Anyone have any tips on working the clutch?

[nouseforaname90]

Well I've had my R for about a day now, and considering it is the first motorized anything I've ever had that has a clutch, I'm doing surprisingly well in my mind. I only stalled it once today trying to get it going.. lol.. and thats because I was a little too anxious. I'm getting the hang of it, though. I'm sure I'll get better.. I've already improved significantly since yesterday.
But even if I get to be able to do it well, I still can't see how people drag racing get off to such a fast start.. does anyone have any tips? How about when you're going around a real sharp corner and almost need to stop? Just any tips would be helpful.. lol
And is it just me or is the neutral position on these things a beotch to find?
Ben

[DeePa]

once you do it a bunch of times, neutral will be a breeze...

ride that clutch like no tomorrow haha...thats how you start off fast, at least i think so.

When youre slowing down for a *Edited* turn or sharp corner, you can usually leave it in second, but if it bogs on you, then just drop to first real quick, gun it, and swing the ass end around...or just go nice and slow in first.

Unlike the SX, the R can spin the tires quite easily, and you learn to use that to your advantage.

[Tri-ZNate]

another thing you can do with your R and X is powershift. Just get going, let off the throttle, and shift it like the SX. Thats how I prefer to do it. As for getting off to such a fast start, it takes lots of practice dumping the clutch. I'll take a month or two but you will soon have it pretty well down.

[nouseforaname90]

You can shift it in the higher gears without using the clutch..?? Didn't know that. Never tried, either, though..

[Tri-ZNate]

You only need the clutch to stop and start off. You can shift it anytime you want. Just treat it like your SX. I do it all the time on my quadsport and did it on my 350x, my neighbor did it, and so does my dad. If you get good enough with cars you can do it to them to.

[nouseforaname90]

Mmm.. I see. I didn't figure you could do that with these because you need to use the clutch with cars between gears.. hmm. That makes things much easier.

[Tri-ZNate]

If your trying to drag though use the clutch, dont try shifting like that if your reving it high

And actually with big trucks, the drivers dont normally use the clutch. hell even my bus driver doesnt and I dont with my car if I'm just putzing around.

[88 Turbo Coupe]

Once you get the hang of it the clutch is in the way.

[TravEX]

Practice alot and it will come to ya. There are ALOT of clutch arguments out there about when to use it, how to or not to slip it, clutching upshifts and downshifts. I can tell you first hand on my 400EX, drag racing I let the clutch out to the verge of engagment with my foot on the rear brake before I take off, after take off my thumb never lets off in shifts just hit the clutch and upshift. For downshifts I rarely clutch, joy riding or riding hard.

On the R I am still practicing take offs for drag racing and I don't use the clutch for upshifts, I just let off a hair and hit the next gear. I try to clutch but it accelerates so dang fast there's not time, hehe.

My EX is nearly 4 years old and still has stock clutch in great shape. I haven't had the R long enough to tell how the clutch is holding up.

But yeah, like wheeliepop said you can just use the clutch for starting and stopping if you like, I usually do, but I 'try' to clutch when riding hard.

Have fun practicing, you've got 3 1/2 monthes till the TF drags. We'll line em up there! hehe

[nouseforaname90]

If your trying to drag though use the clutch, dont try shifting like that if your reving it high

And actually with big trucks, the drivers dont normally use the clutch. hell even my bus driver doesnt and I dont with my car if I'm just putzing around.

My dads best friend used to be a coal truck driver, and awhile ago he told me about how he drove truck so much that he learned how to shift without the clutch...you just needed to do it at the right RPM level. He would wait until he heard the engine at a certain sound level or w/e (to indicate that it was at the right RPM's..he said he didnt even need to use the guage), and then shift.

[Dammit!]

Anyone have any tips on working the clutch?

First you want to lean back as far as possible. Then you rev the engine really high. Then you just pop the clutch in 2nd gear. Seriously. I wouldn't tell you anything that might get you hurt or embarassed or anything. :naughty:

[nouseforaname90]

Practice alot and it will come to ya. There are ALOT of clutch arguments out there about when to use it, how to or not to slip it, clutching upshifts and downshifts. I can tell you first hand on my 400EX, drag racing I let the clutch out to the verge of engagment with my foot on the rear brake before I take off, after take off my thumb never lets off in shifts just hit the clutch and upshift. For downshifts I rarely clutch, joy riding or riding hard.

