To all the clutchless shifters out there.. here's something that'll make life easier (at least for upshifts), but as much damaging

Power Commander Quick Shifter

I personally believe that clutchless shifting is not useful considering 1) Hardly anyone races (where actually clutchless shifts count), and even then it is not used regularly. Killer or poncho should be able to throw more light on this. 2) Downside is much more greater than the benefit. Consider it a very expensive proposition in the long run.

bike gears use dogs, not mesh. hence you can upshift without the clutch .when done right it will actually prolong the life. downshifting is another story . i cant remember the last time i used the clutch to upshift on my 600 or 1000. i use it all the time to downshift though.

My reference to synchromesh was in relation to 'clutchless shifts' as an example of the need to unload the gears before changing them, though I should have specifically mentioned that bikes do NOT have synchro boxes. Bikes use constant-mesh gearboxes. And constant-mesh are not the same as synchro boxes.



Bada mushkil hai bhai! To express in words whats accomplished in about a second or so. OK, will give it a try again.

First, the need to 'blip' again: Say you're riding in 4th gear at 60 kph. The corresponding rpm is about 5000. Downshift to 3rd at that speed and the rpm's jump to 6000. This sudden jump is felt as a jerk, the tyre locks up momentarily (less so in bikes equipped with slipper clutches but none of our desi bikes' power outputs justify a slipper clutch) and the whole driveline experiences a harsh jerk. So far so good I hope.

Blipping is momentarily increasing the rpm's so that when the rider releases the clutch after shifting to 3rd (in the example above), the engine is already spinning at around 6000 rpm and so there is no sudden jump in the rpm's.

How it is done: In usual downshifting, the rider closes the throttle, pulls in the clutch lever, downshifts, releases the clutch while simultaneously increasing throttle.

With the 'blip': Close throttle, de-clutch, blip throttle (a momentary and snappy rotation of the throttle), simultaneously downshift, release clutch and increase throttle. As I said earlier, doing each discrete action is not the issue, any rider can do it. Doing the whole thing as a co-ordinated exercise takes practice, practice and practice.

Hope this helps...

The best is when the blip is co-ordinated with braking for the upcoming turn. Needs practice with two fingers on the front brake lever and the remaining two with the thumb wrapped around the throttle. Brake with two fingers while blipping the throttle as you de-clutch and downshift.

The query here deals not just with whether to shift clutchless or not - its about gear shifting in general. And gear-shifting begins not from the foot but from the body position and posture astride a bike. Good clean and smooth gear-shifts are the essence of good riding skills and are a great example of hand-foot-eye co-ordination.
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These points are imperative for sports bikes though it is best even for those riding our desi bikes to practice and inculcate such good riding habits. You never know when you get the chance to upgrade. And smooth shifting will anyway help preserve your steed, whether it makes 10 bhp or 200.

Ride long and safe...

Old Fox

Most hard core bikers dont use this technique to safe guard their drive train...but rather for the pleasure of riding... especially i recounted the way i enter corners...when u start riding, these so called techniques becomes habits, tho its a desi bike.. but then, in chennai traffic, u wouldn't actually need to blip in most cases. cos you would be coming in for a halt because there will be a big red thing glowing in front of your eyes.... blipping also eats up a lil on your fuel efficiencie. who cares.. by the way, nice write up.

Amazing points.... Sir jee, you should write a book. Your valuable knowledge is scattered across xbhp... They need to be documented for the better of all others . Had read about the "blip" thing while downshifting on a magazine long time back, but had forgotten. Now I'll train myself for this.

I have tried cluthless up shifts on fireblade, and I was quite surprised that I did not feel any difference between a cluth and a clutchless shift. Felt exactly the same. Why that ? It was done on lower RPMs though.

Also, it sounds awesome when you're coming to a stop at a traffic light.