Is down shifting bad for a bike when you are coming to a stop?

 

I could be completly wrong but I've always been told that not down shifting is harder on the bike

 

No if done right it's better for the bike..

 

I do it and have no problems from doing it.

 

I do it but somebody told me that i was no good for the bike.
Plus do you get a loud clanking noise when you shift up and down through all the gears?

 

I always downshift. Just make sure you are in the right speed range when you do, just like shifting up.

 

What goes up must come down........ Just make sure you're in the proper range and all is well.

You don't want to go from 4th to 2nd and dump the clutch going to fast [:@][:@]

 

haha mine clanks sucks gets annoyin i dont think its bad

down shiftin too many gears at to high if speed can lock your bike tire up,

i did it one night i was in a hurry to get home it was rainin and almost laid it over

 

Downshifting while you slow uses the engine compression to aid in braking. Saves on brake wear and keeps you more in control of th bike. Plus, it leaves you in a position to react to something if you need to accelerate back out of a situation.

One thing to think about when engine braking, though, is to engage a brake lever just enough to light the brake light. That way traffic behind you knows you're slowing. Otherwise people behind get no visual clues about your speed change. Bikes are so small that it takes longer to notice that they're getting bigger because you're gaining on them.

I ride with a friend who rides a Hornet. She's a real throttle jockey (pretty aggressive on accelarating and gets a hell of a lot closer to cars than I'm interested in). She does a lot of engine braking, too, and I've been caught out a few times catching up on her a little too quickly before I noticed she'd taken 10 mph off her speed. Just a tip from the Riders' Edge course I took last year.

 

[align=left]If you can't hear it clank from 100yards away, it might not be a Harley.[/align]