Blipping the Throttle?

[Smalls]

Alright guys, sorry for the newbie moment but I have to ask...

I have searched up and down google and I am not able to find out HOW to blip the throttle, only WHY you are suppose to. I know that it involves doing a quick rev of the engine to get the RPMs to match the gear that you are going into, but not really sure about the time frame of when this is taking place. So if you guys wouldn't mind could you post kind of a step by step on how to do this? Something like...

1)begin breaking
2)pull clutch in
3)?
4)?
..and so forth.

Thank you and again, sorry about the newbie question.

[2Big4Bike]

You got a couple of answers on the "other" forum.

[e1_ZX-9r]

I used to blip the throttle in the old days, but now that bikes have [handle]bar ends, I don't need to. My right hand finger position on the grip is as so:

index finger on brake
middle two on throttle
little finger glides on the bar end

For entering a lower speed corner at let's say 5,000 RPM riding straight forward, I brake, reduce throttle to about what would be 3K with the clutch pulled in (so just slightly open), pull the clutch and slip down a gear as speed bleeds. As each gear is selected, I let the clutch out a little to drag more speed off, resulting in the RPM to bump up slightly as the rear wheel and RPM try to match each other. The result is an easy smooth gear change to the proper gear for your corner and exit.

The best example I can use is from watching Ayrton Senna at the 1990 Mexico GP <here>. It's a similar sound and method applied to two wheels. Listen to how the engine revs at the end of the straight-aways. Smooth.

I'm no racer, but I still see guys at the track revving the throttle and they look like they know what they're doing. For street application, I don't think it's necessary.

[Shifty1]

You don't have to blip the throttle. You could also slip the clutch which is basically just letting the clutch out slowly as you decel. The goal behind of both processes is to keep the rear wheel from locking up while downshifting at high rpm and using the engine to slow the bike down. But if you really want to know how to "blip" the throttle, the basic steps are as follows:

-begin breaking (not too heavily)
-pull in clutch
-quickly rev throttle while selecting gear
-let out clutch
-do that for each downshift
-now is the time to break heavily (after selecting your gear)

It takes some getting used to because you have to have a quick wrist and, at least for me, seems a little counter-intuitive. Personally, I just slip the clutch when need be. But my bike has a slipper clutch in it so even if I don't "slip or blip", the bike usually corrects my mistake.

[Mike P]

The whole front brake while giving throttle input is out for me personally. Don't know why but I can not get passed accidentally squeezing the lever to hard as I apply gas at the same time. I've almost crashed and burned a few times while trying to master it....finally I gave up. The 14 doesn't really slip the clutch per say so I'm forced to get my shifting out of the way and then enter the corner under hard engine brake.

That's just me.

[Smalls]

I have been just slipping the clutch, just want to learn all the techniques and then go from there. My goal isn't to become a professional racer, and I simply use the bike for commuting, but it doesn't hurt to know all the different styles of riding. Thanks for the help guys!

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by 2Big4Bike

You got a couple of answers on the "other" forum.

Saw that eh? I figure, why get 1 response when i can get 20...plus, it keeps the board(s) active.

[HighRisk]

It's all practice getting the timing down and what not. Try blipping the throttle when your not braking and just going into a lower gear, I do it whenever I downshift and I think it is kind of silly not to. Once you get good at that you'll be able to do it braking (use 2 fingers on the brake).

[ezmport]

i have heard the term, but i didn't really know what it meant either. man i have been doing this since i learned to drive a manual car..... it sounds sweet when down shifting if you have exhaust it is awesome. man with my d&d's boy that shit get me hype when breaking her down gear by gear wooooowwwww

[JBearSVT]

Originally Posted by HighRisk

It's all practice getting the timing down and what not. Try blipping the throttle when your not braking and just going into a lower gear, I do it whenever I downshift and I think it is kind of silly not to. Once you get good at that you'll be able to do it braking (use 2 fingers on the brake).

Also known as "rev matching", it's suggested right in the owner's manual for less wear and tear on the drive train.

[Smalls]

Practice definitely! I'm getting better at it though so I am happy. For those who are still practicing, make sure that your throttle cables are probably adjusted or you will have a twist your wrist a lot to get it rev while braking. Thanks for the help guys!

[rrzxter]

Originally Posted by Shifty1

It takes some getting used to because you have to have a quick wrist and, at least for me, seems a little counter-intuitive. Personally, I just slip the clutch when need be. But my bike has a slipper clutch in it so even if I don't "slip or blip", the bike usually corrects my mistake.

I can't wrap my brain around rev matching with the throttle while I'm braking and shifting. I actually practiced my down shifting a lot this summer and even though I still suck at it, once in a while I would get it right and down shift through all the gears seemlessly just by slipping the clutch. It's that perfect spot when it will just slip into the next gear with no engine braking when you let the clutch out. But like you said, even if you screw up and down shift way too soon, the slipper clutch will keep the back wheel from locking up for more than a second. Gotta love the clutch for dummies! Thank you Kawi