down shifting at a red light | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

down shifting at a red light

This post is hilarious.

You note that you are NO expert. Than contradict some well thought out posts from experienced and informed riders. Than state your own practice, which is, frankly, wrong. Rev matching or merely downshifting with the clutch in still keeps the rider in the correct gear for the speed - the clutch doesn't need to be engaged.

You can call things whatever you want. Rev matching, down shifting, engine braking - what you choose to call it is not relevant. Further, you keep quoting Cafe and saying he/she is wrong, but what you are doing is basically what he/she is advocating. Hilarious.

The discussion is about whether it is worth while to down shift and use engine braking to slow your bike. The answer from any knowledgeable person is - No, it is not worth while.

Technically, it wasn't about "whether it is worth while to down shift and use engine braking to slow your bike."
;)


I have a 2012 cbr250. I find that if I forget to downshift while I go to a spot light, my bike has trouble downshifting stopped. I have to kind of roll the bike foward and backward to shift into 1st.

Is this normal? Anything wrong with my bike? Any fixes for it?

Sounds pretty normal to me.
Nope.
Learn to start without stalling in a higher gear (not recommended for normal use),
or learn to put the bike in the proper gear before you become fully stopped.
:D
 
Technically, it wasn't about "whether it is worth while to down shift and use engine braking to slow your bike."
;)

Are you hoisting me on my own petard? LOL.

Your point is well taken. I was arguing something that wasn't really the initial post. Fair enough.
 
This post is hilarious.

You note that you are NO expert. Than contradict some well thought out posts from experienced and informed riders. Than state your own practice, which is, frankly, wrong. Rev matching or merely downshifting with the clutch in still keeps the rider in the correct gear for the speed - the clutch doesn't need to be engaged.

You can call things whatever you want. Rev matching, down shifting, engine braking - what you choose to call it is not relevant. Further, you keep quoting Cafe and saying he/she is wrong, but what you are doing is basically what he/she is advocating. Hilarious.

The discussion is about whether it is worth while to down shift and use engine braking to slow your bike. The answer from any knowledgeable person is - No, it is not worth while.

Tough crowd, as always, here at GTAM. Glad I was able to provide some entertainment. :D

Ray said engine braking "will add stress to the transmission and clutch", I said it won't. Doesn't sound like I agree with him. Not going to explain further or nitpick. It's a discussion; of course there will be opposing views and contradiction. When I say I'm no expert, it means I don't know it all, and am always willing to learn, not unlike yourself.
 
This "general" section should be renamed "the kiddie" section of gtam
 
Just to throw in my two cents for the OP.

Yes, it is normal to sometimes have difficulty shifting after having come to a stop at a light or stop-sign. Try to remember to down-shift as you come to a stop. As for down-shifting (like so many things) it depends.

I prefer to down-shift when approaching a light that is far enough away, and currently red that I hope to catch as it goes green. Therefore, I didn't have to brake. I also won't do this with cars right behind me, because I'll be going slow on approach. Some bikes don't engine brake as strong as others, so really using the engine to brake for a light you know you are likely going to need to stop at - to me - does not make sense.
 
Did not read whole thread.

I roll off the throttle. That seems to slow the bike down OK. If I need a little more retardation I'll manipulate either the brake foot pedal or brake hand lever to suit. Having accomplished all that I will most certainly select a lower gear set before the engine gets bucky. That much I know for a fact. After that it's all a blur because I tend to operate on pure instinct under pressure.

edit, I've been known to select a higher ratio (lower numerically) gear set whilst cornering. This requires a deft touch and should be practised in a 45 acre parking lot after hours.
 
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As I come to a stop I usually put it in gear that's appropriate for the speed jic I need to go somewhere in a hurry. Is traffic behind me not stopping. To each their own
 
I stopped listening to "advice" on gtam awhile ago. I just come here for the shenanigans now.
 
I have a 2012 cbr250. I find that if I forget to downshift while I go to a spot light, my bike has trouble downshifting stopped. I have to kind of roll the bike foward and backward to shift into 1st.

Is this normal? Anything wrong with my bike? Any fixes for it?

Your clutch is on the way out, this is also when most times you'll find it hard to find neutral when in the same situation stopped at the light, that and you need a chain and clutch line adjustment.
 
