Able to shift without clutch?! 2012 Slim
Able to shift without clutch?! 2012 Slim
So I went on a decent (200 mile) ride today and as I was pulling back into my town I wasn't paying attention and went to downshift. Well I forgot to squeeze the clutch and pushed the peg down any it still shifted without any issue. As soon as I realized what happened I tried repeating it and it rowed through every gear with no issue, no grind, no anything. What the heck is going on? The bike has less than 500 miles on it.
There's no problem. I did it on my sportster all the time. Most of the time I could get the downshifting with no herky jerky, but sometimes the revs didn't match the tranny speed. Found out I could do this when one hand was busy working a camera on a Blueridge Parkway ride.
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 523
Likes: 1
From: kingston ontario
used to be the first thing i did with a new vehicle...find out where/when i could shift without clutch (car, bike, truck, i drive standard everything) the bike i have now is the first one i bought new and the first one i have not done that with (not sure why)
Ya'll serious? This **** is normal? Ok, i've just never heard of much less seen this type of thing before on a bike. Thought my trans was going to catch fire and start the apocolypse.
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 182
Likes: 8
From: virginia
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,016
Likes: 277
From: East Tn Foot of The Dragon
It is called "float" shifting in the trucking world. Highly discouraged in the motorcycle wolrd, very stressfull on a 2 wheeler trans and a mistake can cause serious, expensive damage.
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2009
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From: East Tn Foot of The Dragon
There's no problem. I did it on my sportster all the time. Most of the time I could get the downshifting with no herky jerky, but sometimes the revs didn't match the tranny speed. Found out I could do this when one hand was busy working a camera on a Blueridge Parkway ride.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 3,747
Likes: 5
From: Central Cali
Its a matter of being at the right speed and gear (and rpm's). I did it one time when my clutch went out on my sporty on the way home from work. I rode 75 miles without a clutch running through 1st - 5th gear. Don't recommend this though because its not a good idea to try and stop. Lol But you can easily float through up shifting and down shifting without a clutch if you know your bike. I'm still learning my new one.