DLITALIEN is right when he says not too many people downshift in the middle of a corner. All your downshifting should be done in the braking area before you tip in. If you have a slipper clutch, you won't get the big rear end step-outs if you shift down too many, but if you don't have one, and you downshift a gear too much, your back wheel will step out. The further you are leaned at the time, the more luck it will take you to remain upright. (trust me on this!!) (caveat.... good technique, blipping the throttle on your downshifts will minimise/negate this situation!)
The race shift pattern (i.e. upside down, GP style) is used in racing to allow the rider to upshift whilst leaned over to the left without having to force his/her foot under the lever. It also helps you to upshift while leaned over to the right, in that you don't need to reach as far with your foot. It's obviously less important for the street, but in a race, if you can do something a tenth of a second quicker, you've only got to do it ten times to gain you a second a lap.
I've changed my street bike ('01 GSXR1000) to a race pattern, so that I could get used to it, after a lifetime of riding "conventional" bikes. I have found that the two advantages I listed above are really worthwhile on the track, and I can't find any valid reason why the "conventional" pattern is an advantage on the street, apart from being easier to explain to newbies(Click up to go up!!). Having said that, there's still plenty of racers who still use a conventional pattern, simply because they're used to it!
P.S. when I changed the Gixxer, I put a dyno label on the speedo that said "race shift" so I wouldn't forget! It took a lot of concious effort to ride before it became instinctive, and I tortured my poor bike a few times in the process. The only way it makes riding more exciting is when you screw up!!
:cheers:
