[patrick_777]

I went out and worked on this today, and WW explained it pretty well.

Upshifting is seamless on the GZ and I catch myself clutchlessly shifting up all the time. The trick to downshifting, however, is to think about what the rpm will be when you shift into a lower gear. You really have to match the speed with the timing of the shift, while keeping pressure on the shift lever with your foot. When it feels like it really wants to slip into gear, slightly close and then snap open the throttle as you're keeping pressure on the shifter, this will cause the engine to slip out of the upper gear (when you close the throttle), rev up while the bike is in between gears (as you snap open the throttle) and catch the lower gear at its preferred rpm.

The engine doesn't have the horsepower to wheelie or throw you, but if you're not ready for it, the back tire can skip as the engine grabs the lower gear (first is bad about this, but second can do it if you're not careful).

Stopping is tricky though. Neutral is nearly impossible to hit if you're moving at anything over walking speed. The bike however, can crawl along in first very slowly without any clutch whatsoever. It takes some work to get the feel of finding neutral, but your best bet to keep from falling is to make sure you're in first before you try to find neutral. Otherwise, you'll accidentally hit first from second and skid the back wheel.

Honestly, the hardest part to it is to try and keep your hand from instinctively using the clutch. If you've been riding very long at all, you'll have to concentrate on that in particular.

Everybody should practice this at least once. I wouldn't worry too much about damaging the engine or gears if you have good and/or fresh oil (*glares at Alan*).