How to actually downshift – Blip throttle technique

Most of the bikes in India do not have slipper clutch (to know what is a slipper clutch). So don’t try to downshift gears like the GP riders, you will ruin the engine. When we learn the ride a motorcycle here… we’re not taught how to downshift the correct way. Usually we just hold the clutch and downshift, but this puts pressure on the engine as the rev on the higher gear with that speed doesn’t match the rev on lower gear at the same speed. So ideally you will need to rev a little more before downshifting to match that speed on the lower gear for a smooth transition. Or else you’d be ‘engine-braking’, and no using engine-braking to slow down isn’t good. It is strenuous on the engine components and on the long run it will increase wear and tear of the engine. The correct way to downshift would be blipping the throttle between shifts to match the rev to the speed. Let us see how.

1. Use your index and middle fingers to press the brakes while the other two fingers and your thumb is curled around the throttle.
2. As you begin to slow down hold the clutch and shift down the gear (do not release the clutch yet)
3. Now while you’re holding the clutch ‘blip’ the throttle so that the engine revs up slightly.
4. Release the clutch immediately as soon as the engine revs up. Remember to keep pressing the brake slowly. Well the idea here is to match the rev required for the bike to travel at that particular speed when you downshift.
5. If your bike gives suddenly jerks and slows, give more rev next time as the engine rpm wasn’t fast enough.
6. If your bike gives a forward jerk, indicates you’ve over rev the bike, don’t rev it as much next time.

Once again the sequence goes like this. Brake – Hold clutch – Downshift – Blip/rev – Release clutch. Blipping throttle will take time to master so practice it. The more you practice the smoother and faster you’ll get.

Check out the video below where the rider blips the throttle every time he downshifts to match the rev / speed.

Image Source