I got some practice in yesterday and found that the tach helps for me to know when I’m under 5000 and in the area where I should be downshifting. I saw that at Ninja250.org and it’s a useful queue for me not to downshift too early. Also tried rolling on the throttle to mach revs which helps to be smoother but seems to make slowing for a traffic sign more complicated.
There is no substitute for practice though. I was practicing my start from a dead stop in a parking lot and started noticing that I can hear when the engine hits the friction zone. Thats the point where rolling on the throttle makes for a smooth start.
Had to emergency brake on the way home when a cage in front of me did a last minute left turn that stopped the car directly in front of me. I stopped fine but was heavier on the front brake than I would like.