Covering the clutch.

[Motu]

I do it all wrong,can't ride for shit,don't give a damn.

Last time I remember covering my clutch was Xmas 1974,actualy Xmas Day,after coming up SH16 (all gravel back then) and heading to my Uncles at Kaiwaka - I was kinda nervous with my bike.The 1950 B31 engine had a high comp piston and big carb,Gold Star cams,open exhaust,jetting carbs was unknown to me and ign timing was set with a pencil down the spark plug hole,measured with a school ruler (7/16 BTDC) and set with a cigarette paper through the points.Max speed for a B31 is 70mph - and I was cruising at that with stock gearing,I had a reason to be nervous...and yeah she locked up,but smarty pants here had his clutch covered eh.I learnt to build a motor better and don't cover my clutch anymore.

[James Deuce]

Cue non-PC joke:

I awrays cover my crutch. Is velly necessary to avoid emballasement.

Ba bump, pish!

Thank you, I'm on all night folks!

[jazbug5]

Oh, my sides.
Now, has anyone seen my stick..? The long one, with the hook in the end..?


Oh, and this here looks interesting if anyone wants to look at something dead simple (for those of us who are a bit... well, simple...)

http://www.vinkenes.com/kristian/mot...technique.html

[Mongoose]

Another one about show great hignorance on the subject, Why cover your clutch, is this a hang over from days gone by when a rear wheel lock-up was always on the cards?
I mean, do you cover the clutch in a car, or for that matter if its an auto do you always cover the brake?
As you can safely assume, as a rule, except when things dictate otherwise, ie intersection etc, I never cover either brake nor clutch

[Ms Piggy]

Another one about show great hignorance on the subject, Why cover your clutch, is this a hang over from days gone by when a rear wheel lock-up was always on the cards?
I mean, do you cover the clutch in a car, or for that matter if its an auto do you always cover the brake?
As you can safely assume, as a rule, except when things dictate otherwise, ie intersection etc, I never cover either brake nor clutch

I think it was to be ready to change down in an instant. To be honest I can't remember - which is part of the reason I asked.

[Zapf]

I actually cover my front brake all the time as well, another thing the shouting scary man at my BHS day drilled.

funny that. I actually get scolled at for covering the front brakes @ CBTA. So I make sure its not covered when he is looking

[spudchucka]

Another one about show great hignorance on the subject, Why cover your clutch, is this a hang over from days gone by when a rear wheel lock-up was always on the cards?

The TL has a nasty habit of stalling at low engine revs, which obviously causes the rear wheel to lock up. Not good mid corner! Therefore I have learnt to cover the clutch through low speed corners to avoid an embaressing low speed highside. The fuel injection is also a bit snatchy as you roll on the gas out of low speed corners so a tiny bit of clutch helps with smooth acceleration. Before owning the TL I've never found any need to cover the clutch and the only reason I can think of it being taught in BHS test is to anticipate an emergency stop at relatively low speeds.

[Ms Piggy]

I think it was to be ready to change down in an instant. To be honest I can't remember - which is part of the reason I asked.

Actually if ya look at pg.2 of this post I retracted that I realised I actually never cover my brake, possibly b/c as F5 Dave said, tiny delicate hands can't cover the brake & use the throttle.

[Paul in NZ]

This is one thing I don't like about learn by formula teaching. It assumes one method is suitable to all people and bikes.. In my experience, it's not.

I suppose 'm an old fossil but I'd rather have a basic understanding of the mechanics of what is happening under me when I start hauling on things and what (very basically) that is doing to the structure I'm depending upon..

The Guzzi is a different bike to ride fast. It has massive flywheels and thus surprisingly little engine braking. It still has it's linked brakes too which I reckon are a marvelous thing to have. True, you don't get the stop in 3' thing modern bikes have but it is dead handy on an old big wheel bike as you can use them to settle the bike and trail them miles deeper into bend without compressing the suspension too much.

Whacking on the foot brake (rear disc and front left disc) hardly moves the bike. Grab a handful of front only and she stands up ready to spear off the out side of the bend. Add in a bit of torque reaction from stuffed up gear changes and you have a complete travelling circus to play with on every ride.. More fun than a pocket full of rabid weasels ....

As for the clutch? Great massive random shallow spline thing that acts quite odd when the bike gets hot... (they all do that sir)

I lurve my bike....

[Tigger]

Cathy, as you know I too had a 'less-than-pleasant' experience with the shouty man, and to be honest, I now can't remember a damn thing he was shouting at me. Maybe there were too many.....

Anyway, I certainly can't remember being told to cover the clutch, and I don't now generally, unless I think I'm going to need it soon.

Oh, actually I do remember something.....the order of things in coming to a stop 'throttle, front, clutch, rear, gear'. He made me repeat that 10 times like a naughty schoolgirl.

