I have been told both ways - let off the gas when you shift, and it is ok to shift while 'on the throttle'?

to me - common sense says to let off the gas before you shift - what are your thoughts?

 

Just because you CAN do something, doesn't necessarily mean you SHOULD be doing it. Power shifting is just going to be harder on the clutch!

 

I agree with reconranger. The machine WILL shift under throttle but it is going to be harder on the clutch.

 

Agreed with above, letting off the gas will net you many years of trouble free service.

 

A clutch is $60 ..Shift it hard. THe ES is designed to give you a perfect shift at any engine speed.

I would say the ware is the same either way. Most clutches get burnt out from pulling, pushing, riding in to tall a gear or just letting it slip alot.

My friend burnt his out one day. He put the front end against a tree and did burn outs.

 

I have been flat shifting my toyota pickup for 100,000 miles and it still works good. I only use the clutch on hills and when starting from a stop.

 

on my 400 at i shift while in the throttle but i think the trannys are different. i dont feel the machine shift just notice it take off faster.........

 

that's the exact opposite of what we're talking about here. You are eliminating your clutch, and just letting the synchronizers in the transmission do all the work, so of course your clutch is fine, you arent even engaging/disengaging it. The ESP system moves the shift linkage which disengages the clutch AND moves the synchronizers in the transmission. the engine rpm will flare is you push the button while on the gas as the clucth is momentarily disengaged and the trans is shifted.

A better analogy of this would be to drive your truck and keep your foot on the gas while you clutch it and shift. (also known as speed shifting by street racers) If you do it fast enough, the rpm will flare for a just a little bit until you move it to the next gear and release the clutch pedal. Now tell me honestly, do you really think the clutch will last as long as if you normally drove it????

works the same way with the ES. You can hold in the gas while you shift, but things are going to wear out/break much faster.

(By the way, I have a 2 year degree in automotive, I know what i'm talking about) [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

What I meant to say with the truck analogy is the clutch doesn't do much any way when normally shiffting. It's just taking off and pushing pulling that its' really even used.


The main thing to do is to learn where the transmission shifts the smoothest and always shift at the SPEED/RPM. most of the time that best shift point is with the throttle still pressed abit. If you let the rpms go down to idle the transmission has to bring the engine up to the same speed as the gears and that slips the clutch. Now if engine RPM'S and gear speed are the same its a buttery smooth shift with no clutch slippage.

 

I have an 03, but should be the same as an 04, and ive done full throttle shifts, and as long as youre on low traction surfaces, like slippery mud, sand or snow or loose gravel, it does just fine. Im not sure id do it on pavement though....
The way i figure it, is honda has so many safety features and blocks(like not being able to access nuetral if the bike is going over 2 mph, not starting unless in nuetral and so on) that if it were harmful to power shift...they would have figured a way to keep me from doing it. If you havent shifted at full throttle yet, try it, its not as abrupt as youd think. The shifting action is so quick, the motor doesnt rev any higher, than it was going into the shift. The shifting happens quicker the higher the motor revs, and thats part of the computer controled shifts. Id say the shifting into first, at a standstill is more abrupt, than shifting into 4th at wide open. The computer knows the motor is reving hard, and makes the shift quicker.
But like i said, i only do it on low traction surfaces, id say itd be very hard on tires, if you did it on pavement, or other high traction surfaces. I wouldnt worry about the clutch, it doesnt seem to slip, and the shifting happens so quick, itll probably last longer than ill own it.
Come on guys....its a honda, its not gonna break..have some fun.