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help shifting?


Steve Butters

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ok...i rode a street bike for the first time the other day, and WOW was it different from my dirtbike...

anyways, i was telling my buddy that while shifting gears, i could put it into the next gear and just let the clutch go and it was still smooth, almost like i dont even need the clutch after im moving...i know the clutch isnt slipping or anything, its in good condition i can tell from when im moving slow

he then told me that he was always taught after youre moving, you dont need the clutch to shift, just let out the gas, put it into the next gear, and then youre good to go...only use clutch to downshift or stop...

he says doing it that way is less wear on clutch

to me it seems like that would be hard on the trans

someone tell me how im supposed to shift on a streetbike? its my first bike and i cant afford to fix it if i break it... bike is a 97 vmax if that matters at all

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It's a quick, almost intuitive action. Very briefly cut the throttle while grabbing another gear. The more you think about it, the sloppier the shift. A motorcycle transmission is just like a Formula One transmission. Rounded pegs connect into the sides of the gears. It's very rugged and makes for instant gear changes. It doesn't ruin or even hurt the trans. What does hurt the trans is when you don't get a full shift.

I usually grab the clutch just because it's so programed-in.

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you CAN easily upshift without the clutch. you can downshift without it too, but its a lot rougher lol.

as for whether you SHOULD? i use the clutch always. but hey, its your bike do whatever you want :)

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Do yourself a favor and use the clutch. Or get rid of the max and get the new FJR.

You WILL cause irregular wear if you are constantly shifting without using the clutch.

i was told using the clutch is bad lol...guess the guy who told me doesnt really know that well...

ive only rode this bike one time, and it was to the gas station to put gas in it...like .5miles

i just wanted to make sure im doing it right before i start riding...i thought it was odd when he told me to not use the clutch

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i just bring the bike up to about 4500-6k and let off the gas alittle then up shift, u will find the sweet spot for ur bike just normal driving to high in first gear it kinda jerks/jumps or slip's it in neutral but u will get the hang of it after awhile u will forget about the hole thing and u will not even relize ur up shifting with out the clutch and driving smooth but good luck ride safe

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I'm going to read the article MrMako posted, but...

If a motorcycle didn't need the clutch, they wouldn't have put one on there.

Shifting without a clutch is best done at moments when there is no load on the transmission.

I've dismantled and repaired enough motorcycle transmissions to know where the damage is done from shifting without a clutch.

If it's not done right, (with or without the clutch used) and it clunks or jerks when shifting, then the transmission is subjected to irregular wear patterns. Granted that the more modern transmissions are designed much better, and can avoid some of this damage.

But basically, if you shift without the clutch, eventually the way the motorcycle shifts will change from a botched shift. Usually it's felt as a difference right at the shift lever itself. Usually it will go away as more shifting is done smoothly. Any bad shift, with or without the clutch, can result in a "funky shifting feeling", that will wear off over time. If it doesn't, the damage is permanent. Crashing on the shift lever can cause internal damage also.

Yes, I shift without the clutch, when I want to, without even thinking about it, if I need to. It is a skill worth learning.

edit: But I primarily use the clutch in everyday riding.

Note: clunking into first from neutral doesn't count as a clunk on a Honda. :D

Edited by ReconRat
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in first gear it kinda jerks/jumps

If I'm hauling ass WOT in every gear, I use the clutch from 1st to 2nd because 1st to 2nd is HARSH/ROUGH. All other gears from 2nd on, I LOVE going clutchless because it's faster and smoother when I have the throttle pinned back. Always preload the shifter too with your foot before every upshift.

Regular riding not under full load use the clutch.:)

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If your transmission is 'clunking' during your clutchless up shifts then you are doing it wrong.
if its shifts like a dump truck yours doing it wrong.....

Mine don't, then again you all don't have much power though. Shifting outta first gear with the shifter preloaded on my bike you better hold the fuck on. 2nd gear on is smooth.

Edited by NinjaNick
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I only use the clutch to downshift and to go from 1st to 2nd gear. I go clutchless the majority of the time for all other gears. I have been doing this for a long time and never had a problem on any bikes. On hard acceleration I also go clutchless from 1st to 2nd no problems. Very smooth shifts at any rpm and any speed.

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I was experimenting today with shifting without the clutch on my 110 mile ride. I found it smooth most of the time, I jsut need to work on how much to let off the throttle, under different loads, to get the feel right. It seems the higher I let the RPM's get, the less I need to let off the throttle. It went pretty well, especially going into 6th gear.

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You really shouldn't be doing it under 'typical' or city riding conditions. Not saying you are going to hurt anything but it's kind of pointless when all you're doing is upsetting the bike's geometry at those speeds.

I was only doing it to learn how, and mainly in cornering, or coming out of corners anyway. Also, my left wrist was hurting yesterday (carpal tunnel maybe?) and this made it easier on me! I'm nit going to make a habit of clutchless shifting, just make sure that I know how to do it for when it would be beneficial to use the skill!

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  • 1 month later...

You can shift a car without a clutch too. On upshifts you let off the gas and pull the stick into neutral, wait for the rpms to drop to match the next gear, then apply a little pressure to the shifter into the next gear. If you do it right it pops into gear with no harshness.

On downshifts you have to blip the throttle to bring the RPMs up. Again, just pullit out of gear, blip the gas then apply pressure on the shifter towards the next gear.

You have to know how far apart the gears are in RPM when you're first starting out, but after time you just get used to it. 1-2 is about 1500rpm, 4-5 is only 500.

Do I do this all the time? Heck no. It's a cute little party trick, but for regular driving I just use the clutch instead. I *DO* blip the throttle on downshifts while using the clutch, though, to reduce the rpm diff between the flywheel and clutch thereby reducing clutch wear.

Same with the bike. I always use the clutch, and I blip the throttle to smooth out downshifts. I ride a cruiser, though, so I'm never anywhere near the performance limits of the bike. If you're pushing the envelope around the track on a sport bike then your shifting and weight transfer/balance characteristics are different than mine need to be.

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