On the R I am still practicing take offs for drag racing and I don't use the clutch for upshifts, I just let off a hair and hit the next gear. I try to clutch but it accelerates so dang fast there's not time, hehe.

My EX is nearly 4 years old and still has stock clutch in great shape. I haven't had the R long enough to tell how the clutch is holding up.

But yeah, like wheeliepop said you can just use the clutch for starting and stopping if you like, I usually do, but I 'try' to clutch when riding hard.

Have fun practicing, you've got 3 1/2 monthes till the TF drags. We'll line em up there! hehe

I highly doubt I'd be any good at the drags.. and I can't make it to TF this year. I'm hoping next year when I can drive and if I have enough money, I'll go. It sounds like a blast!

[Tri-ZNate]

that sucks i was hoping to see the SX this year.


Hmmm 3000 posts. Guess I need to get a life :lol: :crazy:

[nouseforaname90]

I have 418.. what a high count, huh? But I also had my post count reset after around 1,500 or 2,000.. lol.
And why do you want to see the SX? Just curious..

[Tri-ZNate]

I wanna see the supertrapp mostly. See how much different it sounds and responds compared to the bassani.

[nouseforaname90]

Aaah. I see. I love my Supertrapp :). I'm hoping to get a Dial-A-Jet for the SX soon, too. And the R. I FINALLY found a Dial-A-Jet on eBay for a 4 stroke (they're always for 2-strokes on there!) and bought it for the X project. This X looks so far like its going to turn out good :) So far I have it all torn down, most of the small things fixed, the front forks polished, all of the rims cleaned up and polished, and the tripple trees polished. Can't wait to have this thing running in the summer! Then its on with the R project.. endless, I tell you!
Well anyway.. that was a rant and a half.. lol. I'm also kind of interested in the Bassani..

[Tri-ZNate]

basically right now its a staight pipe :crazy:. i need to repack it bad because I have no low end (and I doubt it has ever been repacked) but once I'm in the upper throttle its all there. Just cant get the bolts loose to do it.

[nouseforaname90]

Haha. I know the feeling of no low end. In summer with 12 discs on the Supertrapp, the SX runs really strong. But when cold weather kicks in, I need to take it down to 6 discs or else I notice a difference in power on the low end.

And the X is going to have a straight pipe for awhile. I'm kind of interested to see what it sounds like.. it really is just a piece of pipe with a header attatched :).

[Tri-ZNate]

do it to it. My buddy put some flex pipe on his jeep willies :lol:. Maybe thats an option?

Oh yeah now I remember that homemade exhaust.

[DeePa]

First you want to lean back as far as possible. Then you rev the engine really high. Then you just pop the clutch in 2nd gear. Seriously. I wouldn't tell you anything that might get you hurt or embarassed or anything. :naughty:

yo dammit what the hell man...i tried that and royally bashed my head on the ground...youre tips are no good...lol i had a good laugh when i read that

:TrikesOwn

[250rCRazed]

As far as working the clutch during the launch... you pretty much just have to learn where to position your body weight so that when you take off you #1) Dont flip over.... and #2) Dont dig ditches.... not that I think you should start doing drag launches this early in the game, but just so you know... start by putting your weight way forward (it also matters how grippy the terrain is) and rip the throttle as you dump the clutch out, your tires should spin, but you should get the feel that the front end is very light, almost wanting to come off the ground without actually wheelying up too high... as always though, the best advice is to just get a feel for it, not much of a replacement for self-experience. Before you know it, you wont even have to think about how to use the clutch it will just come natural.

