What is heel to toe shifting and what is it for?
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In case you’re confused about how “shifting” or “gearing” works, there is basically a trade off between the “speed” an engine can operate and the “power” it puts out. (not correct physics terms, this is for laypeople).
In “low” gears, the engine works at low speeds, but with a lot of strength, in “high” gears an engine works at high speeds but with low strength.
So when a motor cycle is accelerating from a stop it needs a lot of strength to get going, so you start in a “low” gear, as you accelerate you slowly “shift” up to higher gears since now you want speed not strength.
Manual cars do the same thing with a clutch (to disengage the gears first) and then a shifter to change to a new gear. Automatic cars do this, well, automatically. Motorcycles use a the heel and toe shifter to accomplish the same thing.
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