Road vs Race Shift: The Differences, and Which is Better?

[@2000hondaboy]

I changed to race shift 3 years ago, after 20 + years in road shift. I thought it would be a challenge, but realised it was easy to adapt. The thought process i used was head down, gear down. head up, gear up. I prefer it, i find it better control,.

[@peterdavis7808]

Glad I read your comment, doing my first race school/track day this coming weekend and bike is already set up for race shift, should be easier with your head down/ head up routine

[@douglasw4082]

I did the same for this season after 4 years of normal shift. I Love it. I find it easier and more clean shifting.

[@bxbank]

Hey, I probably would say head down, shift down ...that may refer better to the foot movement, not the gear to go to. :)

[@orivaes716]

Started doing so my first trackday this year after 7 years of riding, I thought it would be a bit difficult and would mess things up. I don't think I've ever did a wrong shift, once you start you're just into it. And going to my road bike or my friends trackbike with road shift was no hustle either. You start and you just go with it. I prefer it as well really

[@AlexisOGrekos]

Haha true, these kinds of chnages are very easy to adapt to even though the thought confuses us. For the record I myself had to change the driving style of my car from left to right for a week because of a trip to England and it was a matter of an hour to fully adapt to the system.

[@chrisgiroux1557]

It is also much easier to tap the lever down when you hit redline than it it to pull it up when at full throttle

[@sumitairon7756]

Very true. For this reason only I chose cruiser bike with both heel toe shift lever rather than adventure bike with only toe shifter

[@King88_8]

Once switched, it feels more comfortable. All my bikes, road and track, now feature race/reverse shift. Levering up 3-5 gears on track is not as easy as going down however I dont get my foot jammed under the lever on left turns, which was my primary reason to change. Your foot is also more often on the lever, so if anything goes wrong, youre not stuck with a foot on a peg and under a lever

[@Stickman4401]

I found that GP Shift gave me, and my big feet, an advantage upshifting when leaned over in left hand turns. Using Road Shift my toes would drag on the road when I tried to get them under the lever wearing my boot prematurely. Switching to GP Shift pattern stopped this issue. It did take a few weekends to adapt. But, I've found the effort worth it!

[@WolfPaul]

you shouldn't shift in the middle of the curve

[@matthewrosado8585]

I was going to say the same thing, when getting ready for a shift mid turn, my foot under the shifter, my shoe drags on the road. No GP Shift yet.

[@KristianKumpula]

This video prompted me to try out the race shift pattern since I hadn't realized how simple it is to make the modification until I watched this video. Shifting definitely feels better this way. I think part of the reason for that is that when I shift with the race pattern, my left foot and right wrist simultanously make an identical motion. When I upshift my right wrist makes a downward motion to roll off the throttle and when I downshift my right wrist makes an upward motion to blip the throttle for the rev match. Also, when doing clutchless upshifts, applying the correct amount of pressure for preloading and for the gear shift itself feels easier this way.

[@dcblxvi4184]

While upshifting, in a “race shift pattern”, I feel like my body is pushing the front wheel back onto the ground. I think this is a good thing on a corner exit.

[@larryward3876]

exactly correct

[@matthewmosca3984]

Thanks for the unbiased review. There are pros and cons to both styles. I will be sticking with standard shift myself.

[@cjeam9199]

I don’t ride bikes. But gp shifting has always seemed more logical to me. As you’re accelerating and tucked in surely it’s easier to press down.

[@larryward3876]

correct

[@CSIICoatings]

We call it GP shift here in the States. I found GP shift very desirable on low powered bikes combined with a quick shifter. Being able to be wide open throttle and pushing down on the pedal to up shift means increasing speed very fast out of the turns. I had this on my RC390.

