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Carolfay
 New Member
10 Posts
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
USA
Honda
Shadow Aero
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 Posted - 10/29/2009 : 1:26 AM
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Hello again,
I have a question.. I bought the video "Ride Like a Pro" for beginner riders and in one part he is having his student (wife) practice stops at different speeds. I may not have this completely right but here goes...."He says to blip the throttle as you gear down into first gear to let the engine catch up?????" You can hear her kind of rev the engine alittle as she is slowing down. I really don't understand or can't comprehend what he wants me to do. I'm practicng starts and stops and doing much better, only one stall in about 1-2 hours of practice. Is that to keep the engine from lugging when you down shift, to prepare for stopping??.. I like the video alot, but you can't ask questions Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Carolfay  
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Axiom2000
 Moderator
527 Posts
[Mentor]
Georgetown, Delaware
USA
BMW
R1200RT/ R1200C
Peer Review:
1
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Posted - 10/29/2009 : 5:31 AM
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I guess you need to distinguish between the kind of stops you are practicing. If you are practicing stopping as quickly as you can your full concentration needs to be on braking with special attention to the amount of front brake pressure you are using. In these stops the last thing you want to worry about is blipping the throttle. When you begin the process, pull the clutch in and apply both brakes with a progressive squeeze on the front brake. The majority of the stopping power will come from the front tire. It is very important to develop the feel for increasing the amount of front brake pressure as the front tire is increasingly loaded because of the weight transfer to that front tire. Remember the front brake is NOT a switch, don't grab it. Smooth progressive squeezes are the way to go
During normal stopping when downshifting to use engine braking blipping the throttle means to roll on quickly for just an instant to get the engine speed to match the lower gear you're shifting into. This means matching engine RPM's between the rear tire and engine while downshifting. Doing can help to eliminate that potential sudden jerky feeling especially if the clutch is released too fast after a downshift. Some riders blip some don't. I don't feel for normal street riding it is necessary, just downshift one gear at a time and always ease that clutch out until it is time for the next downshift.
As a new rider, I would not worry about throttle blipping. Concentrate on mastering the basics first. Which would be stopping the motorcycle with control and in balance. And controlling the motorcycle at low speeds using the clutch in the friction zone with the throttle. Once you have gained control of the motorcyle using the friction zone and throttle you will never have to worry about stalling again.
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Night Train
Moderator
942 Posts
[Mentor]
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Canada
Harley-Davidson
Softail and Touring
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Posted - 10/29/2009 : 5:50 AM
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| Axiom2000, excellent advice and certainly well stated. |
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jlewisp
Starting Member
3 Posts
Lewisville, TX
USA
Yamaha
V-Star 650 Silvarado
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Posted - 10/29/2009 : 7:51 AM
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May I suggest: click the home link above, then click the safety tips menu and start reading. There is a ton of great information there.
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scottrnelson
Advanced Member
4748 Posts
[Mentor]
Pleasanton, CA
USA
Ducati
ST2, 888, + XR650L
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Posted - 10/29/2009 : 10:12 AM
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James R Davis has stated this many times: rather than blip the throttle, ease the clutch out slowly instead. Or if you're coming to a full stop you can get away with just pulling in on the clutch and leaving it disengaged.
The only time I find a need to blip the throttle on a downshift is when I want the engine to be in the upper half of the RPM range after the downshift. If you're just trying to stop the bike, you would be downshifting too early if you did it that way.
Another thing that I've found useful is to hold the throttle where my engine is running at about 3000 rpms (different for different bikes, mine redlines at 9000 rpms) and then there is no sudden jerk on the drivetrain when I release the clutch.
Ultimately I think it's best for you to ignore the throttle blipping for now and just make sure that you don't suddenly release the clutch after a downshift.
On a side note, only one stall in more than an hour of practice is very good. I usually kill the engine more often than that.  |
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ananga73
Junior Member
28 Posts
Windsor Mill, MD
USA
Suzuki
M90
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Posted - 10/29/2009 : 12:02 PM
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Very good answers overall though I have to point out we all don't have tachometers so the RPM thing does not help there.
