Added: 2 years ago
From: steelhorseclub
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  • Hi, I have an R6, started out on a 250, but for commuting purposes had to upgrade lol. I have never been good at engine breaking, so Im wondering, doesnt the bike jerk when you engine break? It does to me anyways. I have heard some people say engine break and blip throttle, but some people say dont need to blip just pull break in a little and it will reduce a strong jerk. What is normal of the bikes response going from lets say 55 down to 30 mph? Thank you!

  • @2nothaveapurpose If your bike jerks, you are probably being a bit too aggressive with the clutch. I don't blip the throttle. Normally the RPM should ramp up a bit but that is all. Hope I helped. btw, thanks for the comments;p

  • One HUGE thing you forgot to mention is to apply a little brake when engine braking. This is so cars behind you can notice your about to drop speed. When you just engine brake there is no brake light that goes off, this is pretty bad when your dropping a ton of speed!

  • For engine braking, Once you've pulled in the clutch, shifted down, you ease the clutch back out right after each downshift? <-- Learner Rider

  • you must LEARN TO SPEAK FIRST

    before than you make video and trying to learn somethinks to people.

    muumumuuulumumumuu

  • @HALILYILMAZ2010 learn how to spell before you bash somebody or at least checked your comment before sending it..................somethinks­!

  • Comment removed

  • downshift with blipping the throttle it gives much smooth for engine breaking and the engine will not scream and ending you up by buying a new engine..

    

  • At also sounds extremely sexy on a tl1000. Much better when the bike is engine braking than it does accelerating.

  • never break on a coner too... but if i just wanna reduce my speed before a corner i just use engine breaking someones back break, but each of us to our own

  • Hey! You forgot to mention that engine braking does not turn on your brake lights...I would not recommend does it alone at higher speeds

  • if you need to downshift at high-ish rpm's, it is HIGHLY recommended that you 'blip' the throttle before you let the clutch back out after the downshift, otherwise you could lock up the rear tire.

  • @chasezas Why would you ever 'need' to downshift at a high RPM?

  • @steelhorseclub spirited riding, or if you really need to get around someone. because of how the engine is designed, you want to keep it in the high rpms so you have adequate power on tap. after practicing it for a day, it will be second-nature.

  • @steelhorseclub why would you want to have to be changing gear at maximum gforce coming out of a corner.... if you use engine braking before corner it it is at perfect revs to nail it just as you are coming out. Much smother and less chance of breaking traction.

  • @steelhorseclub if you down shift in high RPM would that not just brake your engine

  • @chasezas Totally agree with you... When I first started riding I'd downshift and just slowly let out the clutch like I did in a car. Once I figured out the "blip" my deceleration is so much smoother and obviously easier on the transmission... so much so that it's now a piece of cake even without the clutch

  • no man compression braking is not engine braking both are different if u down shift like that ur gonna end up locking rear wheels.. ok i may be wrong so why dont u down shift rapidly to 2nd or 3rd from 6th without reving before downshift.... post a vdo on that..

  • im so glad i spent 10+years on dirtbikes before i got my streetbike lol

  • I have a need/want to buy a Kawasaki Ninja 250R, it will be my first bike but the only thing i am afraid of is going over bumps, I live in Kansas and there is always some shitty road with bumps, how does the Ninja drive when there are bumps/cracks/anything not smooth. Also i love the bike

  • @bigmakms1 As long as you aren't going off road, you will be fine.

  • lol used to take my 636 off railroad tracks and get 2 feet of air at 150kmh. grow a pair.

  • No, and no. When you downshift, the RPM will blip up to the RPM that the engine would've been at in the gear traveling at the current speed. Engine braking isn't just for slowing down. It's about being in the right gear for optimum acceleration at all time, and it's a practice that can help you avoid some sticky situations. Find some instructions from reliable source (instead of comments on youtube) and practice, practice.