[@sicxdgixxd6326]

Switched a few months ago, it was ridiculously easy, a little getting use to but I love it

[@MrJesus100]

Great video. I learned to ride on a bike that was set up in race shift so I’ve always changed mine to that since it’s what i’m used to and comfortable with. Yes I have riden road shift and it isn’t bad either just prefer the way I learned it is quicker in upshifting and downshifting isn’t slow if your used to it

[@larryward3876]

you have completely missed the reason for what is now called race shift. The reasons have very little to do with cornering and came about years before bikes were leant over at such angles due to advanced tyre technology. the reasons are it is far easier to change up gears by clicking down when you are flat on the tank also as you sit up to brake before a corner you will find it easier to just bring the lever up as well in one movement. also when the front of the bike goes light under acceleration the last thing you want is to pull up on a lever this only exasperates the motion .so in this way its more mechanically correct to push down on the lever to select a higher gear to prevent the front wheel becoming air bourn and thus slowing forward momentum. i have this pattern on all my bikes since the sixtys for the reasons stated above.

[@gmakcon]

The only problem is flicking between your race bike and a road bike. Can get really messy

[@yondaimehokage2281]

wow I never knew that you can change the shift pattern lol

[@fcpcs649]

I have size 12 feet and so race shift is simply more comfortable on getting up to 6th when I'm trying to be as small as possible on the bike so it means I can go faster. I'm upright when trying to hook my big feet under the leaver

[@JacobAlheid]

I've been thinking about it because I almost have to lift my whole knee to get under the shifter at my size... I think you just convinced me.

[@mxer4life25]

Jacob Alheid just be extremely careful. I've met a few people who have crashed after switching to gp shift because they accidentally shifted down instead of up. Didn't hurt their bikes but it did hurt them.

[@gizaha]

The challenge is not adapting to the race pattern, but not to be confuzed later in road pattern in a critical situation. Even a single reversed downshift may affect braking in a fatal way. Especially if you ride 2 bikes with different pattern.

[@Dstructeur1]

Reversed shift all the way for me! As I’m Bigfoot incarnation (US12 for my shoes I think, Euro 46/47), my foot was always hitting the ground when upshifiting on left lean-angle, even on calm road riding. I calibrated my muscle memory in less than a day and had many hairy moments when taking somebody else’s bikes! Also, for racing 2 strokes, it helps with shitty gearbox that often get mad and doesn’t let you engage higher gears!

[@biketwat825]

I switched to race shift when I started track riding and although it takes a bit of getting used to, its far more efficient in my view. I don't see how Schwantz could say there was only one corner on the race calendar that would have been assisted by GP shift as I was finding it virtually impossible to to change up coming out of a right handers while hanging off the inside of the bike using road shift. I have now converted all my road bikes to race shift as switching between the 2 is a pain in the arse and can lead to some hairy moments!!

[@LifeatLean]

I would guess after years of practise and a more flexible bike setup meant it wasn't as big an issue for him.

[@jamesbitetto6040]

You explained that very well and I am glad that you mentioned that you have a little learning curve. I have a Supercharged HD V Rod Muscle with many mods however, I greatly appreciate and respect your racing knowledge. I am a drag racer and have been riding too many years on the street where the track is the only place to beat the Suzuki Boosters. I am fortunate enough to live close to the beach where there isn't any side roads. With age you gain wisdom and knowledge and to my knowledge, I haven't seen any rabbits or seagulls at the track which could ruin your day. Oh, my Cousin in Kansas ran into a deer and by the grace of God, he survived. I don't remember seeing deers running across the race track. Thank you for doing a great job with explaining things that even an old dog can learn. Actually, I am only 25 but my body is older. MY wife is so much younger and apparently, she gave me the title of " Old Man" which is extremely disrespectful. I that God for every day our creator has given to me. My point is do what you love no matter your age or what l the stereotypes have to say.

[@brettsampson77]

Another gain of the raceshift in my experience is I used to get sore toes changing up in anger but a lot easier tapping a higher gear, less stress on lever bringing up on downshift! Having said that now I just ride road bikes I keep to road shift! Reason is it's easy to learn raceshift but a lot harder to revert back which results in some awkward moments! Hope this made sense!?

[@LifeatLean]

It certainly did, Brett. Thanks for you input :)

[@markb3480]

after single geared bikes from the age of 5 to 9 and then using road shift style in daily life and racing when i tried the race shift technique and spending time to get used to it the data showed that the only gains were in fractions of tenths going up through the gears mainly under hard acceleration but the gains were lost in the down shift areas and i was actually very slightly slower over the lap so i have kept the road shift to keep it simple.

