Clutch ????
To clutch or not to clutch
- Thread starter opds9091
- Start date
corekneelius
Senior Member
only skip the clutching when hauling major ass
xj750_Pete
Young Rider
I clutch for 1st to 2nd to 3rd. After that no clutch. With some experimenting, I find that I make smooth upshifts when I do not pull the clutch all the way and do not completely roll off the throttle.
Ditto....Still always use clutch between first & second though, and not always on downshifts...a bit trickier to deal with sometimes, and feathering the clutch on downshifts, can help keep that back tyre from breaking traction, and locking up, or sliding.
well call me crazy apparently i'm one of the few who always uses clutch on every shift :ban:
You are freaking crazy.
Denver_FZ6
Junior Member
Yeah, +1 on that.
Or when I'm cruising on the highway and not quite sure I'm in 6th. It's easy to attempt a quick power shift just to be sure. And if I'm wrong? Well it's so smooth, only I will know.
going from light to light (street racing) i use it, but for the track with the -1 +2 you have to watch cause the front wheel lifts right up, but after that wind out and hold on ...no clutch
S
sportrider
it depends, sometimes just cruising I won't use the clutch if I'm one handing it. the same can be said if I'm getting after it, I guess it just depends on my mood
I
inkrediboy
it depends, sometimes just cruising I won't use the clutch if I'm one handing it. the same can be said if I'm getting after it, I guess it just depends on my mood
I play around with this every now and then, mainly when accelerating from freeway on ramps to the highway - but find myself concentrating on clutchless shifting more than just quick shifting with the handle.
The R1's we ride have a really nice, smooth and easy squeeze - without using the clutch I get caught up thinking about tach revs instead of power that's needed for a given situation.
Can't quite to seem unlearn myself from the reflex of clutching.
blkparade
Member
I must be opposite crazy? Ever since I read the thread about being able to go up without using the clutch lever, i rarely use it after second. It is still harmless right? I second the checking sixth on the expressway move. Thought maybe I was the only guy who needed to pull that move...:thumbup: As they say once you go up without the clutch you never go back.....
FUseaKU
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Well you can call me crazy as well... I didn't know if was okay to shift with the clutch... But I guess I just never really thought about it cause I know you can shift a car/truck without using the clutch. Oh well... maybe I'll try this.
i might be wrong but one of the reasons we can shift without the clutch cause it's a wet one.
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I'm another crazy one then, I always use the clutch.
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Thats why I got a gear indicator.........I,m stupid , lol
greenthumb
Junior Member
sorry for the long winded respose but it appears many people do not realise why they can shift without the clutch.
the ability to clutchless shift has nothing to do with the clutch, but rather the transmission itself. more specifically as to how each gear engages.
you cannot compare it to your average car either.
a normal car uses a syncronised or 'syncromesh' transmission which uses the friction of a bronze ring to match the speeds of internal parts as you shift.
a motorcyle uses a dog clutch type transmission. this type allows engagemant of gears at mismatched speeds and is what permits you to shift whithout the clutch. the downside to this type of transmission is that it does cause signifigant shockloading of the drivetrain as you shift, which is bad, but is inharent with this type of transmission. many things have been enginered around this.
first off the rotating inertia of a motorcycle engine is relatively quite low. our transmission has straight cut gears which are stronger than helical cut gears like you would find in your car. we also use a sequential shifter, making it impossible to skip gears and and have extremely mismatched internal speeds. the chain and the rubber block in the rear hub act as a big shock absorber to reduce stress.
a motorcyle like ours has been engineered to be able to shift without the clutch. no doubt doing so causes more stress to the parts and the mfg. probably doesnt recomend doing so, but given the track record of modern motorcycles, they seem to do it reliably.
using excessive force on the shifter, and changing gears while under high power is very bad though. a blip of the throttle and light pressure on the shifter is all that is needed.
the ability to clutchless shift has nothing to do with the clutch, but rather the transmission itself. more specifically as to how each gear engages.
you cannot compare it to your average car either.
a normal car uses a syncronised or 'syncromesh' transmission which uses the friction of a bronze ring to match the speeds of internal parts as you shift.
a motorcyle uses a dog clutch type transmission. this type allows engagemant of gears at mismatched speeds and is what permits you to shift whithout the clutch. the downside to this type of transmission is that it does cause signifigant shockloading of the drivetrain as you shift, which is bad, but is inharent with this type of transmission. many things have been enginered around this.
first off the rotating inertia of a motorcycle engine is relatively quite low. our transmission has straight cut gears which are stronger than helical cut gears like you would find in your car. we also use a sequential shifter, making it impossible to skip gears and and have extremely mismatched internal speeds. the chain and the rubber block in the rear hub act as a big shock absorber to reduce stress.
a motorcyle like ours has been engineered to be able to shift without the clutch. no doubt doing so causes more stress to the parts and the mfg. probably doesnt recomend doing so, but given the track record of modern motorcycles, they seem to do it reliably.
using excessive force on the shifter, and changing gears while under high power is very bad though. a blip of the throttle and light pressure on the shifter is all that is needed.
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The only time ive used the clutch since i got the bike at 0miles is for first gear. Once you get the hang of clutchless you will never go back
Doorag
Senior Member
I always use it between 1st and 2nd but not a lot after that - unless - I have a pillion. It doesn't seem to like clutchless shifting very much with the additional weight.
I never use the clutch to check if I'm in 6th gear. I get lost in the gears when I'm merging on the freeway, so instead of pulling in the clutch I just put a little load on the shifter and roll off the gas just a smidge.
Any other time I use the clutch because the book says so. I'm not the one to break rules.
Any other time I use the clutch because the book says so. I'm not the one to break rules.
Wh0M3
Junior Member
I like to use my clutch for all the gears, I have done the clutchless shift before and it works fine. I've even read about it in a motorcycle mag about how to do it and that it works really nice.
I've done the same in a car before when the clutch went out, however my timing wasn't so good all the time and I ended up taking a chunk out of the input shaft I've always wondered what would happen with a motorcycle if you were to do this as a habit. I guess I didn't know the difference between the two types of trannys and figured if your timing was good you wouldn't do damage but not knowing the correct timing would cause damage.
Good to know.
I've done the same in a car before when the clutch went out, however my timing wasn't so good all the time and I ended up taking a chunk out of the input shaft
I've always wondered what would happen with a motorcycle if you were to do this as a habit. I guess I didn't know the difference between the two types of trannys and figured if your timing was good you wouldn't do damage but not knowing the correct timing would cause damage. Good to know.