  • so when engine braking you pretty much pull in the clutch, shift down, let out the clutch and give it no gas? it wont stall? ive never engine braked, i just hold in the clutch and cycle down before i come to a stop or slow down suddenly.

  • Thanks to for the help from your replies and vids, also 13mordeth and Iroquois14‬‏, I passed my motorcycle test. Thanks again guys!! Keep up with the vids!

  • It's called downshifting, just like you would do in a car. I mean, it's the same principle, but not the same practice. My brother always told me that riding a bike was far different than driving a car.

  • Whats the easiest way to shift to 2nd? like rpms should be what? speed should be what? I bought a ninja 250 and I'm scared to shift up because I'm afraid to stall the bike. Can you help? thanks! Great vids by the way bro.

  • @RammsteinFrozen If I remember correctly. I shifted around 5-6000 rpm. Don't quote me on that. The manual is pretty good at telling you when to shift. As long as you don't shift below 4000rpm you will not stall.

  • @steelhorseclub just gun it till the red line or just before, nice to hear the little things scream a little

  • @RammsteinFrozen lol dont be scared to shift silly. When you are in first gear..and your rpm gets to around 4.5k and above you

    1. close the throttle

    2. pull in the clutch

    3. click up hard on the shifter

    4. let out the clutch (don't drop the clutch) let it out normally

    5. open the throttle...

    it's really easy..the big deal is make sure your throttle is closed. Thats all :)

  • @submissions72 I am good on everything now. Thanks for the tip though. My biggest problem is downshifting now. Besides that I ride with no problem and love the motorcycle experience.

  • @RammsteinFrozen When i learned to drive anything manual i was told "You can hear when the engine wants more" thats how i always remember it, when the truck/car/bike sounds like it wants the next gear. Not sure if that helps you, but it helped me alot,

  • @RammsteinFrozen yeah its usually around 6000 rpm that you up shift to second... just listen to the engine aswell, as time goes on you'll get more used to the bike and shifting will become second nature :)

  • do you have to hold the clutch when upshifting? I saw a video where I guy was switching gears fast, but didn't pull in the clutch at all?

  • @RammsteinFrozen you always have to hold in the clutch. But I'm sure there are exotic clutches out there which work differently.

  • @steelhorseclub you actually don't have to hold in the clutch to shift (on many bikes! 250r included), but unless you know the bike very well (and it's still not recommended unless you have proper modifications) it's a good way to break things and is usually avoided. the clutch makes for the RPM transition to be much smoother, basically.

  • @steelhorseclub You can do clutch less shifting but it requires you to match the RPM to the gear pretty well. It is a quicker way of shifting but does put more wear and tear on your transmission.

  • UM YEAH, YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU/RE TALKING ABOUT.....NEARLY ALL BIKES MAY BE CLUTCHLESS UPSHIFTED PAST 2ND..

  • @RammsteinFrozen most motorcycles have a non-synchronous transmission which allows you to shift without using the clutch. it only works when accelerating hard and if you do it right, it will not do any harm to your bike but if you do it wrong, your gearbox will wear out pretty fast.

  • ok bro nice intro.. but what about blipping the throttle.. like when you downshift.. how do u blip it.. u blip after you downshift or is it simultaniously?

  • so when you shift down at the wrong time like in fairly high rpms what does that damage in your engine? the transmission or the clutch

  • @digitalsickness4 I guess it can damage both, but most likely the clutch.

  • @digitalsickness4 Transmission, Clutch AND Pistons/Cylinders..

  • @digitalsickness4 If you down shift too quickly to an inappropriate gear for current RPM, you may cause wear in your transmission. Also, the hit of RPM at the moment of downshifting goes to the rear wheel. If it's too strong, your rear wheel will skid and you may lose control. It's not nearly a big concern on the 250R because of the steadiness and general lack of torque, but on a bigger, more peaky engines, you can get in some trouble.

  • @bluesinorbit thank you for the advice

  • i did engine braking during the MSF course without realizing it

  • Intro song name?

