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my understanding is that riding a clutch causes a great deal of wear and shortens the life of the diaphram (sp?) springs as well as the clutch plate. atleast that was what i was told when i purchased my last car.

misfits9095 wrote:my understanding is that riding a clutch causes a great deal of wear and shortens the life of the diaphram (sp?) springs as well as the clutch plate. atleast that was what i was told when i purchased my last car.

According to my MSF instructors, car clutches are quite different from motorcycle clutches. Bike clutches are made to withstand the wear and tear of slipping, so it's not a problem to use clutch control to help regulate power to the rear wheel, especially in lower gears where the throttle is touchy and can lead to jerking.

jonnythan wrote:

misfits9095 wrote:my understanding is that riding a clutch causes a great deal of wear and shortens the life of the diaphram (sp?) springs as well as the clutch plate. atleast that was what i was told when i purchased my last car.

According to my MSF instructors, car clutches are quite different from motorcycle clutches. Bike clutches are made to withstand the wear and tear of slipping, so it's not a problem to use clutch control to help regulate power to the rear wheel, especially in lower gears where the throttle is touchy and can lead to jerking.

+1, that's what I've been told as well. I too initially had the same concerns about riding the clutch and whatnot on the motorcycle.

Shorts wrote:+1, that's what I've been told as well. I too initially had the same concerns about riding the clutch and whatnot on the motorcycle.

To elaborate a little more, among my three instructors, none of them could think of anyone they know who has had to get a clutch replaced on a bike that hasn't been crashed.. including the course bikes that live in first and second gears with the clutches half engaged.

Oh i see. So I guess the consensus is to stay off the clutch while on a curve to stay in acceleration eh? I guess I hold in the clutch until I lean and then I friction point the rest of the way with a maintenance throttle. But I guess that won't do =\

HungPower wrote:Oh i see. So I guess the consensus is to stay off the clutch while on a curve to stay in acceleration eh? I guess I hold in the clutch until I lean and then I friction point the rest of the way with a maintenance throttle. But I guess that won't do =\

you don't need the clutch when you're doing maintenance throttle while cornering.

HungPower wrote:Oh i see. So I guess the consensus is to stay off the clutch while on a curve to stay in acceleration eh? I guess I hold in the clutch until I lean and then I friction point the rest of the way with a maintenance throttle. But I guess that won't do =\

Have you taken the MSF class?

Slow, look lean and roll Roll on the throttle into and through the turn to maximize traction.

jonnythan wrote:

misfits9095 wrote:my understanding is that riding a clutch causes a great deal of wear and shortens the life of the diaphram (sp?) springs as well as the clutch plate. atleast that was what i was told when i purchased my last car.

According to my MSF instructors, car clutches are quite different from motorcycle clutches. Bike clutches are made to withstand the wear and tear of slipping, so it's not a problem to use clutch control to help regulate power to the rear wheel, especially in lower gears where the throttle is touchy and can lead to jerking.

+1 using the clutch makes for a nice smooth ride.

I slip the clutch the most when taking off from a stop. Also need to slip it if I'm doing a U-turn type maneuver. Besides that, I only slip it a tiny it bit during shifting to make the transition to the next gear a smooth one.

The Crimson Rider® wrote: what does the MSF teach about this?

when i took the MSF course in November, they taught us to only cover the clutch, but not use it unless you absolutely needed to downshift. i use the same technique when i drive my manual '86 toyota truck...however, they did emphasize that when we do quickstops to hold the clutch in, so that you can quickly go to first and take off again in case of emergency.