Downshift Blipping

[tommyardin]

Blipping was originally done as an attempt to match the engine revs with the higher gearbox revs of the lower gear before letting the clutch out. This would put less stress on the old drive chain (not the final drive chain, but the primary drive and gearbox) which was a weakness back in the day. Little need nowadays with better engineered components and closer ratio gearboxes (we rode bikes with no more than 4 gears back in the no helmet law days).
Then.....and now......

All so true, my old Billy Bantam (BSA 175cc single pot stroker) that I passed my bike test on in 1966 only had 3 cogs and about the same power as a Kenwood Chief mixer.


The funny/scary thing about the Bantam was that if the ignition timing was out and close to TDC (Top Dead Centre) if the bike rolled back after stalling on a hill it would bump start in reverse giving 3 reverse gears, I never managed to cover anymore than about 3 foot in reverse before ending up in a heap, like the day on Guildford High Street giving much hilarity to the shoppers and passers by.
But that was in the days when you could drive up and down the High Street and Main Street in Guildford.
Oh! by the way I love the look of the Vinny.


I generally was a BSA man and loved the BSA Super Rocket and Road Rockets with their A10 650 parallel twin pot engines and remote gear boxes with a primary chain.
The pictures below are grab shots from Google Images and not my bike.


I did not take many photos then as you had to carry a foccing great big Kodak Box Brownie camera around in your pocket use up 12 or 15 frames then send them away to some obscure company up in the midlands, then wait 2 or 3 weeks to get back 5 reasonable pictures back, one my have your thumb in one bottom corner, two out of focus with a bright orange flash down one side (What the fuck did cause that?) and a lovely picture of up your own nose.