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A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:14 pm
by Gav
Can anyone tell me if you can speed shift on a NC30?

Re: A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:18 pm
by vfrman
If you mean a clutch-less upshift, then yes. Just roll off the throttle slightly and up you go. Even easier when you have reversed the shift pattern.

Re: A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:55 pm
by Neosophist
vfrman wrote:If you mean a clutch-less upshift, then yes. Just roll off the throttle slightly and up you go. Even easier when you have reversed the shift pattern.
I remember a discussion about clutchless shifting a while back... when somone was on about wanting to shift without the clutch to be smoother, as I usually always use the clutch. It went something like.
From your question, it sounds like you think that it is the use of the clutch that is making your shifting not smooth.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Becoming smooth in shifting requires that you learn how to use the clutch.

Shifting without using the clutch is a technique taught to racers. The purpose of it is not be smooth - its much more diffcult to be smooth without the clutch than with it. The purpose is to reduce the amount of time that your motor isn't pulling. On a typical half-mile straight on a racetrack, if you're shifting through all the gears and it takes you a quarter of a second to squeeze then release the clutch, that's 5 shifts, or a total of 1.25 seconds that your motor isn't doing anything. This is one of many techniques that racers use to be faster - but there is no particularly good reason to use this technique on the street - since your goal on the street is to be safe and to enjoy your motorcycle for as long as possible.

Even racers have to use the clutch to get rolling. And getting proficient in riding to a point where you'd want to start learning "racing technique" would mean that shifting smoothly was second nature to you. If you showed up at a race school, and you couldn't shift smoothly, they probably wouldn't even bother teaching you, but would tell you to come back when you'd learned it on your own.

Re: A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:14 pm
by Gav
What I mean is using a clutch to change up a gear but with the throttle pined

Re: A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:38 pm
by aaron0288
Erm, thought that would be obvious? It wouldnt do your engine or clutch any good though.

Why do it anyway? Seems to me like pure laziness.

Re: A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:23 pm
by Gav
I speed shift on my racing bike, I was just wondering if I can do it on the road bikes (NC30). I’m quick at changing gear but I would like to be faster that’s all

Re: A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:05 pm
by CMSMJ1
Gav wrote:What I mean is using a clutch to change up a gear but with the throttle pined
It doesn't work like that though. If you pulled the clucth in at full throttle at 13k revs it will bounce the limiter and when you drop the clutch it may slip as well which is not good for the drive and the milliseconds you think you need to save bu trying to speed up your shifting.

best bet is to kick it in and slightly lift the throttle. It takes more finesse to do it down the gears the same way but it can be done.

I use reverse pattern and it is easy to slot the gears home with the merest of lifts.

Re: A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:17 pm
by Gav
What do you mean by Reverse pattern and best bet is to kick it in and slightly lift the throttle. Can you explain it in a little more detail Plz, It’s that I don’t understand what you said that’s all

Re: A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:21 pm
by simmo
road shift = 1 down 5 up
race shift = 1 up 5 down.

if you want to keep the throttle pinned and change gear, you need to buy a quickshifter.

Re: A quick Question about Shifting

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:25 pm
by CMSMJ1
Gav wrote:What do you mean by Reverse pattern and best bet is to kick it in and slightly lift the throttle. Can you explain it in a little more detail Plz, It’s that I don’t understand what you said that’s all
I shift into first by going up on the lever, use the clutch from frist to second and then I will lift the throttle and jab the gear in and then straight back on the throttle. Using your foot on top of the lever feels miles better to me now I am used to it
and going back on a "normal" shoft is no worries as you learned with it and it is still a natural thing to do.
For a lame video where you can hear it - look at mark james NC30 cadwell on youtube.. that shifting is by lifting the throttle slightly and giving the gear lever a good stomp!
hope that makes a bit more sense?