How To Shift Gears On A Motorcycle - Part 2, downshifting & engine braking

[NoVaTutz]

what do you mean by the Rpms matching the gear your in?

[creamyfilling102]

i would be affraid of looking stupid making hand gestures talking to myself at intersections and when meeting cars like that lol

[bimster20b]

thanks man, im looking into a kawasaki so i need all the tips i can

[Questomatic]

This video has been really helpful man 2 thumbs up!!

[iamsupergladys]

Thanks for posting really helped

[LiftedShooter]

your explanation was confusing as fuck lol

[marino4691]

this video answered all my questions.... thanks

[Detc0re]

Great video, here's another TIP:

When you downshift always use the brakes even slightly, just so your break light pops, and people behind you are aware u're slowing down.

Ride safe!

[ilocanoTornado]

@Detc0re +1 it is VERY important that cars behind you know that you are braking.

[WhiteWi]

Good Vid! Thanks

[bydesighn]

Thanks that was very helpful.

[PANCAKEFREAK26]

So SteelHorseClub,

When downshifting,

1. Pull in clutch

2. Pull front brake

3. Then back brake

4. At a complete stop, go all the way to first gear?

Please respond back to me if this is correct!

[PolishCutie93]

R u in a diff. Country? Everyone's stopped at a yellow light! Lol

[kamalanidb]

do u have to downshift when ur driving or when ur stopped?

[ATeamSkater67]

while engine breaking, your holding the clutch and down shifting while feathering the throttle right? I would assume 90% of the time i would end up just braking holding the clutch and down shifting to first but if engine breaking is possible you would disengage the clutch feather the throttle a bit and downshift let go of clutch and repeat process?

[Wonton118]

So while downshifting to a stop, you never let go of the clutch right?

[steelhorseclub]

@Wonton118 Yes unless you are engine breaking.

[luq080290]

hye. new biker here. every time i shift down my bike especially in a high speed the bike produce a "fierce" sound. and the bike is like rush to the front for a moment. is it normal sir? thanks in advance

[steelhorseclub]

@luq080290 You need to match your gears with the propper RPM. Never shift down unless you are at that gears rpm or speed. You can mess up the bike otherwise.

[luq080290]

@steelhorseclub so i have to slows down my bike before downshifting or i have to blipp the throtle?

[steelhorseclub]

@luq080290 Slow down. Don't go into a lower gear unless you need the lower gear.

[luq080290]

@steelhorseclub so what is the funtion of blipping the throtle? tq sir

[steelhorseclub]

@luq080290 See the comments below.

[luq080290]

@steelhorseclub thanks

[red4285]

@steelhorseclub I'm planing on buying my 1st bike in the near future and unfortunately it will be my first time riding ah bike..... do you know of any good schools or places where i can learn to ride my bike once i get mines..... oh yeah i live in Atl,GA by the way.........

[steelhorseclub]

@red4285 The MSF or Motorcycle safety foundation course is a must. It is the best thing you can take to prepare for riding. It can cost $100-$300 but it is extremely worth it. Look at it as an investment on your life. Your local DMV should be able to give you info on the nearest test site. Or you could just google msf and your area.

[abcdrcill1]

Okay...Question about engine braking.

When you engine brake, you shift to a lower gear WITHOUT using your brakes?

I've done this on stickshift cars before, but it doesn't noticeable slow the car down. Just kinda makes it "shiver" a bit

[steelhorseclub]

@abcdrcill1 Its the same as in a car but a bike is much lighter so it is much more effective.

[vietl30i]

Downshifting eats up your clutch if you don't rev match while downshifting.

I wouldn't recommend doing it all the time. unless you rev match

[aaabbbbish]

basically just like with any mechanical transmission, once you feel the smooth transition to the next gear = you do it right. The important part here, is to blip the throttle just a bit to match the rpm's. so the sequence is = clutch in, throttle blip, downshift, clutch out...

the whole sequence is supposed to be smooth without any jerking or overreving.

you'll know once you get it. the throttle blip is the key here as it will match engine revs with the wheel.

[FFSProTeam]

Lol traffic disgusting???? Try living in LA.

[boogieboxxxbboy]

I'm so happy I learned how to do the heel toe technique on my dirt bike.... I guess its not heel toe anymore lol

[gabrielenriquer6f]

Yeah, traffic sucks for an instructional vid, still it makes a sense. I find most videos on shiftin gears wether focus on getting the bike to move for the very first time and that's all wether they are theorical having the rider teaching over his parked bike, not even the engine on.

I've been practising just for two weeks and found your video great; quite instructional so thank you very much.

[penedog]

great video, answered all my questions

[steelhorseclub]

yes, fundamentally it is like a standard car. Like anything, it just takes practice.

[TheDemonStr]

Great video! im 19 and i drive a car and next week im having my first bike driving lesson..When you change gears from 1 to 2 and etc..you press the clutch before you change the gear? thankssss

[steelhorseclub]

@TheDemonStr always hold in the clutch when changing gears.

[TheDemonStr]

@steelhorseclub

do you think it will be difficult to drive a motorcycle?is like clutch in the car?

[papercut272]

@TheDemonStr its better to upshift without clutch, its better to downshift with clutch plus blips

[TheDemonStr]

@papercut272

lol..you can upshift without clutch? and what is plus blips?

[papercut272]

@TheDemonStr upshift demo: u r holding the throttle down while keepn pressure on the gear shifter, you then quickly release the throttle and put a greater amt of pressure on the shifter to shift to the higher gear, then get back on the gas, i recommend you do this only on sport bikes and only when your trying to go fast (high rpms). if you dont use enough force for shifting, or if you do it too slowly, your gona get stuck in between gears and it will rev up without moving you. blipn is revmatch

[luq080290]

@papercut272 sorry. what is meant by blips? im noob

[papercut272]

@luq080290 you rev it quickly as you downshift, and time the clutch

[luq080290]

@papercut272 thanks =) now i can control my bike better

[CaRan17171717]

I never know what gear im in LOL

[TANEVmedenRUDNIK]

Hey,steelhorseclub just kill your self.pleace.

[steelhorseclub]

@TANEVmedenRUDNIK Thanks, i'm doing my best.

[leewhite336]

So u say to downshift and make sure ur rpm match the gear ur going into but How do u know ur rpm is in the right area to downshift.

I hope I made sense when asking this lol.

Thanks

[steelhorseclub]

@leewhite336 Practice, its that simple. Listen to your bike. It will tell you what gears it likes. Also the manual will help.

[sashasally]

Hey Steel, sorry if you've answered this before but what do you do if you're just downshifting once or twice on a road (say if the speed limit changes) to make the shift smooth? Say I'm in 5th gear and want to go to 4th, when I let the clutch out after shifting down it doesn't feel smooth, it doesn't lurch or anything but I feel like it's having trouble because I'm still in such a high gear. Is this where blipping the throttle helps?

[steelhorseclub]

@sashasally The key is to match the speed with the gear. Take some time to discover what your bike likes. I you match the speed with the gear, you won't have any problems.

[sashasally]

@steelhorseclub Thanks so much :)

[F1NN69]

You should have also noted that you don't really want to engine brake in front of a car as they won't see your brake light since your not really using it. If you do just lightly hold the front or rear brake down so the light beams at them.

[steelhorseclub]

@F1NN69 Very true. Thanks for mentioning that.

[chevlumina]

do you also use the brakes while engine braking? if not, can you, if you need to stop faster?

[steelhorseclub]

@chevlumina The point is to no use your brakes while doing it. But you don't have to do it if you don't want to. Feel free to pull in the clutch and use your brakes at any time.

[boellerich1992]

Thanks for the video bro, it was very informative. I'm getting my bike this weekend and I cant wait to start riding.

[TheNathoo49]

How do you know when your in first? do you feel it? ore is it just...

[MrSpankyLanky]

@TheNathoo49 because u go all the way to the bottom and ur in first it wont go any further

[kylestephenson94]

do you stay in first as you stop at light but keep the clutch in or just go to neutral? plz answer

[steelhorseclub]

@kylestephenson94 It is usually recommended to stay in first.

[boellerich1992]

@kylestephenson94 It says in the motorcycle book that you need to stay in first just incase you need to move out of the way of something approaching behind you.

[vampiresocietybabe]

Thank you! Your videos may even be saving lives when you explain the hazards of being in the right gear at the stop light--great reminders for beginners.

[bigchrisram]

i forgot to add on that im slowing down but wanting to stay in 2nd gear cause im still moving. like lets say your going fast and need to down shift to turn into a gas station but you still want to be in first gear and bang the bike jerks whats going on?