[@Khalid_Bin_Waleed]

I just bought a super cub and I upshift and downshift both pressing down and no clutch. Super comfy bike and so rideable.

[@raghulsc]

Set the gear lever at handle bar....very easy hand shift

[@johnadams3038]

For the road GP shift is better IMO cause when you downshift it is usually when you're just stopping and slowing down. Especially now with QS

[@muffidge]

I didn't know about this Dan. Thanks for the info. It is said "You're never too old to learn!" :-)

[@Yvan1850]

Tim Netting sometimes you can be too old man. Think about soccer, piano, gymnastics etc... but yes never too late to learn the basis, but u’ll never go pro.

[@fuzzfizz]

Learnt to ride more than 25 years ago with race shift (up shifts push foward) from my dad's old suzuki.

[@randylarock1014]

I actually found downshifting much easier with the reverse shift.

[@some_sewing_nerd]

This may sound oddly, but I think, race shift makes the most sense on small bikes, because they are fricking short geared that you have to shift a lot in corners. There were many situations where I wanted to have raceshift ion my bikes, but the manufacterer seems to see it different.

[@michaelwilliams8297]

Using the GP shift makes it much easier to preload the sifter coming off a corner. A little down pressure, a flick of the wrist and bang, your in the next gear. I've been using this pattern for almost 30 years. It is fun watching my friends try to get going on my bike the first timings they try it though...

[@mohdhuzaifahsalleh3093]

Use eace shift but modify the gear paddle to have an extension. So u still can stamp on the gear paddle to downshift. Same like a moped. Its so easy to adapt.

[@giodc8599]

Another thing about race shift is that it is quicker to upshift, even with a quickshifter. This is where you can gain some time on a straight. Downshifting on the other hand is not as critical. Also, much easier to upshift on a race pattern in corner exit when you are trying to fight the urge of the bike to throw you off the seat.

[@jeremyryan872]

Switched to reverse and I’ll never go back. With a good quick shifter it feels so fast to select a higher gear

[@chrisgiroux1557]

I started riding this year and knew about race shifting (go shifting) before I started riding... my bike was set for go shifting less than a week after I bought it and I’ll never be going back, having basically learned on go shifting I only get the benefits none of the negatives

[@SPOOKSTR]

I use road pattern. Of all the tracks I ve raced the only issue i ever had was exiting T11 at Philip Island and for that I just short shifted out of MG.

[@dan_lazaro]

Weird, my road shift pattern is the big lever for braking and shifting from the 9th gear to the 1st and the small lever for shifting fromg gear 1 to 9.

[@recklessrickey9513]

Ah, Shimano I presume My Sram uses the small lever for both up and down shifting

[@dan_lazaro]

Lol I didn't know there were people who like both motorcycles and bikes here, I assumed I'm a weirdo and everyone is one side or the other.

[@sgpwwg]

I changed to race shift as I found it easier to shift up on right and left bends and especially when full over on the left having caught my boot on the floor very heavily on my first track day. I have also found especially on long straights there was less chance of me missing the upshift and over-revving my engine as I just keep it pinned and stamp down. I now run it all the time and it became second nature and now prefer it. My option was my own solution and cost me under £20.

[@PinotNoir_]

I change from normal shift to gp shift, it's easy to adapt for me and it's easier to up shift when i redlining my bike, but it's kinda hard to downshift fast when panic braking... And After adapting to gp shift, i can still use normal shift pattern without any adaptation...

[@GixxerRider1000]

I've run both patterns in my 40+ years of riding. The conclusion I've come to is I much rather, and find more need to, just bang bang bang it down while braking and setting up for a turn then I've ever needed to shift up coming out of a turn leaned over.

[@cikyablyat1913]

Here in my country Philippines,the most common bikes are the underbones,some are fully manual and some are semi-manual.my bike is semi manual and like motogp shift but the neutral is not in the middle of 1st and 2nd gears( from neutral,all down from 1st to 4th) i really prefer this shift pattern rather than the standard road shift.i find it easier to go out faster on corners and not touchinh my foot on the road and scraping my toe,cuz underbones have just a little ground clearance (i have a size 11 feet )too big for an average filipinos.

