Clutchless Gears

[Noggin]

Is changing up gears, not using the clutch safe?

Its just that I did it today by accident and it seemed alright, just wondering if its safe is all!!


Craig G(Noggin)
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Current bike: kawasaki zx12r 2002
Track bike: yamaha r6 1998
Old Bike: honda NSR 125 1998

[Flip]

I wouldn't make a habbit of it, the clutch is there for a reason dude!

[mr jamez]

Well the clutch is there for a reason, It would probably mash the gearbox?. However on cars you can change gear without the clutch at the right RPM perfectly, but don't know if that is all cars and if it applies to bikes

[Slinn84]

it might be safe yeah, but i cant see it doing your clutch or gear box any good, the whole point of pulling your clutch in is so that it disconnects your engine from your gear box so that you can change gear easily, it all relies on friction, if you dont pull your clutch leaver in then there is way too much friction and you could end up burning your clutch out, very expensive and it smells disgusting whem it does burn out.

i've done it myself a few times as i'm sure everyone else has when you panic and change down a gear then realise after that you dint pull your leaver in lol

[Noggin]

I just heard that some people on sport bikes do it, any help G?


Craig G(Noggin)
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Current bike: kawasaki zx12r 2002
Track bike: yamaha r6 1998
Old Bike: honda NSR 125 1998

[MarJay]

it won't do ANY harm to your gearbox in ANY WAY as long as its done properly. Clutchless changes are the fastest way to change gear while accelerating. Perceived wisdom is that you must always use the clutch for downchanges. Basically to do a clutchless upchange you must be accelerating hard in a gear. Put upward pressure on your gear lever with your toe as if you are going to change gear (and hold it until you have done the next part). Don't touch the clutch, and simply knock off the throttle and back on again in one short sharp motion. This should snick the lever up into the next gear. Now you must release pressure on the gearlever.

Simple eh? If you find that its clunking into gear, try being shorter and sharper with your throttle motion, or try starting from higher revs. On the whole it is proabably better not to use this method to change from first to second, because you need to be going some to make it work, and there is a longer distance between these gears.

HTH!
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Changing gear without the clutch (at least changing up a gear) should not cause a problem. Yes it might give the gearbox a marginally harder life, but the difference is only marginal.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Noggin]

Cheers guys, need to start practicing that,



Craig G(Noggin)
____________________
Current bike: kawasaki zx12r 2002
Track bike: yamaha r6 1998
Old Bike: honda NSR 125 1998

[Keith]

i was rather curious about that too
someone told me it can loosen some bolts on the clutch plates
i don't know, either way, i only ever do it by accident

think i might learn that technique myself for racing boy racers from a green light lol
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Aprilia RSV Mille R Edwards Replica - Aprilia RS250 - Suzuki GSXR600 Supersport Race Bike

[Hex]

[hush]

I up'd without the clutch a few days ago by accident, and thought it changed very smooth, but thought that'll be something to avoid. I'm glad to hear that it is an accepted method, and will certainly be making practice of that, especially down the dual carriage-way

Thanks guys

[Noggin]

I've been practicing it, and it seems to workl fine, I just made sure that I haven't done it between 1st and 2nd, and all the other gears work brilliantly, cheers guys!


Craig G(Noggin)
____________________
Current bike: kawasaki zx12r 2002
Track bike: yamaha r6 1998
Old Bike: honda NSR 125 1998

[mr.z]

I think it depends on the gearbox + engine torque e.t.c. really..

After working out how to do it on my old cg i rarely used the clutch! (up the box) going down was a little more tricky kind of had to blip the throttle to go down couldn't be bothered as was too busy trying to make the brakes do something!
The cx (allot bigger and allot older) the trick won't work anywhere near as well and down changes forget it! up changes are not too bad but the revs have to be exactly right or it will go nowhere!

If yours seems to work then its nice to use this technique (its more or less expected by some advanced car examiners and possibly bikes) makes accelerating that little bit faster (or did on the cg).
But at the end of the day if your not sure clutch pads are ALLOT cheeper to replace than a gear box, messing it up could not only have you off the bike but will cost you allot of money to replace a mashed box (something like £500 for a cg gearbox :O )

**** one uuseful (sort of related) thing is to give the throttle a little blip when changing down the gears (when uusingthe clutch of course) this matches the engine speed closer to the speed the final drive/wheel is going and makes your bikes life a little easyer also reduces the risk of you loosing the rear through over enthusiastic change down, try practicing on a quiet road not when you coming up to a junction! it also sounds cool when your doing it right
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[Kickstart]

[Dinga]

All the clutch does in any engine is match the speed the wheels are going to the speed the engine is going, when you change without using the clutch (when you knock of the throttle and back on) it will slip in when the two speeds are matched. I do it in my car when driving home from work late at night, something to keep me amused.

[mr.z]