going through gears

[fadz90]

hey all,
just want to know if i can change gears without using the clutch,

i was told from a mate that from 1st to 2nd he uses clutch and afetr that he just changes the gears without using clutch.

is this possible? is this good?

if its true i want to start learning it so when i go to wsid wednesday night drags i can get through the gears quicker and pull off a good time.

cheers all!

[photomike666]

It's certainly a technique used by many. I use it often on both the road and the track, upshift is easy, down shift is a bit harder.

When you are ready to change gear, dip the throttle a bit to take the weight off the gearbox and slide the gear lever up. With practice you will get quite quick at it and will need very little roll off. At first it may be a bit more jumpy.

Down shift is more of an art, one I am not very good at - but admittedly I do not practice it. I've found as you are ready to down shift and quick blip of the throttle to raise the revs and shift as the revs drop and unload the box. Like I said, I don't use this so may have it all wrong

[BikerBoy]

probably not the best idea if you want longevity out of your clutch...

nor is it a very good idea on the road, who rides at 10,000 rpm whilst commuting etc anyways? yes yes..here comes the HTFU
the lower your rpms the shittier the clutchess shift will be.. klunck klunck

unless your on the track, not sure why you'd clutches shift anyway? buy a an auto bike? i've heard the new aprilia mana is an auto, tell your mate to buy on of those cause bending the ol fingers ain't that hard really..

[photomike666]

probably not the best idea if you want longevity out of your clutch...

MY CBR has 75,000Km on the clock and it is still on it's first clutch. I've done many clutchless upshifts, and can happily do it from 1st to 2nd under 5000rmp quite smoothly. What I don't do is numerous drag races and monos everywhere, which are two very big killers of clutches and rear tyres.

[fadz90]

hey all,
its just a suggestion "bikerboy", once i try it out ill see how it goes, but since it might screw up the clutch ill give it 2nd thoughts.

and as much as people say when they get thier bike license and motrobike, no one can ever say ill ride slowly or take it easy. its just to damn hard, the adrenaline just hits me to hard. lol

cheers.

[BikerBoy]

probably not the best idea if you want longevity out of your clutch...

MY CBR has 75,000Km on the clock and it is still on it's first clutch. I've done many clutchless upshifts, and can happily do it from 1st to 2nd under 5000rmp quite smoothly. What I don't do is numerous drag races and monos everywhere, which are two very big killers of clutches and rear tyres.

can't argue with that

[robracer]

, no one can ever say ill ride slowly or take it easy. its just to damn hard, the adrenaline just hits me to hard. lol.

watch that licence

[IsleofNinja]

hey all,
just want to know if i can change gears without using the clutch,

i was told from a mate that from 1st to 2nd he uses clutch and afetr that he just changes the gears without using clutch.

is this possible? is this good?

if its true i want to start learning it so when i go to wsid wednesday night drags i can get through the gears quicker and pull off a good time.

cheers all!

Ummmmmm..... A ZX-2 ain't zachery a killer drag bike......Let it live a little longer , learn to ride it properly.
Clutchless upshifts won't save you any time at all when you hit a false neutral / bend a selector fork!!

As mentioned drags won't be all that kind to your clutch which in turn won't be too kind to your wallet when you need to replace the frictions ,warped steels and hammered basket !!!

Food for thought.

[fadz90]

i just want to have abit of fun,

i don't plan to go nuts on the strip, just want to see what the bike can do

and "robracer" i am watching the lciense which is why im taking it easy

theres been a few bike accidents in the area so yeah, dont want to end up a statistic

[IsleofNinja]

In a drag situation unless you have the right gear ie shift rod pressure switch/Power Commander USB III or equiv' or you are running a full house override transmission with air shift don't bother mate!!

I think most of us here know where you are coming from (We were once younger!?) but we also know how costly mistakes can be when the unforseen happens and dragging your bike off the track with a shagged tranny and locked back wheel is NOT very cool!!

Try a shorty clutch lever and have the freeplay a touch on the loose side .

[robracer]

and "robracer" i am watching the lciense which is why im taking it easy :)
theres been a few bike accidents in the area so yeah, dont want to end up a statistic

Just pointing out a fact....thats not what you said before

Quote:

no one can ever say ill ride slowly or take it easy

Your name wouldnt be Brendan would it?

[the kid]

i just want to have abit of fun,

i don't plan to go nuts on the strip, just want to see what the bike can do

Go Nuts . A bit of a play at the drags is great fun and a huge adrenalin rush . Try it out once for the experience . If you get hooked , start looking for something more suited to the sport . Its all over in the first 60 feet and couple of seconds so is just about how fast you can react . Its possible you wont even realize that you have made a shift from 1st to 2nd . Dont worry about doing burn outs before the run . That will hurt your bike more than a hard start and I doubt that you would have traction problems on the line . Be a bit more worried about your heart rate climbing past 200 while sitting at the christmas tree
Let us know how you go .

[frog]

The burnout is done in water and only hurts the rear tyre but it IS not necesary. Its does help the bike hook up and this would put more strain on the drivetrain but. Drag racing is fun and if you havent done it you dont really know just how fast your bike can launch OR what full throttle application in a straight line is like for that matter. You will appreciate (and use) your bikes abilities more after it, that is for certain. At Test and tunes your reaction time wont matter as your time only starts after you crack the beam anyway. Once you get to real competition it does and my reaction time is shithouse.
If you load your gear lever before backing off as soon as you do it will slip into the next gear, I dont know that it will save you any time (that you would notice) but. In normal use I dont use a lot of clutch (if any) on the up shifts but do on the down, of all the bikes I have owned (and still do) I have NEVER had any transmission or clutch problems caused by this so I am a little confused as to how people think it would hurt, after all using the clutch just unloads the cogs the same as backing off does if you were shifting slowly and not loading the lever first maybe, but incorrect technique will hurt it even if you do use the clutch. Changing gears on the back wheel is another issue altogether and DOES load the box up a lot, not just the engine thrust but the force of carrying all that weight too.
All just my opinion based on limited experience of course.

[fadz90]

thanks for that guys,

*robracer* my name isn't brendan lol and i was quoting a figure of speech .

thanks for the tip guys i'll be sure to let you know when im going to run and the time's i pull off.

Just for the sake of knowledge, what times am i planning to run if i get a good pass in. 13 , 14 seconds, the bike is a zxr250, i think it has a custom muffler, and a little bit of engine work, as previous owner had the pistons shaved flat.


cheers.

[robracer]

Interesting that there have been engine mods... most would not bother, unless it has blown up in a previous life.
Good luck with the drags it sounds like fun
I have never done it though... I can already ride in a straight line & race starts are harder as there is no chrissy tree.... red light goes out & its all on )