[@CasperDawson]

I'm sticking with road-shift.

[@mgindustriesmgindustries1074]

Might be a silly question, but someone with bad ankles with reduced mobility due to foot surgery would this make it easier to ride ? I feel like I need to lift my leg a little to upshift , thinking this would help a lot

[@dougiequick1]

Race shift is way better especially with nuetral below (above) first with a special lever required to allow nuetral ,,,,because so many transmissions suck for finding nuetral

[@roklibensek8742]

There is problem when shifting up in road shift pattern with quickshifter. You can stuck between gears because there is not enough force on the shift lever.

[@dougiequick1]

What might be superior is to make it electronic and both up and down be DOWN with the computer auto selecting if it is up or down based on imu/rpm/throttle (in other words no mechanical linkage other than to a switch...a servo would do the actual throw also meaning the exact placement/spring tension and anound of lever throw could be exactly adustable to a rider's preference as none of that would any longer determine anything relative to shifitng other than making an electrical contact) ...Honestly not 100% sure but fairly certain this could work plus there could be STILL be the option to go reverse of computer by clicking up for the rare instance a computer might likely get it wrong Would be wierd and counter intuitive maybe but if perfected it would be better imho Maybe there could also be a light in helmet visor displaying either red or green glow ...red meaning it will downshit and green meaning it will upshift...as long as the throttle is pinned one is NOT going down shift and if the throttle rpm relationship is such one is NOT going to upshift ....in otherwords the computer could easily forsee the only direction of gear change the rider would ever make....meaning one direction handles everything....DOWN nudge,,,,comments? ...btw I wish they would get rid of H pattern shift in sports cars and go to motorcycle style sequential gear select via paddles....NOT talking automatic transmission just electronically shifted MANUAL transmission using motorcycle style sequential shifting via servos....would be AWESOME in a sports car ESPECIALLY with quick shifter! Just hold accelerator pedal to floor and fan the paddle throught the gears I can feel it now!!

[@rfresh5440]

Been riding for about 20 years. The straits on the track is the place i calm my selfe down and i find it much more easy to tap on the peg and just relax in my whole body. If i have to put my foot under and pull, i am using to much effort, and it gets harder to relax.

[@TommyPanigale]

Changed 3 years ago and I much prefer it. Even on my street bikes

[@HafizNordin]

I had buy a 2hd bike from friend this year, it already use the Race Shift. Can't tell witch is better.. I will try it the road shift later..

[@fernandocmag]

Wouldnt It be possible to have a shifter in the heel too? So the pilot could always push to upshift pra downshift. I'm not a biker

[@CKale-nj2az]

Just switched a day or two ago. So far love the up shift for 2-6( reason I switched was because recently I have been missing 2nd and hitting neutral with a rev of expecting 2nd, and that is damn embarrassing on the street) but having a bit of trouble on the down shift for gears 4-2. I've been riding for 20+ years so I know how shift and have never had a problem like this in the past. I have recently switched from a dual sport klr to a gsxs750 so the angle in which my feet are placed has something to do with my shifting ailment. I even switched the shifter arm on my rearsets in the hope that it would help, but to no avail. So I'm using the race or motogp style to end my mis shift into 2nd. The down shifting isn't to big of a problem for street riding because the brakes help in that department. I hope to better my down shifting in this shift pattern and keep it on this bike until my next bike. Thanks for video. ✌

[@mcid47]

GP Shift is much easier to control and offers faster upshift, and when the bike doesn't have electronics for quick-shift you can easily do a clutchless shifting as long as the bike has a close ratio gear.

[@drg111yt]

Good comparison - IMO stick to Road Shift - less to think about promoting more concentration on the road/track and less scope for dangerous down/up-shift mistakes.

[@aevans692]

I have always used road shift , but have just bought a new bike , which has been set up for the track and has track shift ... so far im not very keen on it , I will give it a few more ride outs and then maybe change it bk , when I manage to buy the standard parts .... atm not a fan

[@overdraftracing]

gee pee for mee... my first race bike came with it so i assumed that was the correct way... i changed over all my street bikes to match... turns out i could have reversed the shift to street pattern on the track bike, but by the time i figured that out a year or two later i was fully converted so i’ve never gone back... even running gp shift on my BMW R9T

[@kishored.bsingham8427]

prefer race shift pattern on my race bike.. but standard pattern on the supermoto. .. it's a nice technique to have as skill sets .. ;) nice video guys keep em coming. good job

[@rs232killer]

I'm sticking with road shift only because I don't want to worry about it if getting on an unfamiliar bike, which for me happens fairly often.

