Riding without clutch: Bad?

[tuscan]

My clutch cable on the FXR broke this morning on my way to uni. :disapint:

I wasn't too far from the bikeshop so I rode the couple or so k's to get there. I was just wondering how bad it is for the bike to ride without using the clutch, cos it certainly didn't feel that good...

[tuscan]

And of course I got every red traffic light on the way there

[Mongoose]

And of course I got every red traffic light on the way there

Yeah, I was about to say that its the starting that is the big problem, once mobile, specially on Jap bikes(well the ones I have had) gear cganging on the go with out the clutch is no biggy, as long as you get the revs fairly right.

[tuscan]

Yeah, I was about to say that its the starting that is the big problem, once mobile, specially on Jap bikes(well the ones I have had) gear cganging on the go with out the clutch is no biggy, as long as you get the revs fairly right.

Got the wheel about 6 inches off the ground at one stage at the lights then stalled

The downshits were most difficult and first to second pretty jerky

[Holy Roller]

While visiting a mate in Mangere Bride my XZ400 fell over breaking the clutch lever, had to ride back to Dury with out one. The only prob was starting off.... pushed it like crash starting and when I had jumped on kicked the grear lever into first. Rode it for a while like this until I got a new lever. One doesn'y really need the clutch to change gears while moving just got to get the change happening at the right time with the revs especially changing down. You will get good at finding neutral or stalling the bike at lights.

[Mongoose]

While visiting a mate in Mangere Bride my XZ400 fell over breaking the clutch lever, had to ride back to Dury with out one. The only prob was starting off.... pushed it like crash starting and when I had jumped on kicked the grear lever into first. Rode it for a while like this until I got a new lever. One doesn'y really need the clutch to change gears while moving just got to get the change happening at the right time with the revs especially changing down. You will get good at finding neutral or stalling the bike at lights.

Mush the same here HR but i just had a look at the bike involved, do you not normally have to get a few revs up in on these things a clutch ride a bit for starting? Maybe just push faster?

[Holy Roller]

Mush the same here HR but i just had a look at the bike involved, do you not normally have to get a few revs up in on these things a clutch ride a bit for starting? Maybe just push faster?

Helps to have a bit of extra weight but that slows one down on the distance to push if it needs to be repeated a few times. These days I'd proberly organise a trailer as the XV is a dog to push start.

[Hitcher]

Mr Kawasaki appears to have invented a gearbox where the only neutral you can't find while moving is the REAL neutral. Having stopped, finding neutral is a breeze. So riding around without a clutch would be a real buzz...

[Eddieb]

I had a kwaka GT550 in London that would crashstart in 1st gear off the starter motor with a very minor push in situations like that.

It proved very handy a few times.

[tuscan]

As far as starting at the lights goes, I just left the bike in first, where I had stalled it to a stop, twisted the throttle a bit then pressed the elctric start. It worked pretty good, I guess the light weight of the FXR would've helped here, but probably was a bit hard on the starter motor.

Ah well, good to hear that I wasn't absolutely rooting my gearbox with every shift. When the clutch on my car packed a sad and got stuck so it was permanently engaged every shift sounded like it was gonna rip the gearbox in half

[FROSTY:Me]

you did WHAT tuscan. To that perfect little motorbike.
Thats it --you are to be banished to your scooter if you cant show respect for your bike.
No seriously dude 4 or 5 km and most of em no doubt perfectly in gear aint a problem.
Actually it reminds me of having the same happen to me on SH16
way back in the bad old days when it wasn't sealed.
I ended up pulling the iner cable out and wrapping the end round a bit of teatree I could just pull the clutch in enough with that to get going semi normally.

[vifferman]

As far as starting at the lights goes, I just left the bike in first, where I had stalled it to a stop, twisted the throttle a bit then pressed the elctric start. It worked pretty good, I guess the light weight of the FXR would've helped here, but probably was a bit hard on the starter motor.

Ah well, good to hear that I wasn't absolutely rooting my gearbox with every shift. When the clutch on my car packed a sad and got stuck so it was permanently engaged every shift sounded like it was gonna rip the gearbox in half

Nah, it'll be OK.
At least you had the "electric start in gear" option. The only time I've been without a clutch, the bike didn't have the old "electric leg". Riding through town was ... er... interesting. Stall it (or killswitch it to death) at each light / stop sign, find neutral, kick it over, get the revs up a bit, crash it into gear, and away. Once on the move, it was OK, as I'd previously practised the clutchless changes anyway.

Handy thing is a clutch...

[tuscan]

you did WHAT tuscan. To that perfect little motorbike.
Thats it --you are to be banished to your scooter if you cant show respect for your bike.
No seriously dude 4 or 5 km and most of em no doubt perfectly in gear aint a problem.
Actually it reminds me of having the same happen to me on SH16
way back in the bad old days when it wasn't sealed.
I ended up pulling the iner cable out and wrapping the end round a bit of teatree I could just pull the clutch in enough with that to get going semi normally.

Hey Frosty

I will be making my way over tto the shore on Friday to pick up some dive gear so it would be great if I could come past your work and grab that toolkit...finally

[Motu]

Mr Kawasaki appears to have invented a gearbox where the only neutral you can't find while moving is the REAL neutral. Having stopped, finding neutral is a breeze. So riding around without a clutch would be a real buzz...

Early Kawasaki's had a gearbox where neutral could found be after 5th,then you could find 1st again - after that you had a gearbox with only neutrals! We called them a rotary gearbox and they didn't last long,anyway you look at it.My Ural,and Royal Enfields,had a neutral lever,just hit that and it went into neutral from any gear.

[FROSTY:Me]

Hey Frosty

I will be making my way over tto the shore on Friday to pick up some dive gear so it would be great if I could come past your work and grab that toolkit...finally

no worries dude-its actually sitting here now.
MOTU--ya aint gonna believe it but Alex was sent a biter (not quite a bike but more than a scooter) from china. -It had a 4 speed circular gearbox. Neatral was at the bottom -or right at the top depending on how ya see it.
Stuffing up the gearchange count is a bitch I tell ya.