Originally Posted by
Steve W.
To add info to the debate referred to by BlueKnight and BajaRon:
Most of my early cars had manual transmissions. As a younger "adult", I really enjoyed rowing through the gears, up and down. A co-worker commented on that by saying that while downshifting does add braking power and spares the brakes, it also tends to wear out the engine (not so much the gears).
I have embraced that viewpoint, but modified it a bit to fit the situation at hand. If I were coming down Mt. Washington, Pike's Peak, or any other major hill, yeah, I would definitely be downshifting to keep speed in check and spare the brakes. However, going from stoplight to stoplight in town, the brakes are not going to overheat, so I tend to use them a bit more than downshifting.
For the most part, you are not hurting anything by downshifting, as the computer will not let you shift until the revs are low enough to allow safe entry into the next gear.
One other thing to consider: do you ride alone or have a passenger? How smooth is the shifting? Since you are not controlling the clutch action, you might bonk your helmets when the downshift occurs, unless your passenger is really experienced and anticipates the shift.
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