[@mrci9296]

Nice and clear video,I learned a few things, even tho I knew why people use this kind of shifting method, thank you! :)

[@mxer4life25]

I thought it would be weird to try gp shift but I realised I loved it on streetbikes. I still ride and race my dirtbike every weekend which the shift pattern can't be changed but that has never affected me at all. Though it is weird to ride streetbikes with road shift. Had to ride my dad's bike home for him once and it was really weird with the road shift

[@MisterStarQuality]

Well this explanation makes sense.

[@SuperZed2000]

I didn't see much benefit to race shift in the past, now I have a bike with up & down blipper and definitely prefer race shift pattern.

[@diabolikfreak]

Bajaj Pulsar 1st generation had race shift pattern, if I am not wrong.

[@amaximus5753]

Race shift all the way. When under hard acceleration natural forces want to push you back, so it's actually easier to push down to gear up, and under hard breaking forces want to move you forward so pull up to gear down. It's also a big advantage in mid corner to just tap down to gear up. Only reason gears are push up to gear up from the bike shops, is for noob riders. Logically it makes sense for beginners, but it's actually not good. Feels ridiculous once you adapt to GP race gearing

[@apaibirides4964]

Why not use heel toe shifter?

[@gerardo.desiderio]

I have a CBR1000 2018 with original shifter (from Honda). to change the position of the "cam" should I change the position of the rod of the bar on the pedal board?

[@ger808]

Who doesn't like it like ! Straight up baby yup yup!!

[@tarokurusu82]

I ended up needing to switch to gp pattern when I installed my Vortex rearsets on my 07 r1. The shift rod to maintain the standard pattern would not fit through the passage in the frame. Moving the shift rod to the outside of the frame to switch to gp pattern caused a weak point in the shift rod/shift spindle junction and several broken bolts. I had to purchase a Woodcraft shift spindle knuckle to finally get things working :/

[@kennethgez461]

Race Shift since my first 125cc bike :)

[@bxbank]

Downshifting problems in race is same as upshifting in standard, no? Why not just make race standard? Is there a history of how motorcycle shifting setups developed?

[@ayushh1001]

The whole ideology is good but it depends on the rider. I personally think road shifts are easy as most of us are used to it.

[@alderinerush]

Road shift it is. Don't want to mess up downshifts on a bike without slipper clutch. Also I don't need to recalibrate muscle memory.

[@Vizr]

I bought a prepped bike with GP shift. Got used to it in two sessions and never went back. Seemed easier to upshift upon a inclining right hand corner.

[@ddon1797]

@Sunyata like it or not muscle memory plays a huge role in anything you do repetitively, they guy isn't wrong last thing you should need to think coming into a corner at 150 is how to shift, it should just happen naturally ... I was riding for 2 years when I changed my rearsets and inadvertently changed it to gp... I love it, but it took me a month to not fuck up at all ... going from 3rd to 2nd when you don't expect it and going fairly quick fucks you up 😂

[@RaghavSharma-kj9go]

U deserve more subscriber very much great info

[@lozblessed8609]

Once I switched to moto gp I will NEVER go back to road shift traditional pattern. My simple experience is, when I downshift to slow down you usually use breaks in connection with gears and you usually downshift a few gears at a time because breaks help slow it down faster. But most bikers speeding up we usually go through every gear so why not make it most comfortable by just resting your foot naturally on top of the gear peddle and simple tap tap tap tap as you speed up.

[@turkishexpress]

Mat Mladin also preferred standard shift. I run standard shift both on the road and track. Never saw a benefit for GP shift at my speed level.

[@hlpang1075]

Thank you!

[@oldprophet]

I use road shift, though I did try race shift, I took to it well, you just gotta stay focused. Either way, it's ok with me.