  • @zeroXXman Its off the most recent "amazing" Meshuggah album.

  • I have a fairly newbie question about shifting in general. When you downshift, do you have to pull the clutch in then down shift then release the clutch and pull it back in to down shift again, or can you pull the clutch in and then go down as many gears as you want and then release the clutch?

  • @Devok07 Once the clutch is pulled in, you can downshift as much as you want. Good question!

  • @steelhorseclub Do you happen to have a video about braking tips? I was told that when stopping you only really have to gently apply the front brake and slow to stop. Oh, and are you able to downshift at the same time as applying the brakes? or would that cause the bike to jerk.

  • @Devok07 I actually just did a video on breaking. Always use both breaks to stop. As long as you are holding in the clutch you can break and down shift all you want. Its the same as with a car.

  • @steelhorseclub What video would that happen to be discussed in, not including the engine braking

  • @Devok07 How to shift gears on a motorcycle part one and two

  • u gotta hold it in the friction zone too for better stopping right? at least in a car thats how it is. if its too sudden it'll jerk the shit out of u

  • @squarecnix shifting on a bike and in a car are very similar. The body parts you use are really the only difference.

  • @squarecnix you can blip the throttle to eliminate that. it also reduces the risk of locking the rear tire.

  • Woah! It's West Monroe!

  • Could u also hold in the clutch and using both front and back breaks until you stop then downshift to an appropriate gear? Coming to a redlight that is. And if turned green all of a sudden, just release the clutch and give throttle?

  • So if I have to stop all of a sudden, or slow down really fast, I just break and then drop the gears to get it in the correct gear? or what's up with that?

  • @Chimenko89 As long as you are holding in the clutch you can do whatever you want. But when you are done breaking make sure to match the gear to the speed you have slowed to.

  • @steelhorseclub Thanks man! *Subbed* =D

    It's just I just got my bike, and I'm kinda learning on my own. So I just wanna know as much as possible lol.

  • @Chimenko89 when you've to stop immediately you don't care about dropping gears, it just wont help. Just press both brakes and if possible try to turn to safe when you are going slow enough. What he shows is just saving brake pads.

  • @hootini88 Umm I just got the bike, so here's what I do... Please tell me if this is bad for the engine or something... I'm in 4th gear, I see a stop sign, grab the clutch, switch to first, and brake while holding the clutch, then I just start going again on first gear.

  • @Chimenko89 If you've time to stop, you can drop to 3rd and release cluth, brake a bit, squeese cluth,drop to 2nd and stop. Try using 1st gear to start moving, never ever use it to slow down. for immediate stop just brake, don't think about gears, but it is recommedned for bikers to try to obviate any type of obstruction. long story short: you're on 4th, kid jumps out on the road 30m from you: cluth-shift down to 3rd -release cluth-wait half a second and slope to the left/right. tbc...

  • @Chimenko89 simply, being on 4th gear you are probably doing at least 60 km/h, which may be too fast to stop the bike within 30m distance (you know, before your brain realises there is something in front of you and you need to act, it is 25m). It is better just to go around

  • @hootini88 Alright thanks!

    But I don't use 1st gear to slow down... i just shift down from 4th gear to first and continue to hold the clutch until I come to a stop.

  • @Chimenko89 get you, up to you. to save your brake pads it is adviced to use engine to slow down, together with brakes,70% front, 30% rear. I do it, especially that my brake pads are completely worn, but i'm kind of broke at the moment and have to wait for few weeks, before i change them. By the way, it is easier to shift gears while you're moving, and adjusting gears to actual speed (40km/h - 3rd, 20-30 kmh 2nd) allows you to quickly speed up again when lights change to green or something.

  • @hootini88 Thanks for all the info dude!

