What are the drawbacks of an semi automatic.

[edog]

That people talk about cutches are better than semi automatics transmission. :wondering

[Tri-ZNate]

On automatics you better have brakes because you cant downshift to stop. and if the bely case isnt sealed and you go in water or anything liquid for that matter you can burn the belt up.

[Maine_Triker]

1. No power compared to standard

2. Too complicated!!! I mean what the heck is this park thing they keep telling me about?? :D

3. They don't last as long as a standard.

[thefox]

That people talk about standers are better than automatics. :wondering

Are you talking about an automatic transmission or clutch?

I also assume you are talking about trikes since this is in trikesylvania.

[Wickedfinger]

You guys havn't a clue what your talking about ...............

[edog]

I can keep up with my freinds 1986 200X on my 225.
I can keep up with him until 5th gear and then he slowly pulls away.
He had Mike from VintageMotorsports rebuild his motor.I know he did a good job too.I like automatic when you have to crawl over things that are in your way.I have used a standered before.I guess i will
just have to wait and see the verdict on the standered.

[cragster]

i personnally own 2 auto clutchs, but when i drive raptors with clutch i think there funner to ride. its really a personal preference and you can prolly take off a bit faster with a manual

[edog]

Ya' where the hell are the belts in a automatic or standered.I am talking about trikes.

[mymint87]

nothing wrong with automatics....infact, I plan on owning one when i turn 65...their great for Seniors... :D :D :D

[cragster]

autos and standards are both good! its them fully automatic's that seem weird!(honda rancher for ex.)

[willcamach]

auto clutch quads and trikes suck imo. way more control with a clutch but i guess its cool to learn on. or if your old and lazy :)

[edog]

auto clutch quads and trikes suck imo. way more control with a clutch but i guess its cool to learn on. or if your old and lazy :)
Or new to the sport. :w00t:

[edog]

Ok semi automatic and clutch is this what i should have said?

[edog]

You guys havn't a clue what your talking about ...............
Well help us out then? :)

[DeePa]

You can control the rpms and where the trike shifts at, because youre the one who pulls the shift lever up to change gears. Yes, its a little harder to wheelie, you need to use the hold up on the shifter to be in neutral between the gears, then drop it and youll wheelie. I like my 200s in the tight woods because i dont have to worry about using the clutch, even tho I love using my 350x in the woods too.

Its hard to say, its all personal preference. I grew up on the automatic 200s, and when i finally got a 350x 11 years later, i loved the manual shift. Its all about what you feel.

[rustbucket]

i for one have never come across a belt driven trike, must be cheap ones have them. But the clutches really aren't auto matic from experience dealing with a trimoto 125 inards they are centrifigul type with a ratchet mechanism so if you are climbing a hill and run out of steam but still have enough rpms to engage the clutch the ratchet will simply let it roll back. I personaly liked having auto clutches on small bikes because they don't have power anyway but i never had trouble doing wheelies. But I prefer manual types because you can slip it going up a hill and if you want to race you can hold the clutch and gas it with out moving. and it doesn't absorb torque.

[threewheelin-feelin]

it takes some fancy foot work....but you can actully ride a semi auto like a manual....thats what i did with my old 200s....and id rather have a semi auto in the mud and snow anyday

[edog]

it takes some fancy foot work....but you can actully ride a semi auto like a manual....thats what i did with my old 200s....and id rather have a semi auto in the mud and snow anyday
I second that..

[freewheel3]

i for one have never come across a belt driven trike, must be cheap ones have them. But the clutches really aren't auto matic from experience dealing with a trimoto 125 inards they are centrifigul type with a ratchet mechanism so if you are climbing a hill and run out of steam but still have enough rpms to engage the clutch the ratchet will simply let it roll back. I personaly liked having auto clutches on small bikes because they don't have power anyway but i never had trouble doing wheelies. But I prefer manual types because you can slip it going up a hill and if you want to race you can hold the clutch and gas it with out moving. and it doesn't absorb torque.
I'm not positive, but I think the Polaris 250 R/ES was a belt driven trike.
Some guys swear by them, some guys just swear at them. :lol:

[edog]

That is the only one that i know about.

