Let me clear up any confusion about the sportclutch in the 250ex because I wasn't aware of this myself until a few days ago and I work at a Honda dealer. The '06 has a centrifigal clutch just like the older models so you can stop and start the atv w/out using the clutch lever and having it stall out. But heres the difference between the '06 and '05. On the '05 the change clutch is disengaged when you move the shift lever w/ your foot to change gears. On the '06, the change clutch is operated by the clutch lever on the handlebars, just the same as any other manual clutch machine (400ex, 450R, etc.). So if you shift gears w/out using the clutch lever, you are not disengaging the clutch. This machine is designed to be ridden and shifted like a manual clutch machine but you have the added benefit of not having to worry about killing the engine when a beginner is learning the clutch. It is not designed to be shifted w/ out using the manual clutch lever. I have driven this machine w/out using the clutch to change gears because I wasn't aware of the situation myself, and I remember it actually shifting ok. But by continuing to shift in the matter can only increase the wear and tear on clutch and tranny parts.

 

"This machine is designed to be ridden and shifted like a manual clutch machine but you have the added benefit of not having to worry about killing the engine when a beginner is learning the clutch. It is not designed to be shifted w/ out using the manual clutch lever."

This is great information indeed! Thanks a lot for pointing this out. I'm starting to really like this quad, plus the new design totally rocks over the old bubble design.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I found this article online that states it's okay to shift without using the clutch. They claim the original auto-shifting has not been compromised, riders just now have the option of overiding the auto operation. Here's what I read:

With the new clutch set up, the rider can use the manual clutch just like a
real manual shift machine, but the rider can’t stall it. How does it work? Well, it works great for one thing. When we pulled the clutch in, we could feel the motor disengage. It feels like neutral. But, if we didn’t want to use the clutch lever, we didn’t need to; the engine wouldn’t stall when we came to a stop without pulling the clutch lever.

The machine still has the internal centrifugal clutch and works just fine without using the manual clutch at all. The plus side of this is that the rider gets all the advantages of the clutch like better control, but at the same time, develops good clutch habits and technique without all the frustrating failures that first timers face. It is a good transition tool between a fully automatic machine and a manual machine.
Source:
http://www.atvsporttv.com/output.cfm?id=1051309. accessed 12 Feb 2005

It sounds pretty cool to me. I think I've just found my replacement quad for my Badger!

 

Just remember, as I stated in my previous post, this machine was not designed to be shifted w/out the manual clutch. You are not disengaging the change clutch when shifting if your not using the clutch lever. It remains to be seen what, if any, damage will occurr to the clutch and tranny if you never use the clutch lever.