| As a fellow novice when it comes to riding this is what i understand the answer to your question to be,i'm sure i'll be corrected if i've said anything dangerous
When you change down gear you need to give the throttle a quick twist (blip) so that the engine revs are higher when you re-engage the clutch (slowly and smoothly),this will help the rear wheel and engine to be in 'sync' and prevent locking up.
It will only usually 'lock-up' if you 'dump' the clutch when changing down a gear as the rear wheel and engine revs will try and harmonise themselves through the rear tyre and the road surface.You will become a much smoother and therefore quicker rider if you learn to try and 'blip' and feed the clutch on a downchange.
You can buy a device called a 'slipper clutch' which will smooth out the gearchange for you with alot less risk of 'locking up',people usually recommend them for track use only but alot of Duke riders use them because of the torque produced by a v-twin engine.Plus they cost about £550+.  | 
31-May-2006, 11:55 
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