Clutchless shifts.

[Aitch]

Why? and how?

[Two Smoker]

Why? and how?

Only on the upshifts.. Its faster and nicer on the clutch (as you dont use it hehehe) but i generally only do it when riding hard on the road or racing.

[Warr]

Shifting up, Roll the throttle back and on the gear lever

Shifting down, Blip the throttle and on the gear lever

Why, Not all the time for me. I'm a bit of the old school..or ill advised?? but I think a clutch shift is easier on the drive train.
But if you are mid corner wanting to down a gear to go for it, or control it!! no clutch is WAY quicker.
So if I want to accelerate with smoother power, no clutch. Concentration levels need to be higher, cause if you get the revs wrong it wont go through.

[bugjuice]

i often shift clutchless around town up and down more out of lazyness than anything else.. no worries. Started doing it at higher speeds and engine revs, but I'm a little paranoid about turning the gearbox to mush.

It takes a little practice to get your throttle right to ease the pressure off the gearbox (that's the secret), so don't expect it to come easy. Just do it by ear, and the foot should be able to flick thru the gears easy. Don't force it, just try on with the throttle a little, not a lot (real quick blip to shift down back of a blip to shift up), and it'll come. Some bikes can be easier than others too.

As for why, around town using the clutch every two seconds can make your hand/arm ache a little, as for faster speeds, it's more of a 'I can do it' thing, but I find using the clutch in/out a little faster for gear shifting at the mo, plus higher risk of mush in yer mesh I reckon..

[Krusti]

Read once in an advanced motorcross riding article that some of the top factory riders who don't have to worry about rebuilding gearboxes between races change up from start to first corner witrhout clutch by.....throttle held full noise...upward pressure held on gear lever...when engine hits full noise power dies off enough to click through to next gear. A little hard on gears but who cares when you have a factory mechanic and backing.

[pyrocam]

clutchless shifting scares the begezus out of me. I think the gearbox is going to lockup or cause a wheel to lock up or something.

I always thought it would be better for the engine as a whole to use the clutch, I mean, thats what its there for no? Its only in (clutch) for .8s anyway?

[vifferman]

I clutchless shift quite often, and I suspect a lot of the time when I'm 'using' the clutch that it's clutchless as well, as I don't pull the lever in very far.
I sometimes downshift without the clutch, but not usually.
Either way, if you load up the gearlever with a bit of toe pressure, then back off the throttle slightly, it will snick into gear very nicely.

[MSTRS:Me]

I don't usually use the clutch on upshifts, but I do use it on downshifts. The clutch unloads the g/box, the same thing is achieved by backing off the throttle when accelerating.

[scumdog]

I don't usually use the clutch on upshifts, but I do use it on downshifts. The clutch unloads the g/box, the same thing is achieved by backing off the throttle when accelerating.

Same here but only after engine/g'box are warmed up.

Why do boy racers blip the throttle (sometimes double-blip) when changing UP?? WTF? I guess they think it sounds cool even if it is the wrong thing, (try it without using the clutch sometime) plus it makes for a slower run up through the gear - and they do it while caning the car away from the lights!!! :unsure:

[MSTRS:Me]

Why do boy racers blip the throttle (sometimes double-blip) when changing UP?? WTF? :unsure:

Cos they are tossers? Cos they grew up with tales of Grandad in the old International with the crashbox? Cos it gets them attention?

[bugjuice]

Why do boy racers blip the throttle (sometimes double-blip) when changing UP?? WTF? I guess they think it sounds cool even if it is the wrong thing, (try it without using the clutch sometime) plus it makes for a slower run up through the gear - and they do it while caning the car away from the lights!!! :unsure:

Some of the older cars without computer management and were fully maxed out sometimes had to. I used to know someone in the UK with a Capri running a V8 that put out something stupid like 400hp without NOS or turbos etc. The oil and water pump were heavily mod'd too, but they were only interested at 2,000rpm, so he had to rev it or it'd cease and die quick. If he was flooring it and changin fast all the time, he'd crash lots (and often did), so he'd have to blip the throttle all the time. I've heard of a lot of modified older cars having to do the same. I don't think it's the same for the more modern cars, so I think it's a case of 'monkey see, monkey do..'

[John]

Ever since I've being road riding I always clutchless shift, and if I'm just crusing I will give the clutch a very (re:very) small pull and slip it in, It just seems more natural to do it that way.

Is it just me or does Ghost rider double blip on downshifts on his speed triple/GSXR, sounds nice enough so he is forgiven, I cant really tell from what you see.

[scumdog]

Re. bujuices post: Use to do clutchless shifts in my 3.3 Victor and that was a while ago but still never saw a need to blip on the up-changes.

[Motu]

I doubt if there would ever be a need to blip in upshift in any car.But some of the old trucks with an aux box need to - I used to do this whole opperation clutchless....coming up on the govenor you pull the main box into neutral on the upshift,but you need to shift the aux box into low,so a blip on the throttle sees a down change in the aux,then you wait,and wait as the revs come down enough to slip the main box in the higher gear...a two handed job.I like doing this on twin stick Mirages too.

A a kid we used to go out with the drivers during school holidays when my father worked for Bonney's,over the Bombay Deviation several times a day - we used to love going in the big Inter.It had a white steering wheel and white knobs on it's two gear levers - crawling up with a truck and trailer load of sand picked up from Meremere the driver,just a little guy,would be working like crazy on the sticks - he'd hook his arm through the steering wheel and lean right over to reach the levers,his head under the dash...feet and arms working like crazy...down one gear and up another,the Inter had a 5 speed main and 4 speed aux...back when truck driver were truck drivers.

[pritch]

I did read in a "Bike" magazine article that clutchless up shifts make for a smoother ride if you have a pillion passenger. Subsequently I have tried it a few times, it works great on the open road but I have embarrassed myself in town once or twice when the change didn't quite happen according to plan.