[Rayme]

Hey I got some question, and this is my first bike. With my car I usually shift slowly making sure not to grind any gear, but in a bike its just a "click".

So my question is..is it good / OK to quickly press in the clutch, shift , and just as fast release the clutch? (I feel the engine rocking its mounts).

The 250 has pretty short gearing and I did a little run shifting at 10 000 RPM and thought it was pretty fun to shift fast..just wondering if its all ok

 

[sn0rlax]

You can shift as fast as you want as long as you're smooth.

thats my opinion anyway. I'm no technician.

 

[b00f_R]

Hey I got some question, and this is my first bike. With my car I usually shift slowly making sure not to grind any gear, but in a bike its just a "click".

So my question is..is it good / OK to quickly press in the clutch, shift , and just as fast release the clutch? (I feel the engine rocking its mounts).

The 250 has pretty short gearing and I did a little run shifting at 10 000 RPM and thought it was pretty fun to shift fast..just wondering if its all ok

how old is the bike? run in? service? are you shifting like that in every gear (obviously the higher (and revs vs speed of bike.. eg dont be doing 40kmph and rev it out and pop it into 5th) the gear the more stress of clutch components...

too many factors to think of in my head (just thinking mechanically)

you can always get a new clutch once you blow the one in there atm

 

[Rayme]

Well I dont want to BLOW the clutch!

Its a 08 Ninja with 4500 KM.

I usually rev match when downshifting like I do in my cars, everything I try to be smooth.

 

[deviation_now]

It's not going to break your bike, but it's generally not advisable to drop your clutch since smoothness is one of the most important things in operating a motorcycle proficiently. If you want to shift quick while still being smooth, use less clutch pull. My clutch lever only moves about an inch between my upshifts.

 

[MrninjaRR]

Like what was said previously, its not going to kill the bike unless you do it abruptly....out here in japan....these guys say that they don't even use their clutch and a few of them haven't changed out anything. Then again there are a lot of great riders out here track or not! jus MO

 

[Rayme]

are you letting off on the throttle a bit between upshifts or just pulling in the clutch?

I do release the throttle.

I guess what I mean is quickly releasing the clutch lever (as soon as I shifted), instead of more slowly..as in like normal driving.

 

[aloh]

someone want to explain how only pulling the clutch a little vs all the way works?

 

[aloh]

do you know how a bike clutch works? as you pull in the lever, it expands the spaces between the clutch discs to disengage the engine from the transmission.

by "a little", it means enough to disengage the engine from the tranny. Know how when you start off from a stop you have the clutch all the way in? as you let the lever out, the bike doesn't move until you reach that engagement point... usually about the last inch or so from the end. When you pull the clutch in during a shift, you only need to pull it past that point, not all the way back to the bar.

In reality, though, you could shift a bike w/o using the clutch as the trans constantly rotates... you just need to back off the throttle between gears to relieve pressure on the drive train to do so. Using the clutch during shifts smoothes the process.

I recommend always using the clutch when up or downshifting.

I understand how a clutch works, but i was thinking it woudlnt be good for the clutch unless you pulled the clutch all the way in. When i drive manual cars i've always pressed the clutch all the way so not pulling the clutch completely on the bike is a concept I'm not used to.

thanks for the clarification

 

[b00f_R]

I understand how a clutch works, but i was thinking it woudlnt be good for the clutch unless you pulled the clutch all the way in. When i drive manual cars i've always pressed the clutch all the way so not pulling the clutch completely on the bike is a concept I'm not used to.

thanks for the clarification

just think about doing it in your car.... (i see you have a 350z)

rev it up to 5k, drop 1st, clutch in, select2nd then blip the go pedal and drop the cluch like its hot... your clutch wont last forever

just remember the clutch is a disposable item..

you dont wanna blow your motor, or your tranny... you wanna blow the clutch as they are alot cheaper to replace..

 

[aloh]

Yeah, cars and bikes work a bit different, so clutch work on bikes is not as critical as cars when it comes to shifting.

Good, smooth clutch work and rev matching becomes critical on bikes when downshifting from a high rate of speed before a corner... then, you had better be smooth and properly rev matched to not upset the bike as you just enter the corner and release the clutch to not break traction.

Its too bad I suck at rev matching on the bike. I tried it out a little and i either rev too high and it lurches or i dont rev enough and it jerks.

I haven't memorized the speeds at different rpm's at different gear's yet. More riding time will solve that!

 

[aloh]

yes, time will solve it as long as you listen to the bike. I don't do it by speed or RPM, but by feel and intuition.... besides, I don't trust myself to look down at the gauges.

Also, you don't need to be exact (but closer is preferred) as anything is better than not rev matching at all, unless you are waaaay off.

click the link in my sig.... I dare you.

*click*

Boy that looks like alot of fun. Im sure that gets you pumped to leave for work in the morning.

 

[Rayme]

Thanks for all the info.

My MSF instructor made it clear that we only need to pull the clutch a little (up until there is no friction point) to shift instead of completely grabbing the thing until it hits the handlebar, you have more control this way I suppose.

 

[ejarmol]

someone want to explain how only pulling the clutch a little vs all the way works?

our clutch doesn't disengage/engage until almost all the way out so you don't have to pull it all the way in



when i'm shifting fast i drop the throttle, pull in the clutch lever fast, shift up, then let it out immediately to the friction zone, go wide open on the throttle, and ease it out for there. this takes about half a second

 

[Slakass]

someone want to explain how only pulling the clutch a little vs all the way works?

Best answer: don't use the clutch at all. It's not even necessary on modern bikes. I often use it, mostly to help the gear engage nicely, but mostly because I find it more fun. Thus I pull the lever maybe 2cm with each shift. Sometimes I don't pull it at all. While racing motocross you never use the clutch for shifting (you do on certain corners but this has nothing to do with shifting). I especially like to use the clutch when shifting down as it seems to help keep things smooth. But try this test: start your bike in first, then shift up without using the clutch (let go the throttle while kicking up) and see how smooth it shifts. The engine doesn't mind it and neither does the transmission. Try the same going down. You'll feel a bit of a kick as you shift down. But no worries, nothing is about to crack in there.

Point is, you don't need to pull in the clutch more than a few millimiters each time you shift, if at all. And yes, shift as quickly as you can and grab a handful of throttle as quickly as you can (when the bike is at a good 8,000 rpm or more). The Ninjas have a superb transmission that doesn't require babysitting. This ain't no damn Honda. This bike will outlast you, so go have fun.

 

[Kurosaki]

Its too bad I suck at rev matching on the bike. I tried it out a little and i either rev too high and it lurches or i dont rev enough and it jerks.

I haven't memorized the speeds at different rpm's at different gear's yet. More riding time will solve that!

Practice practice practice.

I sucked at revmatching on the bike, at first. Then I was better at it. Then I thew in braking while rev matching and I sucked at that. Now I'm alot better and damn near seemless smoothe braking and downshifting while rev matching. You kinda have to separate your hand into two parts, if that makes sense?

My skill on that grew the quickest when I was on the track though where being smoothe is everything.

 

[itzstress]

the new joke in my house is.......... i walk in the house and yell " baby i finally learned how to shift" then she's like didnt you figure that out that last week... "ugh..........Yea but im getting better"