On another note Carol, did you get the full face helmet yet..] |
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scottrnelson
Advanced Member
4748 Posts
[Mentor]
Pleasanton, CA
USA
Ducati
ST2, 888, + XR650L
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Posted - 10/29/2009 : 3:15 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by ananga73
Very good answers overall though I have to point out we all don't have tachometers so the RPM thing does not help there.
I was hoping that by me specifying 3000 out of 9000 rpms you could figure out that running any engine at about 1/3 of maximum engine speed would do roughly the same thing. That's what I'll do with my Honda XR650L which also has no tachometer. |
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Carolfay
New Member
10 Posts
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
USA
Honda
Shadow Aero
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Posted - 10/30/2009 : 10:25 PM
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Hello again
Thanks again for all the great advice. I think the RPM thing is a little to technical for me. I think I'll just keep practicing on smooth take offs, and stops, and turns. My left turns are better than my right turns,I swing too wide on the right turn. I try to turn my head and keep looking where I am going, but I can't help but glance at the road or marker to make sure I'm not too close. Hard to not take a peek. My boyfriend has a full face helmet he is not using and it fits me well. I just have to get used to wearing it. It really is heavy. I will eventually buy a new one that I hope is lighter. I hope to get some practice in this weekend. Have a Happy Halloween to all
Carolfay |
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scottrnelson
Advanced Member
4748 Posts
[Mentor]
Pleasanton, CA
USA
Ducati
ST2, 888, + XR650L
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Posted - 10/31/2009 : 11:09 AM
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One more thing about blipping the throttle...
I went for a fairly long ride a little while after posting on this subject and paid more attention to what I do. If any of you decide to try blipping the throttle while shifting to a lower gear, don't let the clutch out until the engine starts dropping in rpms again.
In other words, you pull in the clutch, blip the throttle to make the engine go faster, then close the throttle and as the engine is slowing down you release the clutch. The engine then has a much easier time matching up with the speed of the bike.
But you're still probably better off just easing out the clutch slowly. |
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Niebor
Advanced Member
2793 Posts
[Mentor]
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
USA
Harley-Davidson
03' Superglide
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Posted - 10/31/2009 : 12:15 PM
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I'll often drop a couple gears and blip it to the match the engine to current speed. When I drop the throttle on final approach, I'll also lightly pull the front brake, just enough to turn on the brake light. This is a very casual approach, I agree, for anything else don't bother with gears, until your in full control again. Then, if indeed you find yourself in 5th, you may want to get through the gears quickly, while the bike is still in motion.
Many bikes will put up quite a fight getting through the gears once stopped. It is often possible to release the clutch slightly while holding pressure on the shifter, clicking through one gear at a time. Rocking the bike may also help.
Best to be in the gear you'll be needing next. Again, getting the bike stopped is primary, downshifting is secondary. |
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haithabu
Junior Member
86 Posts
Canmore, Alberta
Canada
Honda
Varadero
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Posted - 11/01/2009 : 9:16 AM
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| If you have to wait for the rpm to drop after blipping the throttle in order to engage the clutch, you are over-revving it. With practice one can blip the throttle so that it peaks exactly where needed and one can then release the clutch simultaneously without any jerking either way. |
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Guzzimundi
Senior Member
257 Posts
[Mentor]
Palmeira, Coruna
Spain
Moto Guzzi
Breva 750
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Posted - 11/01/2009 : 1:32 PM
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| Very well stated above. Bleeping the throttle is not a necessity, hence you should not confuse yourself at this stage of rider development. As you increase your skills you'll be able to decide if bleeping has a place in your riding skills repertoire. It can be a very personal thing. It is a skill I like and use daily. |
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scottrnelson
Advanced Member
4748 Posts
[Mentor]
Pleasanton, CA
USA
Ducati
ST2, 888, + XR650L
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Posted - 11/01/2009 : 3:15 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by haithabu
If you have to wait for the rpm to drop after blipping the throttle in order to engage the clutch, you are over-revving it. With practice one can blip the throttle so that it peaks exactly where needed and one can then release the clutch simultaneously without any jerking either way.
