I'm pretty sure there was a discussion on this a while back but I cannot find it..

Just wondering what the general consensus is on quick changing from 2nd or 3rd gear and up? Heard many people say its fine and does zero damage but a few have if you mess it up it can do expensive damage to your gearbox.
I've done it only a few times and it felt fine but a part of me is saying 'use the clutch dammit!'.

 

I'd listen to that part of you....

 

The clutch is there for a reason. Manufacturers spend a lot of time and money testing these bikes. If they could get away with not fitting something and saving money, they would. I always use the clutch. Its not worth damaging the gearbox for the measly gain in time you get from not clutching.

 

Personally, I'm always using the clutch, but I read an article by Kent Kunitsugu suggesting otherwise at Sportbike.com:"Sport Bike Clutchless Upshifting - Stop wasting time using the clutch to upshift"

Any thoughts from the honourable members of this illustrous forum as to whether Kent's conclusions are valid for our beloved Hurricanes ?

 

I have an 88 1000F, a 98 VFR800 and a 2002 Intruder 1400. I have upshifted without the clutch on all three bikes and can tell you, depending on throttle and engine RPMs, most of the time it won't hurt anything. BUT, unless you are just putting down the road at a leasurely pace, without a lot of load on the engine, use the clutch. The same principal works in a car. Once you are in first, there are optimum RPM ranges to shift, clutchless.

I do know this, it is easier to shift without the clutch when doing a wheelie, just food for thought.

 

I do clutchless up-shiftings from time to time at cruising load on the bird. The next gear snaps in like cutting butter. When the power level increases, the load on the gearbox goes up as well, so then I always use the clutch on the bird.

On the Suzuki I have a Power Commander and a so-called Quick Shifter that is mounted on the gear linkage. It triggers the PC to block the fuel for almost 100 milliseconds so full throttle gear changes can be done. It is not often that I use it though since the habit to use the clutch at hard whenaccelerations is strong , and the gearboxwill behappier in the long run if the clutch is always used.