  • @Chimenko89 but anyway, riding technique is totally up to you, the more you ride, the more you know about your bike. you may not need that, but ill just give it out that it is important to adjust your speed to your experience. Just to many good guys end up with broken bones just because they over estimated their skills. i only have a little 125cc, and wouldn't know about bigger bikes, but this information applies to all bike users, and i know it from guys that've been riding for ages. good luck

  • @hootini88 Well I only have a Kawasaki ninja 250r.. I'm really happy with the bike! =DD

    well thanks again man!

  • Remember hes on a 250. Big difference on gearing down techniques on a big bike.

  • @smokeyvv not really a big difference, as long as the gearing is the same.

  • @steelhorseclub so what do you ride besides a 250? i ride 3 bikes, 250, zx 12 and a z1000. I know what im sayin ;)

  • @smokeyvv I actually sold my 250 a little while ago. Now I have a yamaha fz6r.

  • @steelhorseclub awesome good choice. you must be enjoying it. i know i did when i got rid of the 250. i had her for only 2 months and jumped to the z1000. too much gear changing and no power with the 250. take care ride safe

  • Comment removed

  • @smokeyvv i wouldn't say it is a big difference if you're on big or small bike. To be honest, weight is not as much important as speed. Brakes and gears construction depends on engine size and bike weight so every bike user has the same chances to "survive" :) and stop on time. In situation when you are doing 180km/h and need to stop immediately you better say your prayers anyway as you are on a straight way to Almighty's kingdom :).

  • why do u keep looking at the neighbours house across the street

  • @124dirtbiker I was checking to see if a car was coming.

  • why do u keep jerking your heada to the left every few second

  • @124dirtbiker looking at traffic behind him via left mirror..

  • honda cbr 250rr latest model.

    

  • Not sure, what type of bike do you have.

  • @steelhorseclub - is engine braking also applicable to semi-matic bikes (no hand clutch)? I'm currently breaking in (hard) my bike and I've read and based also on your video engine braking is good. I'd like to, as much as possible, to optimize my bike's performance and make it last longer without any major problem. Hope you can guide mo how to do it the proper way. Thanks.

  • my only peeve with the video is you say "uhh" quite a lot.. for example 4:55

  • I try to match the rpms but still I have a good amount of kickback, but when I got the bike originally it had carb problems and my mechanic fixed it but now it does backfire a little so could this contribute to the kicking back?

  • is this a correct procedure for downshifting (engine braking)

    - pull in the clutch

    -tap on front and rear brake

    - kick down a gear

    -blip the throttle and let the clutch out

    follow same steps for each gear

  • @TheKhanvict786 no

    make sure you match the speed of gear before gearing down, dont wanna be going 200 clicks then gear down to first then let go of the clutch or youre in for a fright. gear down slowly till u come to a stop.

  • Thanks mate,

    I'm following you on YouTube!

  • thanks...I learn something today

  • Got a yes or No question for you. Would you say that your motorcycle riding has increased your Pu**y intake?

  • @jlcame1994 Braking is when you brake. IE, motorcycle brake. Breaking, is when you break something IE: Smash it. lol

  • meshuggah! good taste

  • What do you do if you have to stop suddenly?

  • @Sapelos1 Pull in the clutch and apply both breaks liberally.

  • @steelhorseclub i dont pull the clutch in untill the RPMs drop low enough, like 2-3K

  • @Sapelos1 clutch in and both braked liberally...but make sure, gradually...if u just slam in the front brake....probally gonna do a front flip lol

  • do you just keep the clutch pulled in as your downshifting ??

  • @redneck500 yes

  • but isnt there alot of kick back when u do engine braking? my zzr's have no slipper clutch... lol  just a thought. maybe u should put in the commentary after u do the video.

  • @edwardyourlord2 there will not be kick back as long as you match the rpm.

  • SHC, do you rev-match?

  • hey steelhorse, have you ever been making a video and drivers flip you off or stare at you? i notice u talk with your hands alot and i cant help but think what that would look like to the cage drivers that dont know what your doing

  • @thrasha666 I get alot of strange looks. One guy even pulled me over to ask what I was doing.lol But thats about it.