[@bikerbrego]

I use the race shift on my daily busa

[@michaeltrumph121]

Can you change the clutch to have it on the right ?

[@scaryghetto]

Great info!

[@wileyrider5587]

I’ve ridden both. Personally prefer road over race.

[@MrDylanryan]

Most of the comments I have read are from guyswith big feet. Like me. I have always wondered why they have not developed a shifter lever for tall guys. Do they not do ergonomics on bikes. I love, love riding my baby, but it cramps my foot shifting as well. I wish I could go to Japan and show these guys, hey tall guys ride these bikes too. It’s just a matter of adjusting the pegs. That’s it.

[@plamenplamenof3567]

Love mine!!!

[@rustybeatty6567]

Has anyone ever converted a cruiser motorcycle to gp or race shifting pattern.

[@sumitairon7756]

Raceshift pattern is a natural & easier pattern. My old java had this pattern & it was a breeze. I hate today's roadshift patterns. They r a pain in the ass. It always takes much more power to shift lever up under power resulting in sore toe. It is manageable in heel toe shift levers but real pain in only toe shifters. I wish all road bikes cud come with raceshift pattern.

[@TheBoy_97]

Grear work man:) need more vlog from u guys

[@LifeatLean]

Definitely a possibility for the future, Harry 👍

[@everythingman987]

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say something CRAZY but hear me out: What if What if Race shifting was better for RACING And road shifting was better for riding on public ROADS I know, crazy right!

[@aronph1]

Why dont they have heal/toe shifters so every shift is down?

[@niv1362]

I guess it wont work on a clutch bike? Because i know some clutchless bikes that use it

[@ger808]

Course its worth the change like

[@javiervargas5978]

I learned an a bike with gp shifter and I thought it was a bit easier

[@motoscribe4111]

Very good vids.

[@eric6rock]

I wish Motocross would tap into this type of shifting I wonder what it will do

[@chiyookeynes3007]

I’m enjoying the bike so far kzbin.infoUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA My only real complaints are the brakes and the pedals. I feel like a bike designed for bigger people should have much larger pedals and more heavy duty brakes. I’ve only gotten two really good rides out of it, minimal downhill action, and the brakes feel like they’re already going out. A larger person has more momentum, so I think this wasn’t thought through very well. Also, I wear size 13-14 wide shoes. My feet cramp up on these pedals that are clearly made for smaller feet. Since I’m not a pro rider (and I don’t think many are who purchase this bike) I don’t think that the straps on the pedal are necessary at all. None of this takes away from the enjoyment I get from riding, however. I’ll just head to a bike shop to improve on a few things.

[@robertw413]

pretty sure Chris Vermeulen kept road shift as well

[@mrpatricksipai9197]

down is up and up is down.

[@theresarankin4471]

slowing down fast is more important then shifting up fast

[@derekhudson3415]

Not when you consider shifting mid or late exit cornering. Which they need their feet to be higher up so they dont drag lol

[@madscientist6843]

Didnt even know this was possible....

[@bksuresh13]

I love gp shifting.....

[@lozblessed8609]

And I don’t really care left or right or no turn. GP shifting, not having a foot under like a moonwalk dancer when accelerating is awesome. I’ll never go back to stock shifting. I will never understand why it’s not standard way of riding. -Engine reaking or trying to slow down is the most boring part while acceleration is the most exciting part of riding bikes for every single rider on earth! So why would I want to be uncomfortable with my foot in a weird ballerina position trying to upshift when gaining speed? Why not enjoy the thrill of taking off with your foot resting on the peddle as you simply focus on the road and just tap, tap, tap to gain speed instead of strain your whole leg trying to get your foot under the peddle like Michael Jackson dancing moonwalk. -Most bikers enjoy acceleration much more than breaking. So why not make acceleration more comfortable and enjoyable than engine breaking?!?!

[@EDcase1]

GP shift feels much better and more natural to me...

[@YTomi26]

I dont know, i ride an underbone.

[@patrickmtai2404]

To me road shift is more easier

[@jayandrews4807]

Unspoken benefit of gp dhift is your bike is alot hardet to steal as a bike theif isnt likely to knoe hoe to ride gp and cba to figure it out