Engine braking inducing skid
 

Does this happen to anyone else? I am used to engine braking due to my old bike having crappy brakes, but when I do so on the SH I find the rear wheel skidding. I understand that this would happen if i down shift and let the clutch out hard this would happen, but this seems to happen when I let the clutch out easy too. Any thoughts or suggestions. I'm on a PR3 in the rear with a stock shock, DMr forks.

Happens to me, but only when I first explored how high of RPM's I could let the clutch out at in decel. Just don't drop 'er into first gear and dump the clutch at 50 mph.

I find myself engine braking 75% of the time I brake, except for stopping very quickly obviously. Never had a bike that had this much engine braking capability. I have always ran my bikes through the gears in decel. This bike is just more fun to do so with.

I was going to say it's your tires, but you got decent tires. I'm pretty sure you just have to change up the way you ride man. Do you rev match?

I do my best to keep the gearing to the speed I am going. I try to run the bike between 3k to 4.5k while just cruising and don't go above 7.5k when riding "hard". I could probably do better at rev matching (assuming that it means to add some gas while going down a gear to match the revs at which the bike will want to be at in the new lower gear). This is also after the tires have warmed up, I noticed it most while trying to scrub speed for corners, but not being aggressive with letting the clutch out.

[QUOTE=KCCO;360650]I could probably do better at rev matching (assuming that it means to add some gas while going down a gear to match the revs at which the bike will want to be at in the new lower gear). (QUOTE]

That's the answer to your problem...

I'll work on that, thanks for the input, it should help setting up for corners too.

Yup, that is your problem. At the end of my post above, I was like, "wait...is this guy rev matching?" Figured that might be it haha

After some practice, you just use your ears and muscle memory in your wrist to rev match. Comes natural after a while.

Little side note, I'm kinda relearning this on my bike right now. I got a HRC quick throttle (for free!), and just installed it earlier this evening and MAN is it touchy! I just BARELY move the throttle and the RPM's jump. Honestly, it's almost to touchy. Kinda don't like it. Figured I would keep it installed for a weeknor two and if I still don't like it for street driving, then I'm switching back to stock.

Smooth and gentle with every type input or end up in the weeds. Lose the rear and get tossed, not in a fun way. Be careful!

Yeah, like they said rev matching will fix this for sure. When I first got the bike I did the same thing all the time using engine braking with a little bit of rear brake and the rear tire would lock up, once I learned how to rev match with out thinking about it I hardly ever lock up the rear any more.

+1 on the rev matching, No slipper clutch to help you out.
I'm running the PP3 and I've never had an issue with the rear skidding even with aggressive downshifting

Just remember, this is a big V twin, if you too quick on your clutch it will induce skid or vise verse when you accelerate, you will get similar effect, with that said and with the amount of torque these engines produce, it will eat up your chain and sprockets really quick as well :)

Am I the only guy who uses the throttle and no clutch to down shift? Just a quick blip while holding pressure to the next lower gear, and some timing. Works well for me since there is no slipper clutch for the Hawk.

If you mastered the gear ratio to RPM, you don't need clutch in some instances, but I would not recommend that to the average rider ;)