Hitchcocks Forum

Who on our hosts forum engage in clutchles gear-changes when on the move on your pride & joy?
It's something I've done since I rode my first left-side gear change bike (I think!)...
I use the clutch for setting off from stationary in first gear & maybe from 1st to 2nd but from then on upwards, smooth as a smooth thing!
Normal use of the clutch is essential for down-changes on which I can now use the front brake, the clutch & gear pedal for changing down & also blipping the throttle!
Many of my car-driving chums can't understand this as it's VERY difficult in a car but when done right on the bike sounds tremendous!

I can do that if needed, like getting home when the clutch cable breaks. Timing arrival at traffic green lights needs great skill.

I do them quite often and it works very smoothly.
-C

This is where the 4spd box with neutral selector was good, kick it into neutral at lights to pull away paddle or run hop on bang into 1st on light throttle then click it through gears uce while a good box does not lend itself to clutchless changes, have had a few exciting times in traffic with no clutch cable.

I don't do them on my C5; to me it's simply out of character with the bike to do fast clutchless changes. It's hardly a speed machine. Each to his own.

Having a trick clutch hand, and being accustomed to heavy clutches, I do it without thinking - although it's not so necessary now I have a BNR clutch.



It's also a 'skill' (if you can call it that) worth having when I recently had to bodge a clutch cable from an accelerator cable and ride a further 900 miles across Germany and France.

Hi, Read somewhere that clutchless changes are possible on bikes but not cars because of the difference between half speed and engine speed clutches. If that is the case are they possible on a boxer BMW? Vince

I can change without clutch once I take of in 1st can go up and down box no clutch works on pug 306 and toyota starlet. Was taught to drive in scotland by old tanker driver on a crash gearbox downshifting on hills no clutch, foot flat to floor knock it into neutral count to 3 and smoothly into 3rd. Piece of cake on a 3 ton austin truck.
No grind scotty.

I also have a paddle shift system, on my GIXXER 1000 engined racing car, and all it does (apart from shifting using a pneumatic ram) is momentarily cut the ignition to unload the gears. Seamless shifts, up and down the box.

Yes, it's possible on a Beemer; I did it often on my 1100RS. Nothing to do with engine speed or dry clutches; cars have synchromesh, which fast changes can beat, making it a bit pointless.