[steelhorseclub]

@bigchrisram Your going too fast to be in that gear. Take some time riding around a parking lot to see what rpm you need to shift gears.

[bigchrisram]

i forgot to add on that im slowing down but wanting to stay in 2nd gear cause im still moving. like lets say your going fast like 4-5th gear and need to down shift to turn into a gas station but you still want to be in first gear and bang the bike jerks whats going on am i still going to fast or what?

[bigchrisram]

i got a little problem lets say this is what happened to me sometimes im not sure what im 100% doing wrong and didnt really ask i dont know but but i didnt but, lets say im in 3rd gear and i down shift to 2nd and the bike jerks is that because im going to fast when i release the clutch or what?

[bmxican64]

cars pulling out in front of me im gonna die...... lol

[punksalive2010]

wait so if i come to stop i can press the brakes and just press the clutch and shift down all the gears at once and then let go of the clutch??

[steelhorseclub]

@punksalive2010 you can only let go of the clutch if you are in neutral.

[CmoreBuhts]

Is it bad if I'm braking then pull in the clutch downshift to 1st as I'm coming to a stop?

[steelhorseclub]

@CmoreBuhts No, thats what I do most of the time.

[xavier3961]

couldn't you match the gear with the RPMs and MPH?

[steelhorseclub]

@xavier3961 Yes, most people do it automatically.

[tattoomayhem911]

do you give it trottle whille u downshift or do you let go of the throttle

[steelhorseclub]

@tattoomayhem911 both

[calvin950]

@tattoomayhem911 Don't quote me but IIRC, you only need to blip the throttle to keep the RPMs high enough so that you don't stall.

[Noel127]

why the hell the lights yellow not red?

[TheRaversUnited]

ona dirtbike if u doownshift and let the clucth oot fast will it stall

[classikz]

Doesn't it burn out the clutch if you brake your usual way?

[rand0mlyrand0m]

Do you keep the clutch in when braking and downshifting at red lights or can you release the clutch and put it back in each time you go down a gear?

[ArthurKarut]

what about engine braking while using the brakes and rev matching (blipping the throttle) ??

do u know how to do that?

doing that u could use engine braking any time even when hard braking right?

[MrTheVidster]

could you possibly show me or everybody how to countersteer i know how i just dont know how much i need to push on the handlebars. need help bro!

[steelhorseclub]

@MrTheVidster I did one a while back on countersteering. /watch?v=sQiMXVK3PEw see if it helps.

[MrCOHfan]

MHMM u know the Burp technique or h/e its spelled anyways, but the thing u do on the video is for the stop right? What about before a turn?

[upshift22]

@MrCOHfan blipping the throttle when down shifting?

[Philscbx]

@upshift22 Absolute. If the light goes Green, you're in the right gear to launch the hell out of there. I trained military motorcycle Officers to stay alive. If can Share just Three Key Tips, 1. Never stay next to any vehicle longer than 2 seconds. 2. Headlight on HIGH BEAM. Dim only when Nec. 3. Never charge intersection w/o a vehicle ahead to be the battering ram with other traffic present. We have lost so many riders this summer to cell texting, and not seeing them excuses. Cheers

[sliver37]

Very helpful video.

[joewarcupinhull]

Information:

2 stroke motorcycles have less effective engine breaking then 4 stroke motorcycles. 2 strokes tend to hold their revs alot more :)

[steelhorseclub]

@joewarcupinhull huh, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

[DocDazzler]

This has nothing to do with shifting, but I'd recommend you try to stay out of the middle of the lane where all the car oil drips, especially at the stop lights. It doesn't take much oil on a tire to cause an unexpected loss of traction.

[KASTAS155]

i downshift everytime i slow down and my brake pads are still good and my bike has 21,000 miles on it now. on stock pads lol

[upshift22]

i have never pulled to a stop and clicked down all gears. i engine brake every time. side note, i hate when people type Engine BREAKING. Engine "Breaking" is why everyone automatically thinks its a bad thing. Its engine BRAKING, as in slowing down.

[Philscbx]

@upshift22

Exactly, too high a gear, slamming a red light stop 1/2 block away, click all gears back to first while stopped, is bad for the tranny.

You know it takes more effort standing still.