[thefox]

it takes some fancy foot work....but you can actully ride a semi auto like a manual....thats what i did with my old 200s....and id rather have a semi auto in the mud and snow anyday

Same with me! Try pushing a trike out of a pile of snow well giving it gas and clutch, not going to happen!

Driving my friends Polaris Magnum quad it just not the same because of the fully auto trany. It feels like you are just driving it, not ridding it.

Manual clutch is good once you get used to it. Less weight for the engine to spin (on less clutch) means you get a little more power. For normal ridding you do also get more control because you can run at hi rpm's when needed even when changing gears.

[42F67N]

My brother in law would say a draw back to a auto clutch bike is going up a hill mid way up not have enough power to make it try to shift to 2nd with the throttle pinned and next thing he knew he was rolling backwards with his klt160 lol :crazy:

[Tri-ZNate]

oh your talking about an auto clutch. I thought you meant something like the polaris scrambler. Yeah auto clutches are awesome (easier to control wheelies for me).

[monster 84r]

same here, i was comparing fully automatic bikes like polaris makes vs. a full clutch. i always heard just the foot shifter called a semi automatic.

[Huffa]

When I used to motocross race in the 70's on a 125 after the race guys would walk up to me and ask :wondering what in the world is wrong with your clutch, it's slipping real bad.

Not so at all, that's the way I rode, with the clutch actually being my throttle. In a sense you had two throttles. I would abuse the heck out of the clutch by taking a turn one gear higher then should be, then upping the RPM's by slipping the clutch till engine was back in the meat of the power band. Very hard on a clutch but that's the proper way to ride a 125. Larger the motor, less clutch abuse there is. If it's a 4 stroke then there is hardly any clutch slippage.

See, you guys can't do that with a semi if in mud or snow and have to downshift
when losing power, where a clutch guy can stay in same gear and moderate the engine rpm with the clutch.

Hill climb is big time important having a clutch. When losing power it is far better to clutch it 1st when losing power and lean forward rather then down shifting because you can control front wheel lift just by moderating the lever. You guys have no control over front wheel motor wise unless you shut it down and that you sure don't want to do on a steep hill!

I like the semi's too but if I had to take one or the other, it's most definitly would be a clutch. Semi's are great when I'm trail riding and want to drink my beer (kidding of course) at the same time, they should have cup holders :lol:

[250rAL]

Auto clutches take more effort to shift and have a longer throw.

[Computerjoe]

Well I have a 200s and if your good with the foot, then you can control your rpm's. There is a way to hold it in between gears and rev it up. And as far as hill climbing you make yours go all the way down to first, cause all I have to do it drop it to second and up just about any hill I have come across yet here in michigan. But thats just my two cents. I enjoy my semi auto clutch, one less thing to worry about going wrong while I am riding. And as far as mud boggin I would put my 200s against the best of them. My friend has a 84 and I have a 85 and we both have totally submersed our trikes and still made it thru the hole. There wasn't a quad or dirtbike that would follow us. :TrikesOwn

[edog]

I learned on a semi auto.So the clutch is a little new for me.I know how to use them.I just have to learn how to shift it know.

[atctim]

With an auto clutched machine such as a Big Red or 200S, there are actually two clutches - 1 is just like the cluch you have in a standard clutch (350X or 200X) - basket, discs, the whole nine yards, the only differnece is you work it with the foot shifter...ie when you pull up to shift, you are engaging it. 2 - they have a centrifugal clutch, like in a go-cart. This allows you to come to a stop and idle while in gear. When you either pull up and hold it or push down and hold it, it's the exact same thing as pulling in a clutch lever. Next time you ride your auto clutch, try this - put it in first, but don't move yet, now pull up to put it in second, but instead of just letting it down, very slowly with your foot let the shifter come down while feathering your throttle, you feel the clutch slowly engaging - like letting out on a clutch lever slowly. Same thing.

