If you're cruising in third gear and see a stoplight up ahead, is there any harm in just pulling in the clutch and braking, and shifting down to first while you're stopped?
When I slow down, I tend to hit the clutch, stack the downshifts to neutral, and then pop it down to first once stopped.
But that's just me.
You want to be in the right gear for the right speed/rpm in case you need to make an evasive maneuver. Its more of a defensive riding thing then mechanical.
Scenario:
You are coming to said stoplight. There is a left turn lane to your left, middle lane (current lane) and a right turn lane to your right. You traveling up to the light is suddenly cut off by a car deciding they dont want to be in a turn lane anymore. By being in the correct gear, you have all of your bikes power and pep to squirt away. By just pulling clutch in and coasting, you are now in too high of a gear to have any useable power for an emergency situation.
But to answer your original question, no there is no harm in doing so to your bikes mechanics
The design of most motorcycle transmissions make it hard to shift when stopped.
Shift as you slow down. You need to be prepared if you need to get away.
+1
If you're in a high gear and not moving, the bikes a bit finicky when it comes to downshifting. It's not bad for it unless you FORCE it in, but it's annoying.
More importantly though, you never want to be stuck. I sit in neutral at a lot of stoplights, but I know that's bad. My strategy is to flash the brake light as someone is coming up to the light behind me. Want to make sure they see me. Once I have a car stopped behind me I relax a bit.
Trying to downshift while stopped can be problematic...when I come to a stop on the street.
• I close the throttle while in 5th or 6th and at cruising speed
•Apply Brakes
•Once the Rpm has dropped down between 1800-2000 Rpm and the bike is >still rolling<, I pull in the clutch and start Toe Tapping the shifter
Speed matching the gears and blipping the throttle is a bunch of Unneeded Drama you can save for the track. I have ridden like this for 40 years of street riding while being aware of my surroundings (scanning mirrors while slowing down also) and have never needed to sweat being in the proper gear for a get away (see underlined part) If you have to be in a certain gear by default...it sounds like you got taken by surprise (see underlined part)
EDIT: And yes, once stopped leave the bike in first, hold in the clutch...in case you need to use the Escape Route you left yourself :thumb:
CCPDYMMV :dunno_black: