<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: ikeyrider

Some people dont use the clutch and their trannies last forever, some use them and they break 5 times. The main thing is that if you dont cluch you hit the gears in the right rpm range, when i hear people ask why they put a clutch on a bike its a simple thing, you would have to push the quad and jump on to get it moving, all the clutch does is use friction to deliver the rapid motion of the engine to the stationary wheels. In my opinion, you only need the clutch to shift at full throttle, but hey, it doesnt hurt to ride em like the manufactures tell you to.</end quote></div>

Exactly.......

I almost never use the clutch to upshift, and sometimes if I'm only grabbing one gear I don't use it to downshift either.....and I've never blown a tranny....... if I'm downshifting to a stop or several gears I will always use the clutch....

The key as was said, is to know the proper time to shift, the correct RPM range....if you feel any resistance you are doing it wrong......If done right the gears will snick in as smooth as if you were using the clutch..... But if you are not experienced enough to do it, don't.

 

yeah why would they design a bike to have a clutch if it isnt necesary. i feel sorry for all quads that are shifted without their clutches... except for polarises... they suck and deserve to be destroyed. gears arent meant to take that load, so use the clutch and use it right.

 

All you have to do is take the clutch basket out and look at the grooves you are putting in it from no using the clutch! You can file it a couple of times but then it is time for a new basket that can be pretty pricey. How can I say this nicely. USE THE CLUTCH UNLESS YOU HAVE MORE MONEY THAN SENSE!!!!

 

using the cluch normally will probably wear the basket just as much as not using it, when u disengage and reingage the teeth from the frictions grab the basket, i.e. wearing and grooving.

 

It is like a car, get your RPMs in the right range and you DO NOT have to pull in the clutch. If you're cruising in 1st gear just putting around and are going to second, yes, use the clutch. If you're running ***** out you don't need it. Do you really think that all these pro riders pull clutch on every shift? NO In drag races, the guy who pulls the clutch every gear is the guy that falls behind.

 

Wouldn't it be nice to have Hinson as a sponsor so I wouldn't have to buy those costly clutch components like the "Pro Riders".

 

I don't care if they have sponsors, my point is they are not going to do something that will damage their ride and result in them not finishing. Go talk with the guys who run the Baja 1000. If their quads can take it at full blast for 1000 miles straight and finish, I don't think anyone here runs a quad nearly as hard as those guys. Actually I know there is not any guys on here that are as brutal on a quad.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: mojojojo56

yeah why would they design a bike to have a clutch if it isnt necesary. i feel sorry for all quads that are shifted without their clutches... except for polarises... they suck and deserve to be destroyed. gears arent meant to take that load, so use the clutch and use it right.</end quote></div>

Well what do you think a Rekluse clutch is? It is a clutch that you only use to start off. Or what about the 2-way clutch on a 250ex? Same deal.....

Do you know what the mechanical difference is between a Rekluse style and a regular clutch?

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Stoopidbot

It is like a car, get your RPMs in the right range and you DO NOT have to pull in the clutch. If you're cruising in 1st gear just putting around and are going to second, yes, use the clutch. If you're running ***** out you don't need it. Do you really think that all these pro riders pull clutch on every shift? NO In drag races, the guy who pulls the clutch every gear is the guy that falls behind.</end quote></div>

Exactly.... if the synchros are in time the clutch is not needed..... that is really all a clutch does is allow for that synchronization to happen at any time and not just the perfect time....

 

Wow. When I first posted this question, I had no idea it would cause such a debate. For the record, I do know my quad very well and don't just shift it. No, I know the synch points and do it correctly. I used to own a Honda 750 Magna and I never (well, rarely) used the clucth to upshift. I put 30K on that bike and never had a tranny issue. But downshifting is a whole different animal. It's impossible, in my experience, to synch on a downshift. But, anyway, I will TRY to use the clutch on my quad. I'll just have to ride like I am not racing all the time.