To Engine Brake Or Not To Engine Brake, That Is The Question...

[TMac]

My Meanie is broken in, and during the break-in period I was very careful not to use downshifting / engine brake to slow road speed.

I guess my question is two-fold:

1) From an engine longevity perspective, what are your thoughts on the impact of engine braking?
2) From a riding safety perspective, what are your thoughts on pros / cons?

Thx!
TMac

[800AJAY]

No expert opinion here, but I remember others say that it's not good to engine brake by downshifting. I remember the message being "use the brake, that's what it's there for" or something like that. I think it was a Bikeaholic comment.

[2WheelFun]

Hmmm...I may be off base here but I have always used down shifting on all of my bikes and as far as I can tell there have been no adverse results of that. Of course if your down shifting at high RPM'S then that may cause some pressure issues and eventual oil leakage and burning. I'm sure an expert can give us all of the details about this?

[T-man]

To quote myself as I say it often, YA GOTTA BE S***TING ME! Engine braking is definitely the way to go and it does not harm the engine, IF you use it within reason. "Within reason" is not overrevving the motor and driveline. I got 26K miles and have engine braked from day one on my 2001 1500 Classic FI and my previous 3 bikes. I also have lots of brake pad left. You have to do it right: which means blip the throttle to match engine rpm with clutch rpm at the selected downshift point. That way you don't wear out the clutch. All you are doing is using the engine as an air pump to slow the bike. The few extra revs won't hurt and the engine will actually be cooled somewhat more uniformly by the extra pumping of oil and water compared to idling with a pulled in clutch. Eventually, Kaw engineers will catch up with automotive engineers and limit fuel input even further than they do now in periods of high manifold vacuum, but still it is inconsequential in these small motors.

[Lee_2061]

Yes, it's always good advice to not do anything to over-rev your bike when breaking in.
Yes if you're Michael Schumacher and you're already redlining your engine 99% of the time, using engine braking probably isn't such a good idea.
I've engine braked on all bikes AND in my TT Quattro. Haven't had any hassles yet. Who are these scaremongers? Must be those who've only ever driven automatic transmission cars and have no idea what engine braking is. Come to think of it, I occassionally use engine braking on my automatic stationwagon as well. Haven't killed it yet. But I'm trying. LOL
There is a practical safety side to it. Decelerating with a louder engine dragging rumble helps let cagedrivers know you're coming and not to make sudden lane changes.
Hmm.... Wonder if i should take the Power Commander off and restore the popping.

[ispeed77]

Originally Posted by T-man

To quote myself as I say it often, YA GOTTA BE S***TING ME! Engine braking is definitely the way to go and it does not harm the engine, IF you use it within reason. "Within reason" is not overrevving the motor and driveline. I got 26K miles and have engine braked from day one on my 2001 1500 Classic FI and my previous 3 bikes. I also have lots of brake pad left. You have to do it right: which means blip the throttle to match engine rpm with clutch rpm at the selected downshift point. That way you don't wear out the clutch. All you are doing is using the engine as an air pump to slow the bike. The few extra revs won't hurt and the engine will actually be cooled somewhat more uniformly by the extra pumping of oil and water compared to idling with a pulled in clutch. Eventually, Kaw engineers will catch up with automotive engineers and limit fuel input even further than they do now in periods of high manifold vacuum, but still it is inconsequential in these small motors.

thanks for the info T, i was worried there for a minute that i had been doing the wrong thing all this time !

[Spok]

I downshifted from day 1 as well, never thought twice about it.

[Chromequeen]

Me too, but I guess it comes from driving semi too. Cagers would be in a world of trouble if the semi's only used their braking system instead of downshifting.

[ispeed77]

Originally Posted by Chromequeen

Me too, but I guess it comes from driving semi too. Cagers would be in a world of trouble if the semi's only used their braking system instead of downshifting.

good point, that's a scary mental picture

i wonder if i can get a jake brake on the Nomad......