Downshifting/"engine braking" to slow--bad on tranny??

[B kizzle]

Hey guys, I am still getting used to my GS (and bikes in general).  I was just curious how many of you downshift through the gears to slow down. Will this wear out the clutch/tranny faster? Should I just pull the clutch and use the brakes while tapping down through the gears? When I drive my car, I am more inclined to use the brakes and clutch instead of downshifting...but I was unsure how this translated to motorcycles. What about approaching a turn when you dont actually need to stop?? Sorry for such a "noob" question...I just want to treat this bike as good as possible and be safe at the same time. Thanks!!

Brian

[gsJack]

Just posted to a similar question on another forum so I'll just copy and paste here to save wear and tear on my typing finger.   

"My bike was made for shifting and that's what I do; shift up, shift down, shift all around.  <G>  I'm from the school that belives in using all three brakes all the time; front, rear, and engine.  Braking into turns while downshifting works for me, but I still do it the right way too. LOL

I always laugh at the thought that engine braking is hard on the clutch and/or tranny.  I've put 80k miles on a CB750K and 80k miles on a GS500 and have 60k plus miles on another GS500 and shifted them a zillion times without ever wearing out or damaging a clutch.  Motorcycle clutches and trannies are made for such use.

I shift and brake whenever and wherever I want too and you should too, it's your bike, use it however you want to.  Now I gotta keep doing all that shifting just so the old joints don't freeze up." 

[DoD#i]

I doubt it will wear anything out faster, but it's hardly worth the bother. Engine braking is an important technique for very long grades in any vehicle (don't want to ride the brakes for a long time), but otherwise matters far more for heavy vehicles with poorly cooled brakes - for a bike, where the discs are right out in the open and the braking capacity to weight is high, it's pointless. That is, if coming to a stop from 55, it takes less time to just yank in the clutch, smack the shifter down a bunch of times (5 if you like to count and were in 6th), and apply both brakes, all at once, than to fiddle with letting the clutch out 5 times. The rear brake can easily lock the wheel (though that is not the fastest way to stop) so no "braking power" is really added by the engine braking in that situation.

As for corners, etc, you just downshift (and brake as needed) to the point you want and then clutch out and go. If you need a lot of brake going into corners, you are perhaps riding in a manner that's not too wise on the street. Go over to "meet and greet" and read the "pace" article that's stickied on the top.

[otownrider407]

I always downshift through the gears, just out of habit.  I just try to ride as smoothly as possible (then concentrate on blasting through the twisties lol).  Whenever you're downshifting and braking for a turn make sure to match the rpms to your entry speed when letting out the clutch in your gear of choice for that corner.  As DoD and Jack said - no it won't wear out anything, just get out there and ride it and have fun 

[dgo99gs500e]

My thoughts is that if you are un sure of how you need to brake in the corners then i would say take the MSF class i just got done taking it and it is a good class for any one that has or has not ridden before and it will teach you how to ride threw the corners safer, smother and have more fun doing it just my 2 cents

[B kizzle]

My thoughts is that if you are un sure of how you need to brake in the corners then i would say take the MSF class i just got done taking it and it is a good class for any one that has or has not ridden before and it will teach you how to ride threw the corners safer, smother and have more fun doing it just my 2 cents

I just got done taking this course too and it is well worth it. The only problem is they don't really discuss higher speeds. The majority of that class, I didn't get out of second gear. I know I need to set up my proper entry speed before a turn. I just wanted opinions on the best way to get the gearing down to match that speed. I know how to "double clutch" in my car...now I just need to practice applying it to the bike and I will be set.

[nofearblackstar]

i drive a stick in my car so i am so used to double clutching to slow down that i do it with my bike without really thinking .I dont know if it helps on a bike but i know it helps from the clutch slipping in a car

[dgo99gs500e]

Glad to hear that you took the class..  For me i use a combination of both it depends on how hard i am hitting the corner and how well i know the corner.  Also the more you ride you will get more in tune with what you are comfortable doing on the bike and you will start to learn how to judge corners better and tell at what speed you can take them at. have fun and enjoy

[qwertydude]

I engine brake if only to put my mind at ease that I'm wearing the other side of the gear teeth and chain evenly with the side that get's worn under acceleration.

[B kizzle]

I engine brake if only to put my mind at ease that I'm wearing the other side of the gear teeth and chain evenly with the side that get's worn under acceleration.

That's an interesting thought process...I never really thought of that. Thanks for all the replies. I am getting a better feel for the bike each day I ride. I have been using an combination of engine braking and regular braking. I'm still somewhat slow in corners though. I don't want to get ahead of my skill level at this point.