Does not "engine breaking" harm your engine?

No. It just uses your brakes more. AFAIK. Engine braking while going fast spares the brakes, and vice versa.

Downshifting uses your engine to help slow you. As @Zaku stated, you are just using more brakes to stop.

so what do i if im on the highway doing 65, and everyone hits the breaks but not to a stop and slows down to about 30 and then pick right back up again, do you >hold clutch, brake and wait to see what happens, then downshift while slowing to whatever gear it FEELS like you should be in when they pick back up?

I was always told it was a balancing act between using up the brakes or putting more strain on the engine and transmission.

Also, if you’re using the engine/transmission to slow down then if the light turns green and there’s no one blocking your path you’re in position to nail the accelerometer and take off like Racer X.

Yes @futurelaker88…different situations do call for different actions. If you don’t have a chance to downshift when everyone around you is braking hard, then by all means forego engine deceleration and hit the brakes dude!!!!

@Zendo – but my question more is about how to start back up again, lets say i always slow down by clutching and braking, how do i know what gear to downshift to? if im in 5th gear and i slow down to 25mph, i have to downshift quickly because i cant start up again in 5th! so do i just guess and go to 2nd or 3rd? or is there a more obvious/proper way to do this? sorry if these questions seem stupid but im just starting to ride, and i have never driven a manual car either. it seems so confusing before youre used to it, but im usually a quick learner!

Once you’ve been riding or driving for a while you’ll get to know where the good spots to shift are. If the engine starts to bog down then you’re in too high a gear. If you over-rev and blow the engine then you were too low. I usually erred on being in too high a gear.

@futurelaker88 Since by now you know exactly what gear you should be in at the slower speed it is quite easy to drop down a few gears, goose her (rev the RPMs) and release the clutch, flowing right into the lower speed…

If you need to, practice this until it becomes second nature. If you drive in a crowded city like L.A., you will be doing this maneuver quite frequently.

Coasting around is dangerous. Should you suddenly need to move youll have too much preparation to undertake before you get going.

Learn to double clutch in order to downshift correctly. As you slow youll smoothly move down through the approprate gears.

If you need to go from slowing to accelerating (this happens all then time, think about it) all youll have to do is apply throttle.

Its also the only way to smoothly find yourself in the proper gear before that coming turn.

Also dowshifting without double clutching is hard on your clutch and upsets the chassis in a turn by causing sudden weight shifts from rear to front.

Double clutching a motocycle is even more complicated than double clutching a car but it will improve your riding experience and increase your safety

Engine breaking will not harm your engine any more than speeding up will. It will however decrease the life of your clutch. On the other hand using your brake to slow down will decrease the life of your breaks. It’s somewhat of a catch 22 as your clutch is more expensive to repair than your brakes, but a clutch, assuming that it’s well taken care, of may last the life of your bike or possible replaced once. Brakes will likely only last in the neighborhood of 10,000 miles. I would always downshift when coming to a stop or slowing down if only for the simple fact that if you need to maneuver quickly, there is no need to shift.

This is a motorcycle question. I am more familiar with four wheeled vehicles, so I say that in a car, one can slow down to a slow rate of speed, pop it out of gear without using the clutch, and then use the brakes to finish stopping, i.e. coming up on a light or stop sign. When needing to stop quickly or corner, simply using the clutch just enough to downshift is suitable, but you should never ride the clutch in a car as it burns up the throw-out bearing. Sitting at a stop with the clutch pushed in and the transmission in gear is foolish and will burn up your clutch quickly.

On a bike, replacing the clutch is easier and cheaper than in a car. I suggest you practice riding your motorcycle on side streets with very little traffic until you get used to the gear ratio and shift patterns and speed requirements for each gear.

When yo get really good you will learn the right engine and vehicle speeds so your synchos line up and you can downshift and upshift without the clutch! I only need the clutch to start from a standing start on a light cruise I can go all the way to fifth by just upshifting. Down shifting is the same. A light wiggle of the throttle and you can kick it down a gear. I do use the clutch when under heavy load. (Racing.) You want to be in the gear that is appropriate for the speed you are going. That way you are ready to accelerate when you need it. When you are approaching an intersection and will be turning the corner, downshift to 2nd so you can pull smoothly away without having to think about it.
In a panic stop (and for beginners, every stop is a panic stop- I’ve been there) it is easier to think “Sqeeze everething!” That will work, but won’t make you the best rider on the block.

It won’t hurt the engine at all. If anything, you reduce some of the wear and tear. I usually shift (my manual trans) into neutral as I am slowing to a stop, and leave it there until the light changes. I don’t recommend this with an automatic. However, leave the trans in gear until you’re below 30 MPH or so. On a motorcycle, you will need to be a bit more judicious about applying the rear brake. Locking it up is a bad idea, and easy to do on a wet road. That’s why it’s not a bad idea to let the engine pull you down a bit.