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GP Shifting/Reverse shifting track bike

Hmmm, I took my time before switching my track bike to GP shift. The benefit I see ( for me) is mainly on the straights and being able to just bang gears with QS. I do miss being able to tap a down shift when setting up a fast corner vs having to hook my toe under the shifter and clutch a down shift (sadly no blipper on my 07 gsxr).
I also have dirt bike with normal shift. But in reality I dont shift the dirt bike that much. :)
 
As others have noted, there are benefits, but switching back and forth is tricky at first and getting it wrong could be catastrophic.

That said, you really do get used to it with practice and being deliberate with your shifts isn't a bad thing, IMHO. Jump on the next bike, switch your brain to GP shift (or vice versa), use the warm-up lap (or first couple of street miles) to solidify it, and you're all set.

Plus, it's a great skill to have if you like to trade bikes with your friends or have to borrow somebody's "B" bike for a race or track day.
 
I'm late to the party but I personally found it incredibly dangerous to have bikes with opposite shifting. A few years ago, I had a R1M track bike and an Aprilia Caponord ETC ADV bike. My R1 was GP shift but my ADV bike couldn't be converted to GP. I rode the R1 the most, both on track and on the street. I rode the ADV bike quite a bit less, so my muscle memory was set to GP.
I ended up backing my ADV bike into the Caldecott Tunnel at >70 after selecting 2nd instead of 4th. I probably would have wrecked it but for its slipper clutch and was incredibly lucky not to get rear ended. So now I don't mix shift patterns.
My personal experience was that mis-shifting didn't happen when I was making a conscious switch and paying attention, it happened when I was relaxed, cruising along -when the muscle memory takes over.
 
I just did a trackday a few days ago after not doing one for 4 years. When I raced I had my race bike set up for GP shifting while my street bikes were all left standard. It took me about two laps to get into the GP shifting groove, and then I was set. What’s more is that whenever I got onto the track I automatically switched over to GP without thinking about it; and then went right back to normal shifting when I got back on my street bike at home.

I rented a bike at the recent trackday that was set up with normal shifting. I was on a track I hadn’t ridden before, so I was busy finding my line and not trying to push at all. Being on a strange bike also had its own set of challenges. The shifting was just one more thing about the day that was different, so I took it in my stride. Oddly, once I got the hang of the line and used to the bike I was able to start pushing my vision out, which helped me pick up the pace, which helped me relax - I was now in my comfort zone and starting to cruise. It was during the second session after lunch where I perhaps got a little too cruisy and accidentally downshifted instead of upshifting, activating the slipper clutch and causing the bike to rev pretty hard. I caught it right away and corrected my mistake with two quick upshifts.

I guess I learned that when I’m comfortable with the bike and track, I revert back to racer mode, GP shifting and all.

I do believe that having a race/track bike set up this way and having street bikes left in normal pattern is fine, but having one street bike set up GP and another set up normal wouldn’t work for me. I’m either on a track or I’m not - that would confuse me.
 
ThinkFast said:
I just did a trackday a few days ago after not doing one for 4 years. When I raced I had my race bike set up for GP shifting while my street bikes were all left standard. It took me about two laps to get into the GP shifting groove, and then I was set. What’s more is that whenever I got onto the track I automatically switched over to GP without thinking about it; and then went right back to normal shifting when I got back on my street bike at home.

I rented a bike at the recent trackday that was set up with normal shifting. I was on a track I hadn’t ridden before, so I was busy finding my line and not trying to push at all. Being on a strange bike also had its own set of challenges. The shifting was just one more thing about the day that was different, so I took it in my stride. Oddly, once I got the hang of the line and used to the bike I was able to start pushing my vision out, which helped me pick up the pace, which helped me relax - I was now in my comfort zone and starting to cruise. It was during the second session after lunch where I perhaps got a little too cruisy and accidentally downshifted instead of upshifting, activating the slipper clutch and causing the bike to rev pretty hard. I caught it right away and corrected my mistake with two quick upshifts.

I guess I learned that when I’m comfortable with the bike and track, I revert back to racer mode, GP shifting and all.

I do believe that having a race/track bike set up this way and having street bikes left in normal pattern is fine, but having one street bike set up GP and another set up normal wouldn’t work for me. I’m either on a track or I’m not - that would confuse me.
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I think you are onto something with track v street. I did 2 days at American SuperCamp, in Santa Rosa on Sunday and Monday - and immediately reverted to GP shift for the first session. :LOL: Which is weird because I haven't ridden GP shift in 10 months and have never ridden GP shift on dirt. However, I was in the "racers group" and all the side-bar conversations were about tracks and racing lines - so I must have had my racer head on lol.
 
Children.

Why, back in the day, I had to switch back and forth between left foot shift bikes and right foot shift bikes. GP patterns would be nothing after setting up for a corner, banging a downshift but stomping the rear brake instead.

I survived and instant muscle memory is a real thing.
 
:afm199….and before that sometimes the chariots had two-horse teams and other times just one… :geek:

But seriously, left foot/right foot must’ve been quite a challenge. IIRC old Harley Sporties had right foot shift, didn’t they? I’ve never ridden anything like that, so I can’t imagine doing it. Amazing you could race like that. (Don’t tell me they also switched the right footers to GP as well).
 
Pushrod said:
Children.

Why, back in the day, I had to switch back and forth between left foot shift bikes and right foot shift bikes. GP patterns would be nothing after setting up for a corner, banging a downshift but stomping the rear brake instead.
Click to expand...
Or needing the brakes and stepping on the shifter instead.
 
I've gotten used to riding bikes with either pattern... although, a wrong direction shift can certainly be catastrophic!
Nowadays with a "slipper" type clutch on a bike the "catastrophe" can generally be negated.
I usually choose my "sport" bikes by whether or not I will be able to switch to "GP" direction shifting... as it's my preference for any bike that is "fast"... let's say 500cc and above it becomes more beneficial when driving hard out of corners!
 
Random thought - I have always found GP shift to be more intuitive.
For me it makes sense to press down for an upshift when accelerating hard, since that's what the acceleration is doing to your foot anyway (apart from the gynecological set-up that cruisers have). Similarly, to me it feels intuitive to pull up to downshift when braking hard. I'd much prefer to have all my bikes GP shift, but that's not possible with many, so I ended up reverting back to "stock".
 
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