Clutchless Shifting..

[XXXV4]

Hey all.. quick question.. does clutchless shifting damage anything? will it eventually lead to problems?

Cheers..

[Neosophist]

Depends on technique I guess.

For proper 'racing' clutchless shifting a strain gauge shifter would be best.

[karl BKK]

YES!! Some will say otherwise if you time every thing right and close the throttle etc etc.
But simply put you'll increase the likelihood of mashing something up mate, i have only done this once when my clutch cable snapped a few weeks back, wouldn't like to do it again, esp when having to knock down to first gear! :S

[Neosophist]

Theoretically at a worst case your going to damage the dogs on the gears and bend the shift forks.

However,

Worthwhile Read

Done correctly, a clutchless upshift sounds and feels like that of an electric shifter, and no, it's not abusive to the transmission; countless years of the SR staff racing their personal bikes stand witness to this. The key qualifier here is the phrase "done correctly." Fortunately this is as easy to feel as it is to learn.

All this clutch-free shifting business isn't just to impress your friends or passenger, however; there are several tangible advantages as well. As a man who earned his living (and the '93 world championship) wrestling savagely unsophisticated two-stroke GP bikes before the days of engine-management software, Schwantz is able to demonstrate that a well-executed clutchless upshift upsets the bike less than a conventional shift. In my 26 years of experience, I miss fewer shifts when I shift without using the lever on my left handlebar. Exiting right-hand corners with my body hung off to the inside (I'm talking track riding here, since, for several reasons, I do not hang off on the street), it's far easier to just snap back the throttle for an upshift than to make sure my left forearm is in position to allow my fingers to properly manipulate the clutch as well. It's simply one less thing to do, one less thing to think about and one less thing to go wrong.

We're not saying you should forget about using the clutch entirely; there are plenty of situations where it's likely to be to your advantage. But at the same time, clutchless upshifting is a skill worth learning

[duncan]

I reckon a smooth rider can do cluthless up shifts fairly easily as long as it is not first to second at low speed.I would always use the clutch on a downward change although I blip the throttle to smooth it out.Mind you I have had 30 years of experience on a 70's BMW which people(and magazine roadtests) used to say had a clunky gearbox but I disagreed.I always thought it was a matter of spacing your gearchanges out and being smooth

[XXXV4]

thanks guys great info there appreciate it..

I also have another technique when slowing down i hold the clutch at about half way and slip the clutch as i brake, and if i gently rest my foot on the shifter with slight downward pressure when the rpms and gears are all in sync it just pops down a gear and i can basically keep the bike at a steady rpm down through all the gears.. makes it alot more stable ive found.. does anyone else do something similar? mind you im new to riding (only 2 months now) so sorry if all this is common practice! :)

[XXXV4]

ps.. thanks for the read neo..!

[XXXV4]

and duncan i agree on being smooth.. im trying to iron out all the kinks.. being a learner rider. i was just surprised at how easy it was to shift clutchlessly. i have many years racing exp. in circuit cars, and have learned the value of being smooth over being reckless! (a few gearboxes didnt agree with me and decided they wanted to see the world outside the casing :) ) lol