TO BLIP OR NOT TO BLIP?
QWith all the electronic aids now fitted to a lot of modern bikes, are skills like blipping on the down shift still worth learning or can you just rely on the bike to do it all for you?
AMotorcycles have made some huge leaps forward recently in terms of the electronics packages that are fitted as standard, and the auto blip on downshifts is a useful aid to the modern day rider.
We now take things such as quick-shifters, ABS and traction control for granted, but I’m sure there are a lot of readers who rode motorcycles before these things were developed.
Learning to blip the throttle on downshifts is a useful skill to learn. One day the electronics may not function for whatever reason. Blipping the throttle on downshifts when the clutch is pulled in matches the engine rpm to the new, lower, gear. This makes for a smoother change and when the clutch is engaged after the gear change it means that the tendency for the rear wheel to hop or for the rider to be pitched forward when the engine revolutions try to catch up with the road speed (if the throttle is not blipped on the downshift) are significantly reduced.
Blipping the throttle on downshifts can mean that when the rider becomes proficient at this skill, he doesn’t have to use the clutch on downshifts as well as upshifts.
This skill also helps the rider to stay locked onto the bike and keep his weight off the handlebars, especially on the brakes.