I do like the sit back and dump the clutch in 2nd gear full throttle idea as well lol

[TtownJoeShow]

i just use the clutch for starting and stopping, not changing gears when moving

[Vealmonkey]

It is hard to give tips on clutching because every machine is different. The key to clutching is the friction zone. That is the area where when you let out the clutch just enough, that you feel it just start to engage and just start to move the trike forward. Until you hit the friction zone, there is no need to give the trike any gas. You only give the minimum amount of gas once you hit the friction zone so the trike won't stall. once it starts moving decently and seems that it is not going to stall continue to gently let out the rest of the way on the clutch and away you go. If your not sure about sharp turns, just pull in the clutch until you are through your turn and gently let it back on and your on your way again. Always let off the gas between shifts wether you use the clutch or not. The truck drivers use a method called double clutching which is really more like double revving. The whole idea behind the clutch is to get the different gears spinning at the same rpms so that when you shift there is a smooth transition from the gear you are in to the gear you want to go in. Different gears have different ratios which spin at different speeds when the trike is traveling at it's speed. If the rate the gears are spinning is too different between any 2 gears, when you go to shift it just grinds. When truckers double clutch, they actually rev the gas twice really fast and when the engine rpms' are coming down, that is when they shift into the next higher gear without using the clutch. Really, you shouldn't not use the clutch until you get better at using the clutch. Also if your going up hill or coming down a hill, your much better off using a clutch, because if you miss a shift not using the clutch, the resluts could be really bad and painful. Take your time and learn to use your clutch properly before you get too fancy. Also not shifting without the clutch can do damage to your machine and you want to change the oil more often because there are more chances for gear scraping and to get those metal shaving into your oil.

[crackshot]

I always use the clutch. Starting, stopping, upshifting, downshifting.

Just a habit I have had since I started riding in 1975.

[sandpuppi101]

Vealmonkey pretty much summed it up,with your lack of knowledge with a clutch and the machine ,you need to just take your time and get the basics down first before you do anything eratic.You are gonna have to get used to the fact that it is'nt a brake and other factors.I personally only ever use the clutch to take off.When I take off in a race situationI sit forward on the machine and usually start in 2nd gear - rev high with burst,and dump it on a high rev! But that is me and about 20 years more experience than you.Just take your time and respect that R ,because it can put a whooping on you if you don't.And dont become so dependant on the clutch that you have to use it for everything you do because it will become too much work,just take your time!!!

[BigGreenMachine]

Learn as you go m8, no good sittin on your comp tryin to learn. Seat of the pants is the only way to fly. I'd use the clutch to shift gears as well, thats what it is there for!

Starting off you want to feed the clutch until you feel it engage and hear the engine RPM start to drop off, then feed the throttle as needed until your rolling. Then let the clutch go and rip around.

When going through a slow turn you really need to use your better judgement. Faster turns you may want to slip the clutch and break the rear wheels loose. Rear wheel steering is what your doing, powersliding around the turn slipping the clutch to bring up the RPMs whenever you feel the bike start to come off the pipe.

A big field that your not worried about tearing up is what you need. Get out and learn to slip the clutch (you really need to learn this), learn to powerslide and practice your launches and just getting the bike rolling with minimal clutch work.


Drag starts I find I can dump the clutch in 2nd gear way up in the revs on hardpack dirt.


...and,


JUST HAVE FUN!!! lol

[New2ATC]

On my kx-80 i just tapped the throttle and let the clutch out very slowly when learning, and I use the clutch at all times (starting up shifting down shifting stopping) as for drag starts, I used to blip the throttle and drop the clutch at the same time, so it got the power to the ground, but not too high of RPM's so your looking at the sky.

[nouseforaname90]

Learn as you go m8, no good sittin on your comp tryin to learn.

I know. I've been out there everyday since I got the R trying to learn and get the hang of it. I was just asking incase there were any tips or little tricks or recommendations.

And about powersliding.. I've never really understood it. I always thought it was when you were going around a turn or something and you just pin the gas so that the rear tires spin and spin the bike around. But you're making it sound like its when you are going around a turn and losing power, and then you pull the clutch, rev it, and let out so that the RPM's go up and the rear end goes around?
Explain this to me.. lol.

[Tri-ZNate]

yep powersliding is just as you think, but on a two stroke primarily, you can slip the clutch to hit the powerband if you dont have enough rpms and let it back out to slide around.

[nouseforaname90]

I know its for bikes with more power.. lol. 350X or 250R/Tri-Z, etc. I'm sure that my SX couldn't do it like the R!

[Tri-ZNate]

slipping the clutch or sliding around :lol:

[BigGreenMachine]

Like drifting, making sure to keep in the meat of the powercurve by slipping the clutch when you hear the rpms drop off or feel the bike begin to bog.