[Scooter01]

I have had my bike now for 4 months now, and we have put almost 9K miles on it.

I have some questions about shifting, even after all these miles I seem to struggle. I watched DooKoo's video at the track and I noticed that he does not rev up the engine at all on downshifts.
My older Yamaha Seca this was pretty much mandatory to help it shift down the rpms had to come up.
I still do this on my wing, it does shift hard, just like the other threads that I have read but this just the way the bike is I guess.
is a bad practice? Should I just drop it in the lower gears without revving the bike up?
Also, pulling in the clutch, do you guys pull the handle all the way in the bar or just a little pass half way when you feel the clutch dis engage? I am pretty good rider but still need some improvement.
I find that riding techniques is very different two up than when alone. When no one s around I am smooooooooooooooth as silk

Comments, Suggestions?

 

[budoka]

Scooter, I'm no racer like Dookoo, but I've only ever ridden one bike that didn't like a blip of throttle on downshifts, and that was the Beemer I rode in Ireland. The fuel map on the efi just couldn't contend with rapid throttle blips and it made the bike stumble every time I tried it. I find a quick blip on the throttle smooths out the engagement when you release the clutch lever when downshifting, but it's a question of how much you rev and deft handling of the clutch. When upshifting, Wings do best in the mid rpm ranges (staying in the torque curve as Dookoo mentione in his track post) and they will shift real smooth with enough practice if you 'short shift' in the lower rev ranges (3k and below); not my cup of tea since I like letting the engine 'breathe' and like the sportier feel of the higher revs. Riders that complain that GLs don't have "character" have never taken the time to really get to know their sweet spots and practice/polish techniques that really make them a joy to ride.