  • @steelhorseclub haha thats hilarious, im thinking about starting my own motorcycle vlog and i tend to talk with my hands too and i wanted to be prepared especially if a cop sees it he might think im on acid or something

  • Let me tell you. Dirt bikes on snow.  Always use rear brake or the front wheel will stop spinning when you use the front brake and you'll fall like I did. thankful the snow didn't hurt me, but it was hella fun.

    Other wise always use 75% front 25% rear.

  • if you are downshifting from lets say 4thgear at 11k rpm, it mite be quite a high engine rpm that will match the trannys speed especially if you are doing it quickly. Also its a better technique is to clutch in>shift>revmatch>clutch out in that order so to not have to shift after you just matched the engine speed with the tranny. Driving is a lost art these days

  • @keeevan good comment

  • gotta rev match when u engine brake man

  • Ninja 250r's sound like dirt bikes, no offence :p

  • @erniethefart its a kawasaki .. 250 .. i have a kxf 250 09 dirt bike .. and welll .. no .. it dosnt lol

  • sweet pass on that concorde.

  • when u r clutching to down shift real quick do u hold the brake while clutcuing if not what do u do?

  • You don't have to. It depends on the situation.

  • well if its an emergency stop its best to use both front and rear but rear first so like position the bike in someway idk whats wat i heard.

  • Hi. Do you blip the throttle when downshifting and do you have to? Some people say you have to, others don't. I've been riding for a few weeks and I don't and I don't have any problems.

  • Not sure what you mean by blip?

  • I'm not sure myself lol. I think its where before you downshift you rev the bike to bring the rpms up

  • I wouldn't do that. The front end might shoot up.

  • You 'Blip' the throttle when downshifting to match the RPM with clutch. or something like that. If you dont Blip the throttle a little to match RPMs then you will put more wear on the clutch.

  • What you want to do to Rev match, is Blip the throttle ( quick twist to raise RPM) that way the impact from going into lower gear is minimal. The RPM go up as you lower gears because of the gear ratios, Blipping the throttle will raise the RPM therefore the RPMs will match the gear, the bike wont DIP so harshly. What you dont want to is release the clutch as you are blipping the throttle , or your bike will shoot up. Just blip the throttle with the clutch in, shift and then let the clutch go.

  • Comment removed

  • your right. it means giving it gas but not revving it up to redline. usually no more than 3 grand in a car but i dunno about a bike cuz i dont have one yet. hope this helped

  • search for blipping on youtube, found some useful info on it. it puts less wear on the clutch plates from what ive heard

  • @GuitarDude1 im sure your talking about rev matching

  • Is it ok to do this, even in the break in of the bike?  When its brand new.

  • Yeah have heard it helps the break in.

  • if youre in a high gear and youre comin up to a stoplight, can you pull in the clutch and kick it all the way down to first and just use the brakes as opposed to engine breaking? like... without releasing the clutch.

  • Thats what I do most of time.

  • wouldn't that hurt the engine tho? going from top gear straight to first doesn't sound good for the engine.

  • Not as long as you get your speed down before you let out the clutch.

  • nice gloves

  • The first time I realized this was by accident going into a turn I downshifted twice and then let off the clutch and almost crashed. The wheel locked up and skid.  Lesson learned.

  • Yeah, never downshift on a turn. Don't feel bad I've locked up before.

  • Without even realizing, engine breaking is often used to adapt to lower speed zones; DO NOT speed to the sign and break to hit the limit, just shift down to appropriate gear early enough and steadily reach the speed before the sign. Breaking often is a nuisance if there is no imminent danger! Accordion effect, anyone? Most notable benefit to engine breaking is that as long as the throttle is on idle, no fuel is consumed (fuel injected bikes and cars only, savings aren't very big but it adds up.)

  • One thing to be careful of with engine braking is if you only use engine braking the car behind you has no idea you're slowing down. Its always a good idea when using engine braking to use some normal braking too at least to alert the person behind you that you're slowing down. One theory is that you should always be on the throttle or on the brakes.

