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Clutch in or out on a swerve??

motorman587

motorman587

New member
At 40 mph, you have two lane choices. Left or right. As you swerve, do you pull in the clutch and coast around the obstacle, or do you keep the throttle steady, maybe roll on a little as you go around. Coasting wouldn't make sense to me.
 
Was taught, and I have taught for the last 12 years, to not change the throttle position in a swerve......steady throttle. Works for me.
 
I always confuse "clutch engaged." I say "engaged" when I pull the clutch lever in. On a swerve, I leave the clutch out, engine power connected to wheel, and swerve.

I pull the clutch in (engage?) when I emergency brake.
 
Backwards... "Engaged" refers to hooked up, providing the connection between engine & trans. Pulling the clutch in disengages the link.

Clutch out DEFINITELY when swerving - one must maintain control for a successful evasive maneuver.
Throttle - depends on the specific case...

And SELL the autographs! :D
 
RoboRider said:
I always confuse "clutch engaged." I say "engaged" when I pull the clutch lever in. On a swerve, I leave the clutch out, engine power connected to wheel, and swerve.

I pull the clutch in (engage?) when I emergency brake.
Click to expand...

Pauls1150 said:
Backwards... "Engaged" refers to hooked up, providing the connection between engine & trans. Pulling the clutch in disengages the link...................
Click to expand...

Well your both correct, it is a matter of semantics. As a rider when you engage the clutch lever, you disengage the friction plate from the flywheel/pressure plate, and visa-verse.

Kind of like the difference between Let's eat Grandma, and Let's eat, Grandma, two very different meanings.
 
Good point; ain't English wunnerful? When you engage something, you are putting it to use!

And as Grandma used to say, "Shaddup and eat what's in front of you!"
 
Keep in mind if you're turning and you pull in the clutch, it's similar to chopping the throttle and will decrease your control of the bike or even stand it up if leaned over. Swerving should be done with the throttle steady on and leave the clutch alone.
 
The clutch is engaged when I'm riding along without engaging the clutch lever. Once I engage the clutch lever I disengage the clutch.


Or something like that
 
I like power capability to the wheels at all times except full out emergency stops. Without power, you can't balance squat and greatly reduce possibilties. How much you can make of those possibilities is a matter of personal skill, but even if its only a bit, beats heck out of nothing. Whether its enough is easy to tell- you either hit what you were trying to avoid, or not...
Fully engaged/ disengaged in/from this discussion- off to Biltmore in the dark hours tomorrow for RA, followed by UnRally in Blowing Rock- a tough couple weeks but, hey, someone has got to do it.....
 
I know that some of the rider training vids available talk about doing a swerve with clutch lever in to avoid an acceleration during the swerve.
I practice swerving with clutch lever out. Never had a problem