Downshifting, uncertain which gear I am in | GTAMotorcycle.com

Downshifting, uncertain which gear I am in

zheka130

zheka130

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Guys

Hopefully this wasn't asked before. Obviously its a noob question.

Upshifting is very easy and it is very easy to fly through gears from 1st to 6th. However, when slowing down I dont downshift through every gear; instead I brake and then downshift several gears at a time. As a result I am often unsure which gear I am in.

Anyone else have this "issue"? On a manual car its non existent, as every gear has its own position, on a bike different story.

Suggestions from experts welcome of course.
 
zheka130 said:
However, when slowing down I dont downshift through every gear; instead I brake and then downshift several gears at a time. As a result I am often unsure which gear I am in.
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You already know your problem. You mentioned it.

You need to gear down 1 gear at a time so that you are in the proper gear for the speeds you are doing.

The way you are doing it now if you needed to accelerate quickly you'd be in too high a gear and you'd have a problem.
 
Learn to count backwards? Apply 1 unit per stab. I don't know if that constitutes distracted driving but it's worth a shot, nobody will know.
 
1) learn to count backwards
2) buy a gear indicator ie: gipro etc...
 
Here's food for thought.

If you rip off downshifts leaving you in the meat of the powerband with some headroom to slow down even further then ... it won't matter which gear # you're in because you'll always be in the best gear for maximum acceleration, maximum fun and maximum safety

Practice clutchless downshifts until you get it down pat. Downshifting will be like breathing afterwards... just like ripping off heel toe double clutch downshifts in the cage from 4-3, 3-2, no problem.
 
mudmojo said:
Practice clutchless downshifts until you get it down pat.
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You're recommending clutchless downshifts to a noob rider because they aren't comfortable downshifting through the gears when they're slowing down? Really?
 
pull the clutch too fast, in the next lower gear, in a turn &..

the backend can easily go bye bye junior
 
zheka130 said:
Guys

Hopefully this wasn't asked before. Obviously its a noob question.

Upshifting is very easy and it is very easy to fly through gears from 1st to 6th. However, when slowing down I dont downshift through every gear; instead I brake and then downshift several gears at a time. As a result I am often unsure which gear I am in.

Anyone else have this "issue"? On a manual car its non existent, as every gear has its own position, on a bike different story.

Suggestions from experts welcome of course.
Click to expand...

very good question btw, best to get good at going thru all the gears at all times first, then you can start fiddling..

i remember when digital gear readouts first came on the scene..

finding a gear, or the right one can, not only be a nuisance, but also end up spitting you off sudden & quick
 
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zheka130 said:
Guys

Hopefully this wasn't asked before. Obviously its a noob question.
Click to expand...

everyone goes thru it, good that you're asking about it before getting a sudden, quick, painfull reality check
 
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zheka130 said:
Guys

Hopefully this wasn't asked before. Obviously its a noob question.

Upshifting is very easy and it is very easy to fly through gears from 1st to 6th. However, when slowing down I dont downshift through every gear; instead I brake and then downshift several gears at a time. As a result I am often unsure which gear I am in.

Anyone else have this "issue"? On a manual car its non existent, as every gear has its own position, on a bike different story.

Suggestions from experts welcome of course.
Click to expand...

gear action should be way ahead of braking requirements, for basic street stuff
 
With practice, downshifting will become second nature. Downshift one gear at a time, as recommended above, until you have so much practice that when you do inadvertently downshift more than one there will be no issue.
 
JoeyB said:
You're recommending clutchless downshifts to a noob rider because they aren't comfortable downshifting through the gears when they're slowing down? Really?
Click to expand...

Ahh what's the worst that can happen?
 
zheka130 said:
... However, when slowing down I dont downshift through every gear; instead I brake and then downshift several gears at a time. As a result I am often unsure which gear I am in.
Click to expand...

Simple. Stop doing that. Go down one gear at a time, releasing the clutch between every downshift. Always do this only when the revs drop far enough that the downshift can be done smoothly without the revs going too high after the downshift.

The only exception may be a panic stop - then your priority should be on stopping, and worry about the gear-changing later.
 
If you own a modern supersport it should do 120km in 1st, the other 5 gears are only fitted as spares, just stop shifting.
 
Thanks for the replies guys!
Will downshift through every gear now.
Dont really do that in a car, I guess that is why I am driving the bike this way also.
 
The only gear I care about/think about being in is 1st. Everything else I just go by how it feels at the speed I'm doing. Am I in 3rd, or 4th? Who cares. It feels right. Worrying about the physical gear I'm in is just distracting.
 
The only time I downshift through more than one gear is if I need to slow way down unexpectedly. It happens, unfortunately. You're not on a racetrack, so why would you do this as normal practice on the street? One at a time under normal riding conditions.
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