Clutchless Shifts

K

KDXrider045

Member

May 23, 2003

14

0

• May 28, 2003

• #1

Hi All

Fairly new to the KDX scene having ridin Husqvarna's for most of my off-road life. Just got back into dirt bikes and bought the KDX. I know the manual states not to shift the bike without the clutch. On the Huskies, I only used it to start off and stop and had no ill effects to the tranny ever. Interested in anyones opinion on this subject. It much easier to ride fast if you don't have to let go of the grip to reach for the clutch in rough terrain.

 

R

rethnal

~SPONSOR~

Jul 14, 2002

659

0

• May 28, 2003

• #2

Many on this forum do not use the clutch except for what you stated and have had no ill effects. Personally, I use it. To me...it is part of riding and the challenge.

 

D

DaveRS575

Sponsoring Member

Aug 15, 2002

447

0

• May 28, 2003

• #3

I myself do both.. depending on the speed, RPM's and the terrain. If I am in and out of 2nd and 3rd all day in the woods for example, and terrain is rough, I'll clutch more often than say, racing with a buddy down a long flat straight away hitting gears as quickly as possible...

As a general rule.. I use it more often than not though...

 

K

keith500r

Member

Jul 27, 2001

257

0

• May 28, 2003

• #4

I use mine till my arm wears out.. once I get the hydraulic i'll use it all the time.

 

S

sledman

Member

Oct 23, 2002

160

0

• May 28, 2003

• #5

Huh.......you can actually use the clutch when shifting, eh. Learn something new everyday......

 

R

rethnal

~SPONSOR~

Jul 14, 2002

659

0

• May 28, 2003

• #6

A KTM Hydraulic clutch is twice as hard to pull in than mine.... I don't think that Hydraulic means easier.

 

L

Lew

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Aug 27, 2001

605

0

• May 28, 2003

• #7

I tend not to use the clutch when doing easy riding with no load on the trans. When in the rough stuff or under power I use the clutch.

The ktm hydraulic clutch is a bit harder to pull then the kdx was, but I quickly became comfortable with it. The big plus I found with the juice clutch is no matter how hard I use it the play and feel remain the same
Lew

 

J

john stu

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Jan 7, 2002

790

0

• May 28, 2003

• #8

how about shiftless clutchs? i do them all the time!!!

 

T

TheGrinch

Member

Nov 26, 2000

827

0

• May 29, 2003

• #9

I use the clutch all the time on trial rides. However when racing I use it as much as possible, but as my forearm starts to explode I start to only use it on starts and corners.

 

G

GreenPeace

Member

Dec 6, 2002

105

0

• May 29, 2003

• #10

Mine has a tiptronic gearbox, its stock on all KDX

 

J

JCW

~SPONSOR~

Jan 23, 2003

333

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• May 29, 2003

• #11

I use mine, but I keep a grip on the bike regardless by keeping one finger and my thumb around the grip at all times and 3 fingers for the clutch. That way I don't have to switch back and forth and I have plenty of help on the clutch, and on keeping the bike under control throughout the ride. (However, if a tree is in my immediate future, I give up the clutch and hold on for dear life with all four fingers! I'm slow, but I catch on pretty well!)

 

J

Joe Ortiz

Member

May 28, 2003

23

0

• May 30, 2003

• #12

"Mine has a tiptronic gearbox, its stock on all KDX"
Greenpeace, can you enlight me more on this, I'm not aware of this on my 02 KDX.
Joe

 

J

jc

Member

Sep 22, 2001

57

0

• May 30, 2003

• #13

I ALWAYS use the clutch. Yes I have heard that is fine to shift w/out it also, and many riders do, but I only do so by mistake. (darn boots!) If I am looking at a used bike and the owner admits to shifting w/out the clutch I will walk away from the deal. Paranoid you ask? Yes.

 

F

Fuzzy Dice

Trial Subscriber

~SPONSOR~

Jul 8, 2002

96

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• May 30, 2003

• #14

Originally posted by Joe Ortiz
"Mine has a tiptronic gearbox, its stock on all KDX"
Greenpeace, can you enlight me more on this, I'm not aware of this on my 02 KDX.
Joe

Click to expand...

What he said.

 

2

23jayhawk

Sponsoring Member

Apr 30, 2002

675

0

• May 30, 2003

• #15

Originally posted by GreenPeace
tiptronic gearbox

Click to expand...

Our South African comrade has dropped a little Stuttgart lingo on y'all. Tiptronic is what Porsche calls their manual/auto box. Never driven one, but they are supposedly quite the ticket for a fast run through the twisties.

 

G

GreenPeace

Member

Dec 6, 2002

105

0

• May 31, 2003

• #16

As Jayhawk mentioned. The new sports cars as well as some new Audi's come with a tiptronic gearbox. You dont need a clutch. Just shift + or - on the gear leaver and it changes gears up or down.
Just the way we do on the KDX.
Shows you how far advanced the KDX are!!!!!!

ps.. If you dont feel at ease with a clutchless shift rather use the clutch.