When ever your chain gets too out of spec, you will have shifting problems, even on the go, what you are describing if it happens every single time then it could be a problem, the having to role the bike to get it in gear is both common on bigger heavier bikes when clutch is wearing out, and can also be a wearing out clutch on smaller cc bikes with less mileage, and a bunch of other things, it could be anything a person has to look at it in person.... it could be your clutch is getting past its 50 percent life, again it all depends.

how you ride that remaining 50 percent life could go in 5000kms or another 15-20k's, i've seen and myself lasted a clutch for 50k's with constant wheelies, but knowing how to be smoothe is key....learn to be smoothe, maintainance is huge, i check everything on my bike everyday or so. Ask a stunt rider how much you have to maintain a bike to keep it doing what you want it too.

if its just something common like most heavy bikes, you can simply just shift before you come to a complete stop, this problems starts pretty much right after 30 percent life of clutch wear, so unless its gets super annoying, just adjust your chain and clutch line, make sure their good to spec and keep riding, if that doesen't fix your problem. you should find out when the last time the clutch was replaced if its got 25k or higher.

but from experience all the bikes i've tested from 2008 onwards shift smooth like silk, even at stop, the newer the model i noticed the silkier the shift, i tested a 2012 gsxr 600, wow if you flicked it with your toe nail it would shift like a GTR35, newer bikes are like newer cars shift flawlessly, so if the bike is 2012 cbr250, honestly it should not have any hesitation even at a stop, maybe the last owner abused it, or if your the first owner and have racked up miles its simply just got passed its 50 percent clutch life, and is due for a chain adjustment, clutch line adjustment, to match the clutch wear, if the clutch is not already 90 percent life gone, depending of its life abuse or care etc.

In short its a very simple fix needing adjustment or just a common side effect of a clutch reaching its age if everything else is working fine, all in all a very normal thing on bikes, older bikes have this more common, because their mechanics are much more raw, like a 2012 manual civic vs a 1999 civic manual with be a huge diffenrence, but if the newer car is less taken care of it could feel worse then the older one, yet when maintained is feels and shifts better then the old one....hope that makes sense, so since your bike is so new it should not really be having this problem if it is up to date on adjustments and mainatainance.
 
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My bike's had the same problem since almost new. The supersports are known for having much nicer transmission feel than the economy models so I wouldn't be so quick to say that it's abnormal just because a 2008 GSXR shifts so nicely. Suppose I could be wrong, though. The 2009 RS125 I have does the same thing with half the km.

In regards to cars being smoother if they are a newer model, I've actually noticed the reverse. All the older cars I've owned had much better shifting than the current one I have. But that could be a model variance. I am disappointed with the 2009 WRX transmission but drove a car with a 2007 STI transmission and it felt much nicer.
 
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If your bike is having difficulty selecting 1st at a stop, don't panic. You can start off in 2nd gear without an issue. Give it a try sometime. It's not that difficult depending on the bike. A lot of small displacement bikes are geared so closely, you might not even notice that much.

But, I would have it looked at and see if there is an adjustment to be made to the clutch or something else.

Just food for thought.


PS. Griffin posts nailed everything, no need for anyone else to chime in about downshifting/braking IMO.
 
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If your bike is having difficulty selecting 1st at a stop, don't panic. You can start off in 2nd gear without an issue. Give it a try sometime. It's not that difficult depending on the bike. A lot of small displacement bikes are geared so closely, you might not even notice that much.

But, I would have it looked at and see if there is an adjustment to be made to the clutch or something else.

Just food for thought.


PS. Griffin posts nailed everything, no need for anyone else to chime in about downshifting/braking IMO.

Pretty much what nakkers says about starting in 2nd. Although I never start in 2nd anymore, as I shift while slowing down.
If my cbr125 can do it, I'm sure your cbr250 can. In fact I tried on the cbr250 and it was a lot easier than the 125.



Sent from my ST27a using Tapatalk 4 Beta
 
keith code always says, "brakes are cheap, engines are expensive"
i try to use the brakes instead of engine braking. i gear down but maintain clutch so as to not put pressure on the engine and other components instead of brakes. ;)
I agree completely with what youre saying. It is much easier to mess up a downshift than it is to mess up braking. A lot of people downshift without braking and that does wear on the bike. Best thing to do while slowing down or coming to a stop is to rev match downshift while applying the brakes so you always have the transmission engaged so you always have traction. I trust keith code over your 30 plus years experience any day.
 

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