This must be an FZ6 thing... I just checked the FZ1 manual only to find I DO have a clutch? WTH?!?
Anyone have instructions on using this clutch thingy?
Anyone have instructions on using this clutch thingy?
Do you use your clutch?
- Thread starter dstaffx
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This must be an FZ6 thing... I just checked the FZ1 manual only to find I DO have a clutch? WTH?!?
Anyone have instructions on using this clutch thingy?
You actually read the manual ??
Thats disgraceful & an embarrassment to 'Men" the world over :BLAA:mcorvet
Junior Member
:thumbup: As this member has said i have found this works very well a lot lot smoother 3rd to 6th and blipping the throttle on the way down the box..But never 1st to 2nd going up otherwise done to many times you might find yourself picking your gears up off the road....
sandr5
Junior Member
I definitely clutch it all the time - i've been driving clutches in cars since my 14th birthday - habit? Maybe. But i like the feeling of control also LOL.
Although, it bit me in the ass one time - i got lazy when i pulled in the clutch on the bike, and i ended up killing the engine .... and dropping it.... a day before i got the frame sliders ... karma? hehe, thats what i say
Suzanne
Although, it bit me in the ass one time - i got lazy when i pulled in the clutch on the bike, and i ended up killing the engine .... and dropping it.... a day before i got the frame sliders ... karma? hehe, thats what i say
Suzanne
Johnstrat1927
Junior Member
i do it when I'm playing catch up with my liter bike riding buddies.
Pagerboy
Junior Member
I use the clutch but sometimes barely since it's such a small friction point.
g8anos
Junior Member
Most of the time I do use the clutch... Just a little though. With two fingers, I pull the lever until I reach the middle in order to barely disengaging it, preload the shift-lever with my foot and drop the throttle, slips right in...
fazed_ya
Junior Member
Weird .....kinda sounds like my honeymoon! !!!!
g8anos
Junior Member
lolroflmao!
FZ6_Dude
FZ6 Corner Carver
always use it when downshifting... however after shifting to 2nd upshifts without the clutch are based on how aggressive im riding... if im just cruising around town ill use it about half the time... if im on a spirited ride or at the track its no clutch upshifts and they are smooth and effortless... got over 20k miles and no ill affects....
Susan
That Romance Author Lady
I'm a clutcher. Mostly because I'm a follow-the-instructions-in-the-manual girl, but partly because my hubby is a mechanic, and if I wrecked my transmission, I'd never hear the end of it. Well, and if I wrecked my transmission, my bike and I would be sad.
Mostly because I'm a follow-the-instructions-in-the-manual girl, but partly because my hubby is a mechanic, and if I wrecked my transmission, I'd never hear the end of it. Well, and if I wrecked my transmission, my bike and I would be sad.
Capo79
Viking spirit
I voted sometimes. Especially when I'm cruising on the highway, with my left arm resting on the fuel tank. Light pressure on the shifter, little blip with the throttle, and the tranny shifts up smoothly. Never down, though.
scottyblumps
Keep it on 2
It depends on my mood. If I feel like going fast it is very satisfying on the upshift to not use clutch, however I never downshift without clutch or rev matching. I don't think it hurts the bike if done correctly.
opfpqgoon
Junior Member
Alright, I have read quite a few posts that seem to have portions of an explanation in them but none have them all combined.
The clutch disengages the engine from the wheels so that there is no stress on the transmission when changing gears. So naturally one can shift any time that there is no stress on the gears in the transmission.
Because the flywheel has a lower moment of inertia than the combined moment of inertia of the rear wheel and the momentum of the bike and rider, there is a brief moment of time when the throttle is dumped where the flywheel has the same torque applied as the torque on the drive sprocket. This moment is when a clutch-less shift can occur because there is no stress on either side of the transmission. If one waits too long after dumping the throttle then the rear wheel will start to exert pressure on the flywheel through the transmission and there will once again be stress on the gears.
On downshifting things are similar but pretty much in reverse. Because the flywheel has a lower moment of inertia, and because the rear wheel is the one already exerting stress on the transmission then a blip in throttle is what is needed to relieve the stress. When the throttle is briefly engaged it brings the torque exerted on the flywheel up to the level of torque that is being applied at the rear wheel, and hence the drive sprocket, once again eliminating all stress on the transmission. While this is much harder to achieve, when done properly there is no harm in up or down shifting without the clutch. If mastered then this can be done even more smoothly than when using the clutch.
just my $.02
Edit: Upon reading my own post I realized I may have sounded a bit harsh. Just trying to explain, not flaming anyone Always do what makes you feel comfortable.
