Riding the clutch?? Bad for the bike? (Dull question!)

[monkeyboy44]

Please note i have only just started to ride a motorbike

still getting used to smooth gear changes.....

i understand the clutch on a bike is obviously different to a car!

but how long should you ride the clutch for on a bike?

as in when im at lights should i be dropping it down to 1st on the run up and just hold the clutch in till they change or should i really be sticking it in neutral?

what is the correct procedure.... can the clutch take being held for so long?

ive also noticed when im coming up to a junction and going down the gears, sometimes it doesnt find 1st... i have to rock the bike forward to engage it and it also doesnt find neutral that easy?? is this normal?

again i probably sound really stupid but 'if you dont ask'

[piguglyshandydrinker]

It's generally good practice to take the bike out of gear while at rest, and yes it will be better for the clutch in the long run.

Some bikes can take a little 'rock' to help engage first, just as long as it's not really stubborn all of the time, all should be fine.

Phil

[Freerangestormer]

No stupid questions but often stupid answers as a wise man said.

I found even coming back to riding it took me a while before I had enough confidence and control to knock it into neutral when sitting at the lights so that I didn't get flustered or feel rushed when it came time to go - right foot down - engage - right foot up on brake - feel the bite - go when ready. Seeing the opposing lights change or traffic slowing becomes second nature after a while, just like lifesavers, you are still doing those .

One word of caution, ask your DAS instructor, some testers don't like seeing learners knock it into Neutral at the lights, others have no strong views as long as you don't commit the cardinal sin of having both feet on the ground at the same time.

[GoodFoodGuyd]

Please note i have only just started to ride a motorbike

still getting used to smooth gear changes.....

i understand the clutch on a bike is obviously different to a car!

but how long should you ride the clutch for on a bike?

as in when im at lights should i be dropping it down to 1st on the run up and just hold the clutch in till they change or should i really be sticking it in neutral?

what is the correct procedure.... can the clutch take being held for so long?

ive also noticed when im coming up to a junction and going down the gears, sometimes it doesnt find 1st... i have to rock the bike forward to engage it and it also doesnt find neutral that easy?? is this normal?

again i probably sound really stupid but 'if you dont ask'

I don't know if this answer is going to be any help to you. When I first had my Varadero it would sometimes be reluctant to find first or engage neutral. I spoke to a fellow Varadero owner who was also a mechanic at my local Honda dealer. He suggested that at rest my tick over was set slightly too high ( recommended 1100-1300rpm) I dropped it down to just a midges whisker under 1000rpm and all was fine.
This may not be suitable for your bike and it may not work on every Varadero, but there is more than one way to solve a problem.
Greg

[Dee Duble Yuh]

If your bike came from Thunder Road, or has been serviced by them, you might find that the clutch has been adjusted with huge amounts of "free play". This reduces the likelihood of clutch slip, but makes it difficult to disengage the clutch properly. Try reducing the free play back to the manual's recommended settings.

I'm curious about this "cardinal sin" of putting both feet down. What's the harm? In windy weather it can be absolutely necessary to keep the bike upright! Or have I misunderstood something?

[monkeyboy44]

Cheers all....

i have got better at the clutch now only after 3 days worth of commuting, if/when it does stick i just roll forward a bit.

"I'm curious about this "cardinal sin" of putting both feet down. What's the harm? In windy weather it can be absolutely necessary to keep the bike upright! Or have I misunderstood something?"

at CBT training they said you should never have both feet down as one foot will be in the flow of traffic and more importantly you should always cover the rear brake, if a car shunts you from behind you will in theory just skid, if you had the front brake on you would flip over the bars... or something like that

[Annette]

monkeyboy rather than rolling the bike forward if you can't find first gear, slowly let the clutch out a little then select the gear. It's all something technical to do with plates and things that I'm sure someone who know will come along and answer, but it works for me.

I don't see that selecting first gear just before you stop and holding in the clutch will do any harm to your bike. After all, with slow speed maneuvering you feather the clutch in and out all the time.

You'll find a style that suits you and just enjoy it. Everyone rides differently and no one answer is ever the "ultimate" one.

[Muzz]

Yep, I'm with Annette on the 'slipping the clutch a little to get it in gear' thing..

That both feet down instruction seems a bit arbitrary - if you get shunted from behind, how're you gonna have time to apply the back brake? And with a big Vara, unless your legs are five feet long (or you stand like a duck) I defy anyone to have their feet in the traffic - it's a wideish bike. Anything that close will hit you anyway...

God, I'm old and grumpy today...

[Austin]

I'm curious about this "cardinal sin" of putting both feet down. What's the harm? In windy weather it can be absolutely necessary to keep the bike upright! Or have I misunderstood something?

we need one the advanced riding guys to answer this - DaveS, Cie, Stanbloke and a few others. I thought it was something about being in full and proper control of your bike even when stationary and in particular when pulling off - your right hand will be fully occupied starting the bike so the front is unavailable in theory to hold the bike and in the few milliseconds as you start off if your right foot isn't on the peg then you don't have access to the rear brake either. I think the stuff about being rammed from the back is just bollox.

[Freerangestormer]

I'm curious about this "cardinal sin" of putting both feet down. What's the harm? In windy weather it can be absolutely necessary to keep the bike upright! Or have I misunderstood something?

Don't get me wrong, this is something I was told by my DAS instructor that certain examiners view having both feet down and holding the bike on the front brake you are not able to control the throttle, clutch and brake at the same time when on a slope, not that he agree'd entirley himself but he said just don't do it during the test.

I put both feet 'down' from time to time myself, although 'down' is a bit of a generous description I look more like a ballet dancer with a hernia with my inside leg measurement