Shifting like this???

[Sjorge450R]

Well, at my last race I was getting bogged down in the mud and Chris Borich came flying by and he never let go of the gas when he shifted. So I tried it and I had no problem. Now I would like to know if this is going to hurt my tranny/clutch??? Also what would you call this type of shifting?

if you do it all the time it will hurt it but 1 and a wile will not and you should have it at the right rpm when you do it. it's called power shifting.

[400exrules]

it wont hurt a thing as long as you pull in the clutch. thats what we do when drag racing, hold the throttle wide open, and pull the clutch in quickly and shift

[250r4life]

people have different opinions on this...

when i am just riding i rarely use the clutch in the upper gears...

when i am dragging, i obviously use it to start in 2nd, and use it all the way to shift into 3rd (as my wheels are spinning in the sand) and i usually just pull it in a tad to get into 4th... if im racing up the hill i run it in 4th... on the flats i dont usually use it to shift into 5th or 6th while dragging...

ps- when i am riding normal and dont use the clutch, i usually take my thumb off the throttle for a seconf while i am doing it... just depends though...

like i said, opinions vary, and dont beleive everything you hear/read

[firefighterjosh]

Alright If you don't use the clutch then your going to ruin something. A quad has a clutch for a reason.
I know 2 people that only used the clutch to start out and to down shift. There trannys went out within the year.

When I ride I use the clutch (common how hard is it to pull in a clutch?)

When I drag race I will powershift (Pull in the clutch and shift as fast as I can)

Just my .02

[underpowered]

Originally posted by firefighterjosh
Alright If you don't use the clutch then your going to ruin something. A quad has a clutch for a reason.
I know 2 people that only used the clutch to start out and to down shift. There trannys went out within the year.

When I ride I use the clutch (common how hard is it to pull in a clutch?)

When I drag race I will powershift (Pull in the clutch and shift as fast as I can)

Just my .02

all i can say is coincidence(sp?). i rarely use my clutch to shift, only use it to take off and downgear. i ahve not had any tranny problems out of any of my quads.


Cars have clutches too, but with some practice you can float the gears(shift without the clutch) rather easily. it saves fatigue on your muscles (whether it be forearm or leg), exspecially on long trips/rides. what other people say will not stop me from doing it.

[rooster300ex]

Originally posted by underpowered
all i can say is coincidence(sp?). i rarely use my clutch to shift, only use it to take off and downgear. i ahve not had any tranny problems out of any of my quads.


Cars have clutches too, but with some practice you can float the gears(shift without the clutch) rather easily. it saves fatigue on your muscles (whether it be forearm or leg), exspecially on long trips/rides. what other people say will not stop me from doing it.


Yes you can float the gears in certain cars with clutches, but its not good on them at all. Makes the syncranizers wear out quick.

[JForestZ34]

To me it looks like when you shift in a car your not really putting the tranny under load. If you just hold the gas to the floor and then jam the car in gear to change it you will break something. I would think it's the same as in quad. If you let of the gas it might not hurt as much, but if your hard on the gas and just shift I would think something would break sooner than later.


James

[gbcap]

he gets new motors every few races anyway so what does he care about the tranny. if it makes him a few seconds faster a lap then he is going to do it no matter the cost/damage on product.

i don't use a clutch but to start stop and in slow situations. most shifting is done without a clutch. it is easier and less time consuming. it doesn't hurt stuff as much as you think. hell my pops has been doing it on his 250 since 89 and he hasn't had one tranny problem.

[Scro]

Originally posted by gbcap
he gets new motors every few races anyway so what does he care about the tranny. if it makes him a few seconds faster a lap then he is going to do it no matter the cost/damage on product.


That's what I was thinking. It doesn't really matter to him if it's going to cause reliability issues in the future.

[rooster300ex]

I get way more acceleration by using the clutch through every gear. it kind of preps it for the next gear for me. I use the clutch really really fast anyways. Sometimes when i have a bottle of water in my left hand i won't use the clutch, and i don't use the clutch to downshift, i make sure i'm off the throttle when i downshift, never had any problems with my tranny, and its an 11 year old tranny.

[EXevan91]

if u know your quads gearing and rpm range u should have no problems :) i had a 94 yz80 before this 400 and i never used the clutch and that yz80 is still up and running today as i sold it to a freind that i ride with almost everyday the only thing that bike ever never needs or needed eside regular maintnace(air filter cleaning) is piston rings but its a 3-stroke so... and i also think that is is easyer to "power shift" on a 2-stroke bike or quad.
on this 4-storke quad it doesnt like to "power shift" as easy as the 80 but when u get used to the quad u should be able to do it wiht no repercusions,and the only reason it seems like its got more pep when using the clutch is because when u hold in the clutch there is nothing moving the quad forward be sides newtons laws :)

[ohsobad_chevy]

lol...3 strokes make good power, dont they :devil: :devil:

[korniev]

I always shift without letting my throttle go but pulling the clutch just a bit for the moment of shifting not to ruin the engine.
I do it only when I need though (like start of a race or if I need to be REALLY fast) Normally I just let go the throttle and than pull the clutch and switch.
I would say you can REALLY feel this Powershifting thing on 2 strokes!

