I've been told that using the clutch to shift grears is totally useless (except for starting, of course). If anything, it just wears the clutch faster. Do you guys agree with that statement?

I've always used the clutch in the past, and I'm afraid of breaking internal parts by not using the clutch. Thus I'll continue until I have evidence here that it shifting without clutch does not harm the KLX...

 

if you want to start shifting w/o the clutch, the key is to keep it smooth. i do it most crusing (light blip off the gas and a quick but light movement and it will drop right in). i in tight situations or times traction is low (mud, hillclimbs), i use the clutch as to not spin the tire when i shift). also, i dont do it down shifting. trust me, try it once or twice, it doesnt feel good or right at all. trust me, just try it and youll get the feel of when you can use it and when it can be bad for you or the bike.

 

Pretty much what PE said - to boil it down just a little bit, just unload the transmission a bit, shift, then get back on the gas. I thought everyone did that?

Just don't go clutchless when the tranny is loaded otherwise it can be rough.

 

What's cheaper?...clutch or tranny parts? What's easier to replace?...clutch or tranny parts? I don't know...this is one of those issues that even though it can be done, why the risk? However, what we do with our bikes and how we do it is our business...right?

 

Off road versus on road.
On the road I always use the clutch. Just habit I guess.

Off road the clutch is for different things.
Rarely use it for "normal" gear changes but I ride the clutch hard in other situations. Great way to feed in and regulate the power to the back wheel whilst keeping the engine in the zone.
Again just habit, the way i always have done it.

 

I'm pretty much in the mix here sometimes use the clutch, sometimes dont. It's as much mood as method really.

If you try it up-shifting a few times, you'll find that it'll slip right into gear as you're coming off the gas and it should move up smooth and easy. Keep a light constant pressure under the lever as your letting off the gas and it'll slip right up when it's ready (just make sure you finish the tug solid to engage the gear).

If you have to pull hard, you're not hitting the RPM's right. You can down shift it by blipping the throttle up but it's kind of counter intuitive, and I like using my clutch as a brake anyway. With a pipe the motor gives that lovely bubbling warble while it decelerates and it makes me happy

At the end of the day, compared to other stresses and things that are going to mess your tranny, I think that smooth clutch-less shifting is probably not so high on the list next to other things. But I also don't think you're going to get tons of extra life out of your clutch by not using it for 2-6 all the time. I think the over-whelming majority of clutch wear happens when slipping it for power, or slipping it on start up, and those are 2 things we all do regardless of shifting habits. If longevity is your top concern, you just wont beat on it at all ... but really, what fun is that?

You're certainly not going to hurt anything using the clutch though. It's designed to absorb the difference between motor and wheel speed and to be a wear-maintenance part.

 

Using the clutch to shift up is recommended, but sometimes on the trails and especially standing up or climbing a steep grade, sometimes you just hit the shifter down and its fine to do that. I am not going to stop using what was designed to be used though.

 

I always clutch every time. I use the clutch more as an on/off switch except when taking off from a stop. I don't do the clutch slipping trick, just a habit I guess, I learned to be in the right gear for the needed power vs. slipping the clutch. As a result I never wear clutches out. Seriously, my last bike was ridden hard and long off road in competition over 8 years and never needed a clutch replacement.

I have taken a clutch apart though and unlike an automobile, the clutch replacement is super easy. No reason to fear wearing out a clutch unless you wait too long and get stranded on a trail ride.

 

I dont slip it much for power where I should be in a different gear... but sometimes for extra acceleration I might ride the RPM's going into the next gear.

 

On the street I usuall use the clutch, however on the trails is a totally different story. If there is a rock, tree, stump or whatever and i need to be going only as fast as first gear will take me I mash down on the shifter without the clutch. Clutching just takes too much time on the trail when that tree is coming up faster than you can move your hands.