Shifting without the Clutch!?

[Eric_F]

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but will this hurt my '02 WR? I've been watching the semics vids, and I NEVER see them use the clutch. It would also seem it is faster. Maybe that's just me.

[RichieGoatGruff]

I do it all the time, but then, I don't have a clutch lever, I went Rekluse..... ??

[StreetbikePimp]

I shift without the clutch lever all the time. No problems yet.

Just make sure you let off the throttle when you shift, and look for the "sweet spot" in your rpms. Basically if you shift at the right spot in your rpm range, the shift will be silky smooth.

[Chevy_Cowboy]

there was a pretty extensive thread about this in the offroad riding tech forum awhile back... General consensus was it wont hurt your bike if you do it right.

[Eric_F]

OK, so by "Right" you mean not gassing it in the middle of the shift? So give it gas to the point of the shift, then let off, shift, then get back on it?

[Chevy_Cowboy]

OK, so by "Right" you mean not gassing it in the middle of the shift? So give it gas to the point of the shift, then let off, shift, then get back on it?

Yep, you've got it. Sometimes when downshifting without the clutch you'll need to blip the throttle just before the shift and then let off as you downshift.