shifting without clutch.

not hard, just push on the shifter slightly and give a few rpms.

Do you do it?

 

heard of it... referred to around here as "shifting on the fly"... been told it saves clutch, but never done it myself... I figure clutch is there for a reason

 

YEP - most of the time but only in 3rd gear and upwards.

EXCEPT don't give revs.

Load up shifter slightly and roll off throttle and back on once gear has shifted.

 

Sometimes.

 

Do it all the time from second gear up when the tendinitis acts up. It is a God sent when that happens. At times it is absolutely painful to engage the clutch. But like said before, pre load the gear lever slightly and roll off the accelerator slightly as you fully engage the next gear and it slips in as if you were using the clutch. It takes very little practice. But I have not seem to have found two people who can agree if it is harmful or not.

 

I'm an ex bike courier, and I have done clutchless shifts 10's of thousands of times without issue. The trick is to use light pressure on the shifty, and then quickly twitch the throttle. The gearbox is constant mesh, which means that you can apply as much pressure as you want to the shifter, but it won't change while there is power being transferred through the gearbox. The microsecond you drop power transfer the gearbox will shift up. And you can also down shift, using the same technique.

 

Isn't the issue here though that its more difficult to match the revs and if you get it wrong you'll lock (temporarily at least) the back wheel with the problems associated with that?

Unless you have a slipper clutch fitted that is :wink:?

 

Well, personally I have never locked up a back wheel when clutchless downshifting, although I have done so when using the clutch, and dropping a couple of gears in the one motion. I don't clutchless down or up shift when at high revs however, only from about 4k to 8k, which is my usual rev range. Be sure to have the chain adjusted correctly, and be smooth with the throttle, and it's all good. As I said, the 'box will only shift when power transfer is temporarily stopped, even if that's only for a fraction of a second. The 'box will upshift faster than you can twitch your wrist on the throttle.

 

OK I'll have a go - but if I fall off I know who to blame :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

 

DO NOT use this technique from 1st to 2nd or vice versa, as the ratio change is too high. I'd suggest you try the downshift from 4th to 3rd at about 5k. Do it under gentle decceleration and it'll be a smooth click into 3rd.

And I'm on the other side of the planet, so you can't sue me, lol...

 

I never use the clutch except for taking off from a complete stop. I've found that the gearboxes in motorcycle shift better without the clutch. There's lots of banging and grinding when trying to use the clutch to upshift, clutchless is silky smooth.

 

Two part question:

Can you?= yes, with practice

Should you?= no, it's more of a stunt than an aid to smooth riding

Shock loads to gear teeth, trans bearings, chain, sprockets, cush drive all eliminated by use of clutch. Clutch plates are expendable while transmissions are not.

First time you mis-coordinate a downshift on wet pavement, it's sure to get your attention.

Who's is such a bluudy big hurry they don't have time to use it?

 

Using the clutch is faster anyway, shifting "on the fly" means you have to wait for the rpms of the engine and transmission to match up just right before shifting, while pulling the clutch can be done at any rpm.

 

all the time but try starting without the clutch thats the tuff part...................:biggrin:

 

Did it on some smaller bikes just for fun but my VFR is too valuable to me to put addition wear and tear on the gears. The clutch is there for a reason and its always a great feeling using it to accelerate through the gears.

 

Not necessarily. Using the clutch takes your drivetrain from loaded to unloaded to loaded again. Clutchless keeps the loads more stready. I've found that using the clutch makes the gearbox clunk and pop - those are bad loads for sure. As mentioned, clutchless is silky smooth.

These are constant mesh gearboxes people, they are meant to be shifted without the clutch.

 

made to ditch clutch? yeah ok...

yeah, ok... if they were "meant" to be shifted without the clutch, they wouldn't install the clutch at all.

think about it.

Why would they build a bike that doesn't need clutch, and then install it anyway? "duh, let's add a totally unnecessary part system, just to give these guys somethin' to squeeze when they ride"... :crazy:

 

I've never done it my self but even if it's "meant" to be shifted that way you would need the clutch to start from stop.

Question for those who do. Does it cause more or less false neutrals?

 

I have never noticed it causing it.

Just remember yall, the key to this is to be gentle. Drive till you need to shift, push up on the shifter slightly, then tap the throttle.

 

The only thing I'll add to this is that ANY kind of shifting, executed properly, doesn't hurt anything. In the event that it isn't done properly, there is a chance that a small bit of a hardened steel transmission component (drive dogs) can chip off, and find its way in between a few gears or into a transmission shaft ball bearing.

I used to clutchless shift when I was younger, had better reflexes and my bikes were all bought second hand. But that was also when bikes were a lot cheaper and I didn't mind disassembling them just for the fun of it.