When you down shift from say 4th to 1st do you pull the clutch in and down shift without letting the clutch out with each click of the shift lever until you come to a stop or do you let the clutch out after each down shift to let the engine help slow you down. Im curious if different techniques put more stress on the primary.

 

I've always used engine breaking as much as possible as long as I've been riding anything. From dirt bikes and atvs when I was a kid to road bikes as a adult. Saves from heavy wear on the brakes and less frequent pad changes. Never had an issue engine wise do to the practice. I've actually had friends I ride with ask why they hardly ever see my brake lights. Since then I try to touch the lever enough to illuminate for the visibility but I stay off the brakes until I need to.

 

I always downshift blipping the throttle, letting the clutch out allowing the engine to assist in braking.

 

I Do most of braking by engine breaking in 40 years!

 

Depends. If I have a long coast up to a red light, I'll hold the clutch in and downshift, so if I do have to accelerate, I'll be in the right gear.

 

Depends. If I have a long coast up to a red light, I'll hold the clutch in and downshift, so if I do have to accelerate, I'll be in the right gear. If I am in traffic, I downshift, while blipping, to even revs with gears.

 

I downshift by blipping the throttle as well, letting the clutch out. Just make sure that you are low enough in rpm's when you do.

 

I also used the downshifting to help brake.

 

This is a good thread.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...r-no-blip.html

 

i've driven manual transmissions all my life. in all my vehicles i downshift down through the gears, seldom coast and go from a higher gear straight to 1st....might if i coast but thats seldom. i just had my front brake on the bike replaced at my 20000 mile service, i probably could have gone a little longer.....the back looked new according to the service folks. as mentioned on earlier earlier posts, make sure your road speed is appropriate to the gear you're gonna go in.....can be a little surprising if you're not.