Riding the Clutch

[sinkoman]

When I go downhill on my dirtbike, what i'll usually do is either kill the engine and pop it into neutral, or more commonly (since it's easier to do), is hold the clutch, downshift to first, and just ride my brakes down the hill (holding the clutch the entire time).

I also commonly just hold the clutch to decelerate, as opposed to breaking, when i'm riding on a paved road, since the brakes often are too "grabby" on paved surfaces, and just holding the clutch and waiting to coast to a stop is usually allot easier.

What I sometimes also do in corners, is i'll hold the clutch and then rev the engine a good few times to bring RPMs up, then as soon as I feel i've come into the turn, pop the clutch to gain a bit of a boost outside of the turn.

And at times i'll just rev from 2nd to 3rd and pop the clutch as fast as possible just to do a wheelie.

Are the former considered "riding the clutch"? I just found out what that was today, and want to be sure i'm not ****ing my clutch plates over on my bike, as i'm still on the stock plates.

 

[Higlac]

Hmm, I think you'll be fine as long as you hold the clutch in all the way and dont cause any friction on the clutch. And also, I think that popping the clutch like that probably isn't good for your gearbox.

 

[Baal]

Your clutch is going to last 25% of its capable life-span at that rate.

I don't ride dirtbikes - I had an ATV once but it was a semi - but I drive a standard transmission car and the only time I have the clutch in is to switch gears and starting off and it's always fully in, then directly out immediately afterwards - NEVER holding in the clutch (ie: slipping or riding the clutch).

Basically, when in doubt, drop it into neutral and leave the clutch out until you're ready to shift back into gear.

That's what my dad tells me anyways, and he's a super car/machine type guy.

 

[CyberPitz]

Can't be much better than me burning my clutch....

 

[Bad^Hat]

Do a barrel roll.

 

[lePobz]

My clutch rides itself. I think it's time for a new one. I had a go at tightening the clutch cable, but that plan got as far as me realising it's a hydraulic clutch.

As long as your clutch is fully engaged, you're fine. Riding the clutch is where you over-compensate for having a semi-engaged clutch by adding more revs - which generates more friction at the clutch and slowly burns it out.

On the whole, i'd have to agree with Bad^Hat. A barrel roll is the best technique in this situation.

 

[xcellerate]

is hold the clutch, downshift to first, and just ride my brakes down the hill (holding the clutch the entire time).

Why do you put it in first? Just put it in neutral or downshift as you slow down; engine braking.

I also commonly just hold the clutch to decelerate, as opposed to breaking,

When you said hold...do you mean not hold? As in, leave it in gear and let the motor slow you down? And it's "braking"...

What I sometimes also do in corners, is i'll hold the clutch and then rev the engine a good few times to bring RPMs up, then as soon as I feel i've come into the turn, pop the clutch to gain a bit of a boost outside of the turn.

This just doesn't make sense. If you're trying to properly take a turn on pavement, you shouldn't ever be not in a gear. You should brake before the corner, down shifting if necessary, then accelerate through the corner; in slow, out fast. What you're doing sounds more like you're trying to drift...

"Riding the clutch" is more correctly known as engine braking, it's when you're going down a hill and you down shift a gear (or more) to bring the RPM's up slightly, so that the motor either slows the car down or keeps you at a constant speed without having to apply the brakes. Unless you're literally talking about riding the clutch which is when you let the clutch out too slowly and end up riding it farther than is necessary.

 

[sinkoman]

Why do you put it in first? Just put it in neutral or downshift as you slow down; engine braking.



When you said hold...do you mean not hold? As in, leave it in gear and let the motor slow you down? And it's "braking"...



This just doesn't make sense. If you're trying to properly take a turn on pavement, you shouldn't ever be not in a gear. You should brake before the corner, down shifting if necessary, then accelerate through the corner; in slow, out fast. What you're doing sounds more like you're trying to drift...

"Riding the clutch" is more correctly known as engine braking, it's when you're going down a hill and you down shift a gear (or more) to bring the RPM's up slightly, so that the motor either slows the car down or keeps you at a constant speed without having to apply the brakes. Unless you're literally talking about riding the clutch which is when you let the clutch out too slowly and end up riding it farther than is necessary.

This is all on dirt btw.

Going downhill, it's really how you're supposed to do it. Either neutral or clutch (or that's how I learned it), and then lock the back tire, then just slide down the hill. First gear because when you hit the bottom of the hill, you've usually got very little, or no momentum at all (which can easily be changed I suppose).

I get lazy sometimes and just coast to a stop because the jolt from down shifting gets irritating at times.

And I rev it up outside of turns at times to get a bit of momentum when i'm in say, a really really muddy and really really deep rut.

I do it allot actually in deeper ruts, where i'll start to lose momentum because the tires aren't really gripping anything, so I get the RPMs up a bit just to get momentum (not traction).

All on trails btw, I don't really do motocross.

Sounds like if I hold it open all the way and don't pop it, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

yes, no?

 

[JFry]

Riding the clutch is awesome, and will help you score chicks.

 

[CyberPitz]

this bike talk confuses me....what happens when you "ride the clutch". Is this when it's engaged and not in gear?

And why would you lock the back tire going down hill? OHH THE HUGE MANATEE!

 

[Stigmata]

this bike talk confuses me....what happens when you "ride the clutch". Is this when it's engaged and not in gear?

And why would you lock the back tire going down hill? OHH THE HUGE MANATEE!

I think locking the back tire helps with steering. It ensures the front of the bike is always going faster than the back so you don't get turned around or lose your balance.