[vifferman]

another thing is try free wheeling through a corner with clutch in, repeat normally and feel the difference a bike will handle heaps different without the enigne-wheel conection going on.

It's a factor of two things: the drive or deceleration (depending on whether the throttle is on or off), and more importantly, the gyroscopic effect of all that metal rotating in the engine, which provides stability in the same way that the spinning wheels do. You can use this to your advantage by blipping the throttle at very slow speeds in traffic to help balance the bike (except on bikes like Guzzis, CX500s and BMWs, where the torque effect of a logitudinal crankshaft tends to tilt the bike sideways (right-hand slap rule coming into play....)
That's why my left hand is so strong, as I spend a lot of time holding the clutch in, and them hydraulic clutches are good exercise machines...

The TL has a nasty habit of stalling at low engine revs, which obviously causes the rear wheel to lock up. Not good mid corner! Therefore I have learnt to cover the clutch through low speed corners to avoid an embaressing low speed highside. The fuel injection is also a bit snatchy as you roll on the gas out of low speed corners

This is a "big V-twin" thing. On the VTR, retuning the carbs slightly richer and upping the idle to 1300 stops the "clunk and die" phenomenon (haven't had that for over a year now), but if I blip the throttle I can still get it to backfire through the carbs occasionally. No problems with snatchiness though, apart from the clutch, which is why I can't 'dip the clutch' to pull wheelies. Just as well it wheelies off the throttle. Not that I'd ever do that, of course.
Can you adjust the idle speed on the TL? Surely there is an alternative map available with a PowerCommander or the like to sort out the snatchiness?

I don't cover anything except my arse: stay alert or die. Although sometimes I do ride with 1 or 2 fingers on the brake, usually in heavy traffic where I'm using it frequently. Don't use 4 fingers, as that would be overkill, or in fact, "lock up the front tyre and dump me on my head".
Don't use the rear brake, as it doesn't work, and I like the "BWAAOOORRRRRRRR!!!" from engine braking (which of course I never use, as the engine is not a brake and that's a bad habit. And it's naughty. And causes camchain tensioner failure. And deafness.)

[vifferman]

Oh, actually I do remember something.....the order of things in coming to a stop 'throttle, front, clutch, rear, gear'. He made me repeat that 10 times like a naughty schoolgirl.

And are you a naughty schoolgirl?

[F5 Dave]

I never cover the clutch or the brakes. It'll get you a ticket in the UK if the copper is watching carefully enough. I once had a bike copper follow me half way across london watching my lever usage


When you cover a lever there is a tendancy to use it in an emergency (when your brain goes thru that startled bunny phase - grab lever first, think second). Pulling the wrong lever in at the wrong time can cause even more grief.

Clutch - will cause the rear wheel to lock and skid if braking.
Front brake - will cause the front wheel to lock and dump you on the ground.
Rear brake (excessive) will cause the rear to come round (and possibly dump you).

Any of the above in the wet will likely spit you off the bike.

So having that little bit of extra time locating the levers is often enough to allow the brain to engage properly.

If you think about it - having to grab those levers so fast that you need to constantly be covering them probably means your going to hit whatever it is anyhow.

Not wanting to appear confrontational, but what a load of complete bollocks!

What on earth would a cop try to charge you with? Please!

As for the rest it smacks of the advice people use to give with bicycles -never touch the front brake.

[Tigger]

And are you a naughty schoolgirl?

Nah, old and boring now....

[F5 Dave]

Now that we are on a soap box & slightly off the clutch topic (sorry CSL), but the one thing about braking is that practise is the only way to stay sharp.

I have been to numerous courses where practicing emergency braking from 100k was on the agenda. People were scared to do it. Yet happily rode on the motorway.

The more runs they do the dramatic improvement in stopping distance. At speed (even 50) every millisecond you are not using the brake you are travelling forward at pretty much the same speed. If you cover the brakes -& it might be that you only cover them in a situation is on the danger radar, but you will reduce the time it takes to get on the lever. Also you will be less likely to be making a ‘grabbing’ motion trying to get there quick.

The big thing with braking is to SQUEEZE. There is a feeling of modulating the lever pressure against the wheel so it in before the point of lockup that you must tune into. Once you have that feeling practised you can replicate it on most any surface & efficiently if it is practised.

You can also practise it in your brain when you are not riding. Yeah I’m serious.

If you haven’t practised recently then I humbly suggest; Find a carpark. Concentrate on keeping your eyes up & practise. Both brakes separately, then combined.

If the KB relative beginners want to they could organise a practise session in a safe comfortable environment. In wgtn if I have the time free I’d be glad to give a couple of pointers, but you might prefer to do it in seclusion.