[ohsobad_chevy]

Originally posted by korniev
I always shift without letting my throttle go but pulling the clutch just a bit for the moment of shifting not to ruin the engine.
I do it only when I need though (like start of a race or if I need to be REALLY fast) Normally I just let go the throttle and than pull the clutch and switch.
I would say you can REALLY feel this Powershifting thing on 2 strokes!

You feel it just as much on a 4 stroke, bud ;)

[bwamos]

Do production rules require a stock transmission?

If not, I would think the pro's would still be using an override transmission like they used to on the 250r, so they wouldn't have to use the clutch under power.

[tltcracing]

the clutch makes the match between gears perfect when you go to shift. you can shift withought the clutch but the load and RPM's must be perfect or addition wear will occour (sp.). the rule of thumb is that if you slip up and shift withought the clutch once or twice a lap then you should be fine but doing it diliberatly and dont get a perfect "match-up" between the gears then the tranny will need work or replacement earlier than normal. also keeping the oil fresh in your trans will help with shifting if you feel the urge to powershift.

[ohsobad_chevy]

lol...when your racing, who cares. Go balls to the walls. Slam shifts are going to happen, most of the time, its when you down shift.

[stc416rider]

idk bout you guys but when i shift i put pressure on the shifter and i smack the gas and it pretty much shifts itself i think there is a certin rpm or something when the cluch engages itself idk but i have been doing that since i got this and its a 99 with a 440 kit

[dap]

Clutchless shifting is ok under certain circumstances to a point. Like most people have said you will need the gears to match. Most people think because they hear a fast shift people just smash the darn lever down. The easiest way to describe this is to put slight pressure on the shifter then blip the throttle while shifting. We do this for our race bikes (streetbikes) only way to do a true throttle pinned shift for us is if we install a "power" shifter which is hooked into the engine management software to cut the fuel on an injected setup. This happens for around .04-.06 of a second. Premature wear will happen at first until you learn how to do it properly. Have fun.

[400exrules]

the best/safest/fastest way to shift is to hold the gas WFO, and slip the clutch in as quick as you can with one or two fingers and shift as soon as you get the clutch halfway in, then let it out again......just dont let go of the throttle

[firefighterjosh]

Just learn to shift fast using the clutch.

Let off gas
pull in clutch
shift
let out clutch
hit gas again

safest way to shift and you can do it just as fast with practice. at least I can.

[korniev]

If you drag like that, you'll lose for sure. Same on the start of any race. If you let go the throttle it will lower the RPM's and the engine would not use its potential. Even if you learn to shift fast letting go the throttle will destroy your start!

[firefighterjosh]

We'll if you are a pro and you need every milli sec sure do it. But for normal riding and Class C, B, maybe even A racing no need for it.

[korniev]

You are right! However I would recommend that even in amateur race everyone does it on the start

[firefighterjosh]

I guess you are right now that I think about it. When your racing you don't care you just want to finish first.

[400exrules]

Originally posted by firefighterjosh
Just learn to shift fast using the clutch.

Let off gas
pull in clutch
shift
let out clutch
hit gas again

safest way to shift and you can do it just as fast with practice. at least I can.

do that, but dont let off the gas, it hurts nothing as long as you pull the clutch in....DONT LET GO OF THE GAS!!!!!!!

with practice you will be able to shift extremely fast, it just takes time for some people. i can almost shift as fast as someone with a cut transmission

[RiderTRX400ex]

im paying the price for beating on the tranny.. but yea just grow some skill and learn to shift quickly with the clutch
:D

[korniev]

But the idea is not only to shift fast but to shift in a safe way WITHOUT leeting go the throttle. If you do not learn the proper way of doing this, you can damage the engine

[korniev]

But the idea is not only to shift fast but to shift in a safe way WITHOUT leeting go the throttle. If you do not learn the proper way of doing this, you can damage the engine

[400eXr1d3rZ]

when I had my rm-125 i never used the clutch unless I was taking off, or down shifting, or just feathering it around turns and such, or just going slow.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by 400exrules
it wont hurt a thing as long as you pull in the clutch. thats what we do when drag racing, hold the throttle wide open, and pull the clutch in quickly and shift

ya i do that all the time in the trails. just be quick about it

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by ohsobad_chevy
lol...3 strokes make good power, dont they :devil: :devil:

haha lol