This assumes that you can get it exactly perfect every time. At least if you run the engine a tiny bit too high and release the clutch as it is slowing down there isn't much that can go wrong. And the "wait" - at least on the three bikes that I own - is less than half a second. It's not like you have to wait two or three seconds for the engine to slow back down. |
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Carolfay
New Member
10 Posts
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
USA
Honda
Shadow Aero
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Posted - 11/08/2009 : 7:06 PM
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Just a short note.. I wasn't able to get any practice in at all for my last two weekends off. The weather was rainy my first weekend off, then I pulled a muscle in my back somehow, and have been laid up for a week and a half. I was so disappointed.  The weather was beautiful almost every day I was out of commission. Oh well, I hope to get some practice in next weekend. I was hoping to take another BRC this Nov, but my boyfriend thinks I should keep practicing and try next spring.  Hopefully, the weather will stay OK thru the next few weeks. I usually like winter, but now I would love to skip it... just so I could practice more. Well wishes to all Carolfay |
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Silver Girl
Junior Member
36 Posts
Stettler, Alberta
Canada
Yamaha
V-Star 950 Tourer
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Posted - 11/14/2009 : 7:16 PM
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Good question Carolfay! I've had that question too but the answers never made sense to me. I drive a standard car and don't do any blipping. When slowing down I just instinctively know when to release the clutch so I'm not jerking the bike. It comes with practice and knowing your bike. When it comes to stopping after being on the highway, I always gear down to first while braking (that's what I was taught in the safety course). You should always be in first gear when you're stopped! I still hear my instructor yelling, "Is it in first?!" (kinda like "Is it safe" in Marathon Man!)
I used to gear down in my car to slow her down but I just took a car care course and was told that "brakes are for stopping and transmission is for going". Some feel it's not good for the transmission - may be different for a bike tho. Another reason to use braking when coming to a stop instead of gearing down is that your brake lights signal the drivers behind you.
Some say that the blipping is just b/c it sounds good. I don't know, but staying focusing on everything else including traffic while braking is enough for me. Adding blipping is just one unnecassary maneuver that would distract me. IMHO!  |
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Texasphotographer
Advanced Member
746 Posts
[Mentor]
Copperas Cove, Texas
USA
Suzuki
2008 C50T
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Posted - 11/14/2009 : 8:12 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Carolfay
My boyfriend has a full face helmet he is not using and it fits me well. I just have to get used to wearing it. It really is heavy. I will eventually buy a new one that I hope is lighter. I hope to get some practice in this weekend. Have a Happy Halloween to Carolfay
If you are looking for a very light weight helmet and one that provides marvellous head and face protection I strongly recommend the Shoei RF1000. This is the 2nd lightest weight full face helmet on the market that I found. It is about $300 less than the lightest one.
It is also the helmet I was wearing when I collided with the deer at 70 MPH. Not a scratch to my head and face. Cat Scans were negative so the helmet asorbed all of the shock. If you look at the helmet you will see what a great job it did. |
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scottrnelson
Advanced Member
4748 Posts
[Mentor]
Pleasanton, CA
USA
Ducati
ST2, 888, + XR650L
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Posted - 11/15/2009 : 4:45 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Texasphotographer
If you are looking for a very light weight helmet and one that provides marvellous head and face protection I strongly recommend the Shoei RF1000. This is the 2nd lightest weight full face helmet on the market that I found. It is about $300 less than the lightest one.
Be aware the the RF1100 is now out for a similar price, and it's a little bit lighter than the RF1000 (although there seem to be some discount prices on the remaining RF1000 helmest now). |
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