No intention to Engine Brake to stop, then rolling walking pace, return to 1rst gear on the roll, NOT Stopped.

Stopped Shifting, stresses shift forks, edges of gear dogs, and wears out the shift drum pins.

These same come later whining,'It slips out of gear'.

40yrs racing,They don't listen.

[upshift22]

@Philscbx YES. I actually just tried stopping without engine braking for the first time just to see what it felt like and it was HORRIBLE. very unnatural feeling. i promised my bike i wouldnt do it ever again. Engine Braking for life.

[beliartheusurper]

I engine break to initially slow the bike but for the last 2-3 gears I just clutch and click them down 80% of the time, you should do a vid about rev matching while engine breaking as a reply to this video to help the kiddos.

[TheMazaxist]

steel, when you downshift, arent u supposed to pull the clutch, downshift + at the same time give it a little throttle to meet the speed of the engine and wheel? i was watching some other vlogger video where he explained how it works. What dou you think? Oh yeah and most of the time i just clutch it and click to first!

[lifeisgood070]

hey buddy.... coming to a light don't be in the middle of your lane. You're sitting right in the oil at 1:50

[LetitRide27]

Honestly, If I was new to bikes and didn't know what engine breaking was, i'm not sure this vid would help me out. Didn't you make an engine breaking video before on your ninja 250? Or was that someone else? I don't remember who, but there was a motorvlogger video about engine breaking that really helped me when I first started.

[steelhorseclub]

@LetitRide27 Yeah, i've went over it a few times.

[SuperDrake79]

If I got out of line answering that question for you I apologize. I'm used to it as a forum admin/moderator for FZ6R-forumdotcom :P

[steelhorseclub]

@SuperDrake79 Lol, dude feel free. That is the whole point of the comments. I leave it up to you guys to tell me when I have no idea what I am talking about.;p

[Ethan1993m]

When down shifting, say im engine breaking but its just now doing it for me, should i break at the same time that i am going down through gears?

[SuperDrake79]

@Ethan1993m I know you asked SHC but since I'm here I'll help you out too. Yes, that way the people behind you see your break light and know your slowing. You don't have to break hard just when your stopping. If your not stopping and slowing for a turn/curve and no one is behind you then don't worry about using the break. You'll just have to feel it out as you're engine breaking to get into the right gear for the right speed. Personally I use both and most riders, after practice, do as well.

[really2ugly]

Nice instructional video series for the newcomers. The last several bikes I've had tell me what gear I'm in. Although that is a great convenience, it also helps me to not pay attention; which is something I don't need. Motorcyclists need to be fully aware of everything at all times.

[JKK250]

im fifteen and a half. and im getting my ninja 250 this month. any tips? im a little nervous about stopping quick enough for stop lights and traffic and stuff. when you slow down or come to a stop, do you always shift back down to first gear.

[alehax27]

@JKK250

take the msf course.

[Radient001]

@JKK250

If you come to a complete stop then yes you are going to want to be in first gear. If you're not, taking off is going to be more difficult. If you are just slowing down you may not need to go to first, after time you'll learn to match your speed with your gears. Just takes practice. Try taking an MSF course, it'll help you out.

[steelhorseclub]

@JKK250 If you are coming to a complete stop, then yes you shift down to first. I understand you are nervous, I was the same way. Take the MSF. when I took it, I new nothing about riding. But afterwards I felt like a pro. As long as you practice in PARKING LOT, YOU WILL BE FINE.

[JKK250]

@steelhorseclub alright thanks man

[Lilbeans72]

(<-- noob) when your at a stoplight and holding in your breaks do you let go of the breaks and then downshift or hold in the breaks while downshifitng

[bfmv580]

@Lilbeans72 Usualy holding your bike up with a foot or two will be enough to stop the bike rolling without using brakes, but often you can just hold the bike steady by keeping pressure on the front brake. That will definatly stop it rolling, although remember to be at a stand still before you hold the front brake in hard, without any rear brake, least til you get the feel of the bike and the sensitivity of the front brake.

[steelhorseclub]

@bfmv580 I find that using the back brake on a hill, without the front brake, helps to keep from rolling.

[steelhorseclub]

@Lilbeans72 It really doesn't matter. the break doesn't have anything to do with the clutch or the gears. On flat roads I do not hold the breaks. On hills I do.