  • i got a question here, say when i need to slow down really quickly, i use both brake and engine brake. but when i downshift, it will send the rpm high, i can feel the hard deceleration, but does it hurt the engine? btw my redline is 11 and while engine brake it go as high as 8. and is there such thing as too hard engine braking?

  • Yeah, I'm not sure what you are riding but when engine braking I would keep the rpm below, at the most, seven grand. You can mess up your clutch otherwise.

  • oh ok thx man. and i ride nsr 150

  • Comment removed

  • I have a Ninja 250 too and only use engine braking at higher speeds down to about 30mph. After that it just becomes annoying to shift through gears that only last a couple seconds, and it'll burn up your clutch real fast. Also you should always use your rear brake, you'll find out why when the day comes that somebody pulls out in front of you.

  • how do you use the other method of stopping other than engine braking. I know you use both brakes but i was taught to downshift simultaneously while braking?

  • Yeah, I'm not sure what your asking?

  • So when you are stopping at a red light from 6th gear you downshift through each gear by letting out the clutch each time as well as brake?

  • No, you can keep the clutch held in as you downshift.

  • so your fully engadgin the clutch when engine brakin yeah....let out slow then fully then let the engine do the work yeah!? many thanks, this blipin people keep mentioning, i sort of get it but do you have to catch the blip as you let the clutch out?? or just blip with clutch held in...then reliese??

  • ello mate, im a new rider n have just started to get to grip with this engine brakin....a few things just wonted to ask bout it to see if im doin it right, do you let the clutch out slowly when engine brakin?so in 4th say...pull in clutch go to 3rd n then slowly engadge 3rd by relisin slow.....iv engadge it faster a few times n my engine would rev right up n fell very jerky??? am i doin it right?? many thanks i ride a nsr125

  • Well maybe a little slower clutchwork than normal. To keep the bike from being jerky, just make sure You aren't reving the rpm too high when you downshift.

  • If you are in a high gear like 6th and only going around 40 just pull in your clutch and down shift like you said in the video. I do think that when in a more appropriate gear for your road speed you should rev match (blip) the throttle while down shifting. I have....had a lil 04 ninja 250 and if I down shifted without rev matching it would really throw me around regardless of what rpm I was at. Ride safe..........I need a new bike dammit...

  • I'm not a big fin of relying all of my stopping power to engine braking. I like to put more of my stopping power in the front and rear brake, not only cuz its easier, but because of traffic behind you, they see your brake lights when using brakes

  • Thats a really good point.

  • what about blipping the throttle

  • how do you know when to shift up?

  • It depends on what you are trying to do. I usually shift up at alound 5000 rpm

  • when you hear the engine getting more high picth...

    before redline

  • if you shift before 10k your a pussy! lol just kidding

  • lol hes on a 250...

  • fuck yeah meshuggah

  • this is a nice video. This explained alot to me. i am getting a 50CC motorbike as soon as i turn 16 (next year) can you still engine brake on a 50CC??

  • if it has gears you can on any bike

  • Not on a regular bicycle. :D

  • haha good 1

  • what kind of helmet do u have that u can film while moving and talking and shit?

  • its a helmet cam, skel3tor1 has a video on it check it out

  • Brake pads are cheaper than engine & tranny components. Engine brake with good sense.

  • Yea make sure you tap your break if cars are behind you when engine braking because your brake light wont go on and people behind you might rear end you!! just a heads up!

  • Be warned: Some vehicles behind you may not realize you are slowing down, so it's a good idea to "tap" your brakes a few times to signal the person behind you you are slowing down. I almost got rear ended

    Engine Braking is also known as "Compression Braking", think Tractor Trailers.

    On a side note, the Owner's Manual for my bike recommends you do not downshift above 5k RPM to prevent you from slipping the rear wheel(Ninja 650R).

  • In the MSF course they teach to use both breaks at the same time.