To clutch, or not to clutch...

[Bengt_Phorqs]

As a follow on to the thread about sitting at red lights, how many of you pull in the clutch while at a red light and keep the bike in gear?  I've heard different opinions on this ever since I started driving when Ike was the president.  

I usually keep the bike in gear and I've never had to replace a clutch in any of the bikes , or cars, I've owned.  (This might be as interesting as an oil or tire thread.)

[azcycle]

I'm guilty of taking it out of gear to stretch/flex my hands and fingers but I was taught in the MSF course to NEVER take it out of gear. You never know when you might need to take evasive action. Better to have it in gear to get out of danger quickly.

[JDS]

I keep it in gear, you never know when you need to get out of the spot your in. when I pull up behind a car I always leave room to squirt around the car in front. Always think I'm going to get rear ended, mostly when I ride in Denver. I feel safer in rural Colorado. In trials riding you take it out of gear so you dont wear out your clutch finger by the end of the event. Hard to believe you could wear out a clutch on a street bike. I raced for 40yrs and never replaced a clutch. Frames, forks and pistons is another story.

[darrylri]

For any reasonable amount of time, it shouldn't hurt a dry clutch BMW to hold in the clutch.  There's a certain amount of wear on the end of the clutch push rod and the pressure plate where they meet, but it's really trivial in the long run.

However, if the cable should break while you're holding it in gear, you could get launched into the intersection or car in front of you.  Is this more or less likely than having someone rear end you?  (I've never had either happen in 29 years and 560,000 miles.)

For the record, I usually hold the clutch in until there's another vehicle stopped behind me.

[Lucky_Lou]

For the record, I usually hold the clutch in until there's another vehicle stopped behind me.

+1
Lou

[not-so-fast-ed]

I'm guilty of taking it out of gear to stretch/flex my hands and fingers but I was taught in the MSF course to NEVER take it out of gear. You never know when you might need to take evasive action. Better to have it in gear to get out of danger quickly.

Same here.
Ed

[nhmaf]

It does cause more wear to the throwout bearing/pushrod components on the dry clutch bikes and cars, but I also err on the side of personal preservation and keep the bike in gear to escape if needed, until/unless there forms a line of cars behind me (rear end shield) at which point I usually put it in neutral and give my fingers a break.

[msbuck]

I'm guilty of taking it out of gear to stretch/flex my hands and fingers but I was taught in the MSF course to NEVER take it out of gear. You never know when you might need to take evasive action. Better to have it in gear to get out of danger quickly.

Same here.
Ed

+2 here.  Especially on the Laverda as it has a VERY stiff clutch and I get arm pump with that clutch!  

[GrimReaper]

I was rear ended while the bike was in gear.there was a suv parked behind me.sudenly this a-hole decided to go somewhere and BAM.i was down.the good was the cops were 2 cars back.SO to me it doesnt matter clutch or no

[darrylri]

+2 here.  Especially on the Laverda as it has a VERY stiff clutch and I get arm pump with that clutch!  

You should try my R90S.  Between the clutch, the brake and the throttle, you could have forearms like Popeye!

[DanielMc]

Darryl - you're not the first person to mention a heavy clutch on a R90S, but mine's no heavier than on my R65. Any reason why some are better than others?

As for the thread - I was taught to put the bike in neutral unless there was an imminent likelihood of pulling away (this is in the UK) - never considered the rear-end thing, and now I have something else to worry about!

[darrylri]

I don't know, Daniel.  All of the controls on my R90S require more effort than on the R65.  The Dell'Orto slides have strong return springs; the front brakes work well but have no real feel (they're like squeezing a brick); and the clutch, which has a relatively new cable, is the heaviest of any of my bikes.

Regarding getting rear ended:  it's not a likely scenario, at least according to the "Hurt Report", the most comprehensive study done in the US, but completed back in 1980.  If I recall correctly, only a few percent of the 900+ crashes investigated were rear enders.  But times change and there's no doubt that the traffic is heavier and more distracted now than then.  

I watch my mirrors and don't shift out of gear until I've got some protection back there.  

[azcycle]

I watch my mirrors and don't shift out of gear until I've got some protection back there.  

This is exactly what I do. Leave it in gear if it's wide open but with upcoming traffic behind. Once I get a vehicle behind, I make sure there is some breathing room between us, and take it out of gear when I need to.

[Yikes]

For the record, I usually hold the clutch in until there's another vehicle stopped behind me.

You  still have to watch out though.  A couple of years ago my wife and I got hit from behind (we were in her Volvo, thank goodness) by a car that was hit by another car that was hit by another van that was hit by a lady in a pickup truck who was talking on her cell phone.    We heard the first crash and then just watched in the mirrors as each vehicle cascaded forward seemingly in slow motion, eventually reaching us.  So I keep my bike in gear and clutched and keep a route of escape always!

[Lucky_Lou]

As for the thread - I was taught to put the bike in neutral unless there was an imminent likelihood of pulling away (this is in the UK) - never considered the rear-end thing, and now I have something else to worry about!

You better read my post in Off Topic Discussions Rants ect title "Watched in Disbelief" at the bottom of page 3 could be on page 4 now.It may alter your thinking on this one.
Lou