I prefer an Auto clutch in the woods and trails, and a manual on the track or in the open spaces like a field. They are now making kits for motocross/supercross bikes that use a secondary centrifugal clutch. I know a guy that has one in his YZ250. He can come to a complete stop while in gear without using his clutch. It is a great woods bike now for hare scrambles and poker runs. No more working the clutch all day long and no more stalling out when the RPM's get low. I seriously believe you'll see the race guys changing to this style soon (bikes and quads).

[Blown 331]

There are a lot of guys using a rekluse auto-clutch for racing on the 450R. And then the people that complain about stalling a 450R during a race and having to kick start it have nothing to worry about becuse you pretty much cannot stall the engine and you still have the abilitly to disengage it manually because the clutch lever is still functionable.
My preferece. I prefer a manual clutch for everything over an auto clutch. I've gotten my 450R stuck in snow and mud bofore, I can work the throttle and clutch while pushing it out, it's really not that hard. That or I just pick it up.

[DX Rider12]

Out of my trikes... As far as wheelies it is 1. 225 DR w/ 2 crates on the back 2. 225 DX
3. 225 DX w/ 1 crate. I post pics later to show what mean. I love my auto clutch. My DR w/ 2 crates... If you even get going from a stop youll wheelie (barely touch the throttle... I mean reaaly be light). Lots of power yayyyl

[monster 84r]

you can wheelie almost anything with a semi auto clutch, i wheelie our old trx 125, just by pulling up the shifter and leaning back.

if i ever put crates on my atc id put em on the front, since it wont stay down at all in first.

[traxxasx]

haha i used to be able to hold up the shifter in first just like it was a clutch and slowley let down and start to go, but then i change my clutch plates and for some reason i cant do it anymore, semi clutch is ok but a clutch is more fun.

[freewheel3]

" but then i change my clutch plates and for some reason i cant do it anymore, "

Have you tried adjusting the clutch since you changed the plates? That might be all it needs.

[traxxasx]

yea, i have the tension bolt doesent really move thet much now.

[conig]

Semi Auto becuase of what I use my trike for. I think it would realyy depend on the trike, I would hate a semi auto 250r but would never have a clutch on my big red (altough I hear converting makes the motor rev alot faster)

As for wicked fingers statement belt drive has as good of a power transfer ratio as an auto theres direct contact unlike a car auto that uses a torq converter. I love my belt drive I have the clutches worked over it doesn't engage until 4000rpm and leaves the line hard.

edog check out this post if your looking for info its an article from an older dirt wheels its what converted me.
http://atvquadsquad.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/3936017264/m/1961024481


adove all its preference no matter what you ride, just get out of the house and ride.

[cajun66]

I could be wrong, but maybe he was referring to the belt drive primary in the fully auto quads such as a Grizzly. A friend has one that when submerged, slips badly.

[Tri-ZNate]

There are a lot of guys using a rekluse auto-clutch for racing on the 450R. And then the people that complain about stalling a 450R during a race and having to kick start it have nothing to worry about becuse you pretty much cannot stall the engine and you still have the abilitly to disengage it manually because the clutch lever is still functionable.



Yeah there is a girl who drag races on the NY drag race circuit that has a rekluse clutch in her YZF450 and is unstoppable unless she redlights. I think not having to work the clutch at the hole shot gives her an advantage.

[Rasuel]

Depends on what you do with your trike in my books. If you race, run dunes or fields, then go with the manual clutch, you get that little extra power and control, but if you're a bush crasher such as myself I'd stick to the semi-auto, nothing worse than hitting a good mud hole and stalling.

[RedRider_AK]

I agree with Wickedfinger. Everyone goes and babbles on about automatic trannies when what Edog meant was a semi-auto transmission, where you footshift, but don't physically pull the clutch in.

More on the topic, I really don't see many drawbacks. Sure, you can't clutch it anytime, but you're not going to be racing or whatever with an semi-auto anyway, unless you're in a beginners class...

I like my semi-auto Rancher just fine, and I can wheelie it on-command, jump it, and powerslide, etc. It makes very little difference and is better for beginners...