have said, practice. You'll eventually stumble onto the correct order of events, and make a mental note of how it felt, and do it again asap so as not to lose it. Less thinking, more muscle memory and feel.

 

As someone said, you have 5 tries (give or take) at every stoplight. Just practice.

If the bike jerks when you initiate things, you blipped the throttle a little before you got the clutch pulled, if the bike lunges when you release the clutch, you released the throttle a little too late. These are the two things that will probably happen most when you practice it, and if you have plenty of room to work in it won't matter. Just keep working on your timing until it's totally smooth. You'll be surprised how quickly you work it out.

 

I also did the same thing slowly for a while, because I didn't feel compelled to do it quickly until I started riding a little more agressively on the back roads.

You can practice it slowly of course. Pull the clutch in and hold it while you kick down a gear and simultaneously give the throttle a gentle rev. Just after the RPM's peak, release the clutch smoothly. Based on how the bike responds, you may need more or less throttle. You'll develop a feel for that quickly.

 

Also when you DO get it right, and you're consistent, a new challenge arises.... braking AND downshifting at the same time... fun!

Anyway keep practicing, and watch some videos, practicing with the bike still, on a rear stand, also helps, if you know what the steps are, but are still having troubles putting them together, then practice while on the stand (bike turned off of course).

Clutch-blip-shift-clutch-roll on..... keep doing that and you'll get it, don't get frustrated or discouraged, riding a motorcycle is far more complicated than driving a car, not everybody learns it super quickly... unless you're me of course... I'm a Prodigy... Bwahahahahah!

 

That's extra added wear on your clutch. If everything is spinning the same speed when you release the clutch lever, then there should be little to no wear.

It also takes a lot of time to modulate the clutch lever like that. You want to minimize the time spent in neutral or while shifting so that you have control over the rear tire.

 

You're right. I couldn't think of the term "constant mesh transmission" last night, which is why I specified that's how it works in a car. If I understood motorcycle transmissions better, I would have explained how it makes it easier on a bike.

I know it does, I just can't explain how.

 

If you do it the way you explained it in a car you will not save the syncros.

 

Just learn how to easy out the clutch also.

 

Really in a car you need to be double clutching to match the transmission input and output speeds for the given gear. If you have the clutch pulled in when you blip the throttle it is disconnected from the transmission input shaft and although it makes it easier on the synchros to engage because they only have to match the speeds of the shafts which weight significantly less than the flywheel/clutch/engine, they are still doing work. To properly eliminate the synchro wear you would have to act as if the car had no synchros period, with a double clutch. Clutch in, go to neutral, clutch out, rev match for the next lower gear, clutch in, next gear.

 

Do you give any throttle when releasing the clutch after the downshift? I assume no since if you're on the gas (especially with the throttle cranked 1/4 or 1/2 way) when the clutch is released then the bike lurches forward. I understand the much of this is done at once, but the part I am unclear about is if the throttle is actually open when the clutch is released.

 

Most of the time the throttle will be shut when you let the clutch out, since blipping is usually used when slowing down. No need to overthink it.

 

clutch in, quick snap of the throttle, kick down, let out clutch, all quickly and smoothly. if you overthink it you will be too slow and it wont work. trial and error is the best way to get it

 

Also you are doing this not only to be in the right gear but to not upset the balance of the bike while setting up for a corner and I don't know about you but if I go down 3 gears without rev matching on my bike quickly, it will skid the rear tire with no problem. Not good.

 

RandyO- on that note (and with all seriousness) are the wet clutches in our bikes safer or sturdier to the extreme "clutching" maneuvers that wheelies call for? I've always been too scared to try wheelie on the sv because i dont want to burn my clutch.

i suppose im also talking about clutch + internals in this regard. a better question would be, will wheelie'ing the bike run the clutch & internals ragged? regardless of wet/dry clutch, constasnt mesh/velocity transmissions?

/threadjack

 

wheelies & burnouts are high rpm and abrupt and tend to warp the steels, big difference in clutch slipping for low speed manuvering & smoothing downshifts

also note in my original post, along with slipping clutch to smooth downshifts, I keep the throttle slighly open to reduce engine braking vacuum

but don't confuse my method for how you would downshift when yer tryin to go fast, its a leisurely but very smooth

 

Slight pressure on shifter as you roll on the throttle. No clutch needed.

 

The SV engine is a torquey little beast and the main reason to blip the throttle is not upset the chassis keeping your inputs smooth.

The second reason is to reduce the stress to the crankshaft where the oil hole is located. SV cranks have a reputation of snapping there during violent deceleration. Zoran has a collection of pictures to prove this point. It is a good reason to install a slipper clutch.

Anyone who is willing to downshift from sixth to third gear is inviting the risk of a high side if they have marginal traction when they do it.

The SV's torquey characteristics allow excellent speed control while keeping a good braking reserve. (Racing is a different set of circumstances.)

 

Anyone who is willing to downshift from sixth to third gear is inviting the risk of a high side if they have marginal traction when they do it.

How, exactly? And what do you propose is the alternative means of slowing down and entering a turn like that?

You are in sixth and are approaching a turn which you need to take at a slower speed; a speed you know is right in the range for third gear. Approaching the turn, start braking. While braking, disengage the clutch and downshift all the way to third. Take appropriate action to rev-match, begin releasing the brakes, engage the clutch, resume normal throttle control, and enter the turn.

I don't really see the point at which you're risking a high-side there.