Slipping The Clutch... Bad Or Not Bad?

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Saraswati

Member
hey guys! Me again. I traileres the t100 to the maine coast yesterday so we could get one last ride in before hibernation. Ive become more comfortable on the bike, however, I still struggle a lot with downshifting. I also feel like I slip the clutch a lot, which I was made to believe was not only ok to do but was also a way to modulate speed, especially feathering it at lower speeds in 2nd.

Since my downshifting and rev matching skills are weal I also tend to let the clurch out pretty slow until it catches the right gear.

But today my riding buddy (who is a ducati racer so maybe that makes a difference) told me that slipping the clutch is baaaad.

As for downshifting.... The rev and release technique is seemingly lost on me. I was told the bike revs super fast and so i need to drop the clutch very quickly but sometimes the bike jolts forward and sometimes it pulls back... So my guess is just revving real quick and releasing isnt what i should be doing...

Thoughts, advice? About to head out on RT 1 in a few hours.
 
We talked about this before and there's not much I can add to my previous advice.
You will just have to keep on practicing until you hit upon the technique.
I don't see any reason why you would have to slip the clutch so much unless you're inching along in traffic.
Even if you're in traffic and able to move along, the clutch should be fully engaged and there should be no reason to slip it.
If the engine is bucking and jerking at a slow speed go down a gear or two.
Dropping the clutch causing jerking forward or backward is all wrong. You need to moderate how you're using the clutch and practice until you hit upon the sweet spot that is smooth.
I think you're putting too much emphasis on down shifting and rev matching. I'm sure most of us don't do that.
My T100 shifts so smoothly that as I slow down I simply pull in the clutch and go down a gear one at a time until I'm in 1st gear - or a gear appropriate to my speed.
You need more practice and need to change the way you're doing things and it will eventually come to you.
You know what's not working well for you so try it another way.
 
I hear you. Just worried about messing up the clutch. I feather a lot when im taking turns in low gears or in the city traffic in 2nd.

The downshifting is something Im continuing to practice. Ive accepted that ill need to feel it on my own.

Im just concerned that im building habits of clutch-overuse.

Thanks for your help.
 
I agree that you're probably using the clutch too much, but probably not doing it much harm. However, all this clutch slipping does worry me a bit.
I think you have a fear of having the clutch fully engaged at slow speed and that's probably due to the fact that you're a new rider and just learning.
There is a sweet rhythm between the throttle and the clutch that has to be learned so that you're not jerking back and forth at slower speeds.
You may also have a fear of the bike getting away from you, but that's normal too without experience. Just don't let it overcome you.
Ride at your own pace away from traffic as much as you can and it will all come to you and confidence will grow.
I wasn't born with a motorcycle licence in my hand. All of us had to learn too BGRIN

Feathering while making a U-turn is normal to keep your balance (depending on how tight the turn is), but making a normal 90 degree turn at an intersection for example (if that's what you meant) isn't.
My fear is that you may be forming bad habits that will be hard to break, but with more practice you should be able to overcome that.
If you're inching along on 2nd you shouldn't be slipping the clutch. Either let it fully engage of hold the lever all the way back and coast a bit.
As the bike slows down let the clutch out and give it a bit of gas to get back up to speed. Repeat as necessary. Change gears as needed.
But of course if the bike starts bucking in 2nd then go down to 1st - or up to 3rd as speed picks up. The bike will let you know when things need to change.
Holding the lever all the way back isn't slipping and is doing no harm whatever.
Too bad winter is coming and your riding days are close to an end until next spring. You could use the practice.
I wish I was there to coach you :)

BTW, I've ridden on route 1 from Calais, Maine, south through NH and beyond and loved it!!
I've also ridden all over Vermont and NH and loved it!
I love the coastal roads and we have a lot of them here TUP
 
Sarah, i can't add anything to what Rocky said he is spot on. If you know anybody with a dirt bike they might be able to take you out for some practice up and down shifting and rpm matching that mite help. Good luck and communicate with us some in the off season, after all you know all about the good advice we have.
 
Hi Saraswati - All fine with the advice above and I agree with the point regarding having the clutch fully engaged for the maximum amout of time. I thought that I would add my two pennorth, having read the above articles. I don't normally write in cliches but forgive me if I am trying to teach grandmothers how to suck eggs. I learnt to ride the hard way (in the 1960s) by finding a quiet road to get used to the controls. I realise that, with all the traffic nowadays, that is not practical (or safe!) I had been riding old British bikes until I started paying a mortgage - then, several bikeless years came my way. When I could afford it, I bought a new Honda 550K3 from the local dealer and I was offered a free day training/familiarisation riding course. Now I cannot resist anything that's free and I was surprised at how bad my riding skills were. I signed on for a longer course (which I had to pay for - a sprat to catch a mackerel, as they say) and I learnt all about gently using the rear brake in traffic or slow manoeuvering. Those were the days before ABS, etc., but I still slip the clutch, today, in those situations and use the rear brake (never the front, unless it is an emergency.) You may want to change your petrol/gas station as they could be selling you that awful kangaroo petrol - we filled up with it in Portugal one year and couldn't wait to get back to Spain for some decent fuel.
 
Find a big empty field somewhere. I rode my first Moped at 5 years old in the local park. Pick a field with nothing to hit and have fun. Do you know what is actually happening when you pull the clutch or change the gears in the mechanical sense? Having a clear image of the clutch plates and how they operate may help to understand the relationship between clutch, gears and road speed. Perseverance is the key, you sound determined so I know it will suddenly click into place and you will wonder how you ever found it hard.
 
My last manual transmission car was a 92 Camry , the daughter picked the transmission ,it had to come from Japan . My wife drove it around 20 mph corners with her foot on the clutch forever ,would not accept the fact that she was doing it .It was a great car so we kept a long time , long enough that the the clutch disc had be replaced . Cost almost what an automatic transmission would have been in the first place .
Do I need my head examined ?
 
Many years ago I was a car mechanic. A lady kept bringing in her Datsun Cherry complaining of terrible fuel consumption. Frequent checks revealed nothing until a chance remark revealed she never knew to change out of first gear. Poor little car.
 

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