Do you shift without the clutch?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,705
Likes: 22,718
From: Farmington ,MS
Actually just the opposite...replaced many syncro's on 15 and 18 speeds...the brass syncro rings wear out quite fast on trucks with trainee drivers ...fairly cheap to replace when you have the trans out for a clutch anyway. Harleys have no syncro rings so the gears and dogs take the abuse when you f up. I have shifted everything I have ever owned... that had a manual trans without the clutch...just to see if I could...if you do it right you can do it for a million miles with no damage. My 71 chevy truck with "3 on the tree" was the hardest to shift smoothly without the clutch, and I use the clutch most of the time on my bike.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,498
Likes: 128
For those of you that say you don't use the clutch I have one simple question. Why? It's not exactly a huge chore to pull the clutch before you shift, so why DON'T you do it? What is your reason? To me not using the clutch makes about as much sense as leaving your bike in high gear and backing off the gas to shut it down rather than putting it in neutral and turning the key.
Road Master
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,081
Likes: 7
From: Canada
Like it's been said, lots of mis-information floating around.
cheers
Last edited by Sauceman; Oct 27, 2012 at 05:07 PM.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,938
Likes: 30
From: North Florida
Fuc your internet expert nonsense , are you in any way a harley davidson mechanic trained or otherwise and if so how long have you been at it garage tinkering and plastic chrome aside ? I am and have been since the late 70's . Do as you please it's your bike , I've been dealing for 30 plus years now with the results of what happens when people play outer the design parameters and no clutch shifting is not in any way recommended by any technical person or publication I've read or come across for a motorcycle .
Fuc your internet expert nonsense , are you in any way a harley davidson mechanic trained or otherwise and if so how long have you been at it garage tinkering and plastic chrome aside ?
I have never claimed to be a HD tech, never claimed to be any expert. I only posted those links because you accused me of never working on my bike.
And if you think the link is about plastic chrome, you never followed the link.
That is tongue is cheek.
I am and have been since the late 70's . Do as you please it's your bike , I've been dealing for 30 plus years now with the results of what happens when people play outer the design parameters and no clutch shifting is not in any way recommended by any technical person or publication I've read or come across for a motorcycle .
Good for you, then give me facts.
“We See x number of bikes come in the dealership every month that people are shifting without the clutch.”
“We get wore out dog on bikes with Pringels all the time, and they were not on drag bikes.”
All I have heard is opinion.
“I am telling you its bad, and I know more than you.”
I am always willing to learn and change my riding style, when people give me fact.
I am getting tired of arguing with you the Harley Tech, the last argument I had with one he was telling me NOT to use synthetic gear lube in my transmission it would make my bearings skate.
And that is a fact.
I’m done, my bladder is empty
Last edited by Harleycruiser; Oct 27, 2012 at 06:10 PM.
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,131
Likes: 51,464
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Never accused you of anything I asked if you did , your the one playing bitch games with wording here .
You see the inside of a damaged gear box sometimes the fault is oblivious other times like a detective you start asking the owner questions about what was going on & how it happened . Even if they are embarrassed or trying to duck being a dumbass it becomes plain the series of events or bad habits that lead up to the failure . Extremely rare ones goes bad all by it's lonesome . And again nowhere in print will you find speed shifting recommended outside racing circles and even then they will tell you the failure / rebuild rate is going up exponentially .
What facts are you looking for ? Google blown harley trannies .......... You want pictures of busted up gears , rounded off shift clutch's , bent or badly worn shift forks and cracked cases ? I can provide them but those are just pictures of the results of abuse . Quit with the weasel words and accept you have a bad habit . Nowhere is there a manual detailing each and every failure but there are set guidelines to go on showing the result of a given bad and no clutch shifting is listed as a no no and lets not mention plain old common sense but I'm not seeing much of that here . You want to cough up the $$$$ to buy it after you get the certification allowing you access knock yourself out buddy .
Hey your life your bike do as you please but again don't be trying to justify it to some who may not know any better . I played and I paid for it by breaking expensive things but then again I could pick up another tranny at a swap meet for $150 and 3 hours labor and be riding again .
You see the inside of a damaged gear box sometimes the fault is oblivious other times like a detective you start asking the owner questions about what was going on & how it happened . Even if they are embarrassed or trying to duck being a dumbass it becomes plain the series of events or bad habits that lead up to the failure . Extremely rare ones goes bad all by it's lonesome . And again nowhere in print will you find speed shifting recommended outside racing circles and even then they will tell you the failure / rebuild rate is going up exponentially .
What facts are you looking for ? Google blown harley trannies .......... You want pictures of busted up gears , rounded off shift clutch's , bent or badly worn shift forks and cracked cases ? I can provide them but those are just pictures of the results of abuse . Quit with the weasel words and accept you have a bad habit . Nowhere is there a manual detailing each and every failure but there are set guidelines to go on showing the result of a given bad and no clutch shifting is listed as a no no and lets not mention plain old common sense but I'm not seeing much of that here . You want to cough up the $$$$ to buy it after you get the certification allowing you access knock yourself out buddy .
Hey your life your bike do as you please but again don't be trying to justify it to some who may not know any better . I played and I paid for it by breaking expensive things but then again I could pick up another tranny at a swap meet for $150 and 3 hours labor and be riding again .
Last edited by TwiZted Biker; Oct 27, 2012 at 06:53 PM.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,938
Likes: 30
From: North Florida
You see the inside of a damaged gear box sometimes the fault is oblivious other times like a detective you start asking the owner questions about what was going on & how it happened . Even if they are embarrassed or trying to duck being a dumbass it becomes plain the series of events or bad habits that lead up to the failure . Extremely rare ones goes bad all by it's lonesome . And again nowhere in print will you find speed shifting recommended outside racing circles and even then they will tell you the failure / rebuild rate is going up exponentially .
What facts are you looking for ? Google blown harley trannies .......... You want pictures of busted up gears , rounded off shift clutch's , bent or badly worn shift forks and cracked cases ? I can provide them but those are just pictures of the results of abuse . Quit with the weasel words and accept you have a bad habit . Nowhere is there a manual detailing each and every failure but there are set guidelines to go on showing the result of a given bad and no clutch shifting is listed as a no no and lets not mention plain old common sense but I'm not seeing much of that here . You want to cough up the $$$$ to buy it after you get the certification allowing you access knock yourself out buddy .
.
What facts are you looking for ? Google blown harley trannies .......... You want pictures of busted up gears , rounded off shift clutch's , bent or badly worn shift forks and cracked cases ? I can provide them but those are just pictures of the results of abuse . Quit with the weasel words and accept you have a bad habit . Nowhere is there a manual detailing each and every failure but there are set guidelines to go on showing the result of a given bad and no clutch shifting is listed as a no no and lets not mention plain old common sense but I'm not seeing much of that here . You want to cough up the $$$$ to buy it after you get the certification allowing you access knock yourself out buddy .
.
maybe its that synthetic gear lube.
Last edited by Harleycruiser; Oct 27, 2012 at 07:27 PM.
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,131
Likes: 51,464
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Don't joke saw a rash of trashed tranny's back when that vegetable based oil was going around in the early 80's being sold like Amway stuff , was the big hustle after oil & gas prices started climbing after OPEC woke up to greed . Guys would put it in and within 100 miles the bearings on the counter shafts where burning up couple froze and locked the guys up at speed , was ugly . Don't want to know what the veggie motor oil did to things ...........