The clutch disengages the engine from the wheels so that there is no stress on the transmission when changing gears. So naturally one can shift any time that there is no stress on the gears in the transmission.
Because the flywheel has a lower moment of inertia than the combined moment of inertia of the rear wheel and the momentum of the bike and rider, there is a brief moment of time when the throttle is dumped where the flywheel has the same torque applied as the torque on the drive sprocket. This moment is when a clutch-less shift can occur because there is no stress on either side of the transmission. If one waits too long after dumping the throttle then the rear wheel will start to exert pressure on the flywheel through the transmission and there will once again be stress on the gears.
On downshifting things are similar but pretty much in reverse. Because the flywheel has a lower moment of inertia, and because the rear wheel is the one already exerting stress on the transmission then a blip in throttle is what is needed to relieve the stress. When the throttle is briefly engaged it brings the torque exerted on the flywheel up to the level of torque that is being applied at the rear wheel, and hence the drive sprocket, once again eliminating all stress on the transmission. While this is much harder to achieve, when done properly there is no harm in up or down shifting without the clutch. If mastered then this can be done even more smoothly than when using the clutch.
just my $.02
Edit: Upon reading my own post I realized I may have sounded a bit harsh. Just trying to explain, not flaming anyone
Always do what makes you feel comfortable.
Last edited:
question on clutchless down shifting:
do you just put pressure on the shifter, and then blip the throttle? will it only change gear once the revs are correct like on an upshift?
do you just put pressure on the shifter, and then blip the throttle? will it only change gear once the revs are correct like on an upshift?
opfpqgoon
Junior Member
Greg, I am no expert but when I do it I pull the clutch in about 1/4-1/2 of the way, push the shift rod down, and blip the throttle a little bit all at the same time. The reason that I do it all at the same time is because I have not found a way that results in a smoother shift. If you throttle too early then you jerk the bike and if you do it too late then the engine jerks the bike as is tries to catch up to the wheel speed.
Short answer: slight clutch, down on shift lever, slight throttle blip all at the same time
Short answer: slight clutch, down on shift lever, slight throttle blip all at the same time
nsaP
Junior Member
I don't do it on my FZ6, but I have clutchless downshifted a Ninja 250 just to see if I could. The process was just:
Throttle is shut, engine braking
Revs drop to around 2-3k
Simultaneously give it a bit of gas and push down on the shifter
Keep the gas slightly open
And it just pops down and the revs jump. I haven't done this much, as there aren't many situations that it makes sense, but I wanted to see how hard it was.
I clutchless upshift the 250 from 2nd all the way up, but the 2-3 shift in it is really short. On my FZ6 I'll clutchless upshift 3-6.
yamihoe
Professional test dummy
yep, thats about how i do it too, it doesnt seem to mind it when the rpms are real low, but i dont wanna try it when the tach is anywhere above 5k
its not bad to do it with sequential transmissions, but you do it too much in a car thats not sequential, the syncro's will be GONE in a hurry, I have proof of that, my friend leased a 2011 135i and with just shy of 12,000 miles on it he has since replaced the turbo, tires, and has lost 2nd gear...all in a BRAND NEW BMW.....
its not bad to do it with sequential transmissions, but you do it too much in a car thats not sequential, the syncro's will be GONE in a hurry, I have proof of that, my friend leased a 2011 135i and with just shy of 12,000 miles on it he has since replaced the turbo, tires, and has lost 2nd gear...all in a BRAND NEW BMW.....
TaiwanTony
Junior Member
Only once didn't use the clutch when the clutch cable broke! Oh and a couple of times when I was using my left hand to scratch something haha.
akauff9
Junior Member
I used the clutch the first two years on the bike for all shifts. After much research on the topic, I decided to try clutch-less upshifting to see what all the buzz was about. The research convinced me that it does not harm the tranny..when executed properly.
WOW! What a difference! Once I got the hang of it and experienced the smoothness...I never went back! I still use the clutch for downshifting and in 1st gear of course. It just simplifies riding by having one less thing to worry about (there's already enough other things to worry about!).
It takes practice but is definitely worth it to be one with the rpm's!
WOW! What a difference! Once I got the hang of it and experienced the smoothness...I never went back! I still use the clutch for downshifting and in 1st gear of course. It just simplifies riding by having one less thing to worry about (there's already enough other things to worry about!).
It takes practice but is definitely worth it to be one with the rpm's!
