Engine braking: To do or not?

[Thorby]

Should engine braking be applied often through regular (non-hilly) commuting to save brake pads?  Or is this detrimental to engine or tranny?  Let's state up front that by engine breaking, I mean slowly releasing the clutch at the proper gear for the current speed, and NOT skidding the rear tire through a fast release of the clutch at, say,  1st gear at 45 mph.  As far as gas mileage, I have been doing some engine braking and getting 40 mpg.

I did a quick search and found no topics on the forum regarding this.

[seestheday]

I do it all the time, but I can't comment on if it is good for the engine or not.

[MarkPBG]

Well, since manual transmission race cars control their speed more by their throttle and gear choice, saving the brakes for hard corners, I think most manual trans equipped machinery is pretty much made for engine braking. I'm not an expert, so If i'm wrong, let the techies speak up!
That being said, I've used engine braking in all my vehicles, automatic and stick, since I was 15 and got my learners permit. I've never had to rebuild one transmission yet. (9 cars and 3 bikes)

[robs750]

No harm done as long as your not dumping the clutch at a super high RPM.

[cdaiscool]

Agreed. I drop it down to around 4k rpm when needing to slow at a light. If I'm just trying to time a light, I'll just pop it out of gear and cruise as far as I can.

[shinyribs]

If you are real aggressive with it you can slide the rear tire,so watch that,otherwise you're not really hurting anything. I do when I'm out riding hard because I feel the bike corners better under rpm's than it does just idling.Cant explain that,it just seems to make a big difference. Otherwise I don't do it all the time. Any extra rpms=added piston/ring wear/fuel consumption. IMO, I'd rather just swap brake pads.

[Lucky 1]

That is normal for manual transmission.

You should have been taught that from the very beginning.

[TOOLS1]

I use engine breaking all the time. However I did have a problem doing it on my 1960 HD XLCH Sportster. It would bend/break the primary chain tensioner. Then the chain would eat through the primary cover.
TOOLS

[Piute]

Lucky 1 wrote

That is normal for manual transmission.

You should have been taught that from the very beginning.

     YEP
  You have to be in a gear to be able to jump out and move at all times,Never heard it called engine braking but guess it could,BE READY to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN,
   Guess I'm saying I'm always in a gear that going to respond if slowing that means down shifting.

[Thorby]

All good input, I appreciate it.  Shiny's comment is particularly valuable to me since I cannot afford for my engine to break down too soon.  I am planning 4400+ mile trip (round) this Spring and that makes me particularly careful about whether or not my old '76 can handle it, so taking good care of it is a must.

So,

Brake without engine = mileage free braking for the engine and tranny while instead taxing the brake pads which are cheaper to buy and replace.

Regarding the comment about having to be in the right gear for the speed anyway, I agree, it's what the Motorcycle Safety Foundation teaches but I think being in a "ready" gear while braking is not the same as braking with the gears.  If you follow the MSF, you will brake with the pads while downshifting to match current speed all the while not letting go of the clutch.

shinyribs wrote

If you are real aggressive with it you can slide the rear tire,so watch that,otherwise you're not really hurting anything. I do when I'm out riding hard because I feel the bike corners better under rpm's than it does just idling.Cant explain that,it just seems to make a big difference. Otherwise I don't do it all the time. Any extra rpms=added piston/ring wear/fuel consumption. IMO, I'd rather just swap brake pads.

[shinyribs]

I agree with staying in some sort of gear at all times. But I dont really use the engine to slow the bike under normal riding scenarios. Both schools of thought have equally valid merit actually.

If have an o-ring chain its a non-issue since those dang things drag the bike down so much anyway 


Oh,and I'm sure your ol' 76 will be just fine

[sgtslag]

Your '76 will be fine (circled Lake Superior, two up, with full bags and trunk, in 2009, on our '79 CB750K, with a Vetter fairing -- no issues worth mentioning, bike ran superbly!).  Just be sure to change all fluids prior to the trip:  brake fluid, oil and filter, and fork fluid (Dexron ATF is affordable, at around $5/quart, clocks in at around 8W).

I would recommend a synthetic oil, as well, one with a winter weight of either 0, or 5, as 90% of engine wear takes place when the oil is cold (at start-up, it is thick, and flows poorly, causing wear).  The synthetics typically have a wider viscosity range, which means they will be thin enough to flow normally, at start-up, but they will thicken to the proper viscosity when warmed to operating temperatures.  Shell Rotella T6 is inexpensive, full synthetic (at least, close enough for government work...), and rated for motorcycle use by the Japanese folks who know, rated SM for cars, and 5W-40 (Mobil makes a synthetic 0W-40, but it is more money).  Cheers!