Or so I assume. I threw on my back brakes whenever I regular-biked down a steep hill, and it worked for me, good times.

 

[cheddarrr]

i thinks its just called gearing down.. i do it all the time in the standards i drive...
im pretty sure its rough on your clutch.. but its either that or your brakes. and i learned to drive w/o out brakes so you know which one im goign to use....

 

[xcellerate]

This is all on dirt btw.

...yea just ignore me then, I can't even spell durt.

 

[repiV]

I only ride on the road...but you're supposed to slip the clutch at low speeds. Otherwise the bike will lurch and jerk around...or stall if you're going too slowly. You shouldn't get a jolt from downshifting if you do it properly - in fact you shouldn't really feel it at all. Pull the clutch in, downshift, then gently let the clutch out and give it a little bit of revs so that it finds the lower gear smoothly. Don't just dump the clutch.
You should be using the clutch a lot more than you would in a car. I don't know why you ride in neutral though.

 

[Robbo]

Brake Pads are cheaper than clutches, you can ride the clutch all you want but it's going to ware it out faster. It's up to you, if you can afford a new clutch use it to brake.

 

[Cormeh]

Ahhhh yes, coasting. The forbidden fruit of driving. I don't know anything about bikes, but you're never supposed to have the clutch down, or the vehicle in neutral (whilst travelling), whatever the road conditions.

Everyone does it though.

 

[repiV]

I think it's a terrible way to brake...you'll lose speed a lot more quickly by downshifting and engine braking. A bad habit I have is shifting down through all the gears at once approaching a junction...and obviously I'm holding the clutch in to do that. If I then dumped the clutch the engine would whine at me and go into overdrive and the bike would quite rapidly come to a stop.
Having said that, if the brakes are too grabby to use, you're doing something wrong. Squeeze them gently. You should be able to come to a complete stop from 40mph in a couple of seconds by squeezing the front brake, then the rear brake and progressively pulling them further in but without grabbing them and causing a skid.

 

[repiV]

Ahhhh yes, coasting. The forbidden fruit of driving. I don't know anything about bikes, but you're never supposed to have the clutch down, or the vehicle in neutral (whilst travelling), whatever the road conditions.

Everyone does it though.

If you're travelling under 10mph on a bike you should probably have the clutch half in - otherwise the bike will jolt violently when you accelerate and stall if you lose too much speed.
It's a lot different to a car clutch. When I started learning it was a nightmare to get the hang of - start pulling away at a junction, let the clutch out too just a bit too quickly and the bike would lurch forward and stall. You have to slip it.

 

[VirusType2]

Your Not Doing It Right.


I wouldn't ride the clutch, as someone said, brakes are cheap, clutches are much more difficult to access and more expensive.


some alternatives:

put it in neutral.

put it in a lower gear to 'engine brake' (look it up if you have to)

gently apply the brakes. Rear more than front if you are worried about locking up.

 

[sinkoman]

I think it's a terrible way to brake...you'll lose speed a lot more quickly by downshifting and engine braking. A bad habit I have is shifting down through all the gears at once approaching a junction...and obviously I'm holding the clutch in to do that. If I then dumped the clutch the engine would whine at me and go into overdrive and the bike would quite rapidly come to a stop.
Having said that, if the brakes are too grabby to use, you're doing something wrong. Squeeze them gently. You should be able to come to a complete stop from 40mph in a couple of seconds by squeezing the front brake, then the rear brake and progressively pulling them further in but without grabbing them and causing a skid.

Going 40 MPH on a dirtbike with KNOBBY tires on a PAVED road + front break = front flip

And yeah, engine breaking on a dirtbike is a great way to have the bike jolt forward and throw you off.

I'm thinking i'm fine though. I know on a dirtbike you HAVE to slip the clutch when shifting (especially going into first), lest you run the risk of a sudden jolt when you downshift, or a backflip when you upshift.

And yeah, when I go downhill, I completely disengage the clutch (as in, lever all the way in).

Dunno if i'll ever get a proper answer

 

[Higlac]

Well, I've only ever driven a stick, so you can ignore anything I have to say.

 

[repiV]

Going 40 MPH on a dirtbike with KNOBBY tires on a PAVED road + front break = front flip

And yeah, engine breaking on a dirtbike is a great way to have the bike jolt forward and throw you off.

I'm thinking i'm fine though. I know on a dirtbike you HAVE to slip the clutch when shifting (especially going into first), lest you run the risk of a sudden jolt when you downshift, or a backflip when you upshift.

And yeah, when I go downhill, I completely disengage the clutch (as in, lever all the way in).

Dunno if i'll ever get a proper answer

I've never ridden a dirtbike (I have ridden a Honda CG125, a Suzuki GN125, a Kawasaki ER-5 and a Yamaha Fazer 600)...but I can't imagine the principles of bike control differ that radically between dirtbikes and other bikes. Ok, if you rev the engine and then dump the clutch from startionary on a CG125, the bike will lurch forward and stall, and if you do the same on a Fazer, you'll either end up in someone's living room or on the floor with the bike sitting on top of you, but the principles still remain the same. The only reason for that difference is that on the 125, there isn't enough power going to the rear wheel quickly enough to stop the bike from stalling if you dump the clutch.
It sounds like you're just using too much brake.

 

[Atomi]

I'm assuming it's a 2-stroke engine. With those you don't do engine breaking. If you do that, the engine gets no lubrication, as it doesn't get any gas in because the oil mixes with the gas only when you use the throttle. What I'd do would just engage the clutch all the way and roll down with it, or going for neutral or give it a little gas on a large gear so it doesn't engine break.