I don't from 1 to 2 but if you know you bike, you can do this without jerking at the exact speed/rpm in the rest of the gears....i normally only feather the clutch a 1/2 inch....

 

It's easy enough to shift w/o the clutch going up. Going down, not so much. Regardless, I just naturally grab for the clutch. Drove a tandem dump truck, and once you got it going, there was really no need to use the clutch.

 

I've done it a few times by accident when shifting fast. It shifted ok but I'm not so sure its a good thing to do. That might be why it has a clutch. But what do I really know!!

 

Why not just powershift?

 

Thanks for all the replies. I guess it is all the same. Wouldn't hurt to do it but... I'll just use the clutch..

 

I'm sure this topic will run on a little more yet!

I have owned a wide variety of bikes over 40-odd years. A few of them had close ratio gear sets that made it very easy to change clutchless. Some, my air-cooled BMW twins, had a bitch of a gearbox that was unreliable when changing from 4th to top gear and the only certain way of getting into that gear was without the clutch, so the technique was essential.

Harleys have quite wide ratio gearboxes, so the techniques I have used on other bikes are not as easily transferred, but as others have said, the upward changes in the higher gears can be done easily and safely.

Making clutchless changes requires practice, especially if you ride 2-up a lot, but they can be a part of mastering your bike and also add an extra skill that is effective and worthwhile. The clutch still has a role, even if you make many of your gear changes without using it!

Speed! Smoothness. A Harley is not the best candidate for clutchless changes, but when changing into top gear, say while accelerating past another vehicle, that upward change can be done in a blink and extremely smoothly, with hardly a break in power delivery. It's effective and very satisfying! Try it.

 

With a bigger engine under hard acceleration it's safer and easier than using the clutch. Especially when running heavy clutch springs. I like to engage and disengage the clutch with two fingers in order to have firm grip on the bars, which isn't easy with 480lbs. of spring pressure and the bike pulling hard, not to mention if you're running a clutch hat making it even more difficult. If you can grip the bar and make it up to the clutch lever shift, back on the bar and back to the lever and hit yourshifts, great. I surely can't, so mostly I keep two fingers on the clutch lever and hold on with my thumb, palm of my hand, and other two fingers. There are times when I want to shift fast. This is when I just bypass the clutch lever, preload the shifter and jig the throttle for fast smooth, and yes more accurate shifts. I've never mised a shift this way and it doesn't ssem to be as hard on the drive line as power shifting. It reminds of a shift on a V8 streetcar running an automatic with a performance valvebody and clutches. Quick, hard, not harsh and direct.

 

I shift w/o the clutch when I'm getting down or sometimes just riding "spiritedly". NEVER downshift without the clutch though. On my dirtbikes and quads, especially in the sand I never use the clutch upshifting. Gotta keep the motor pulling and losing 3-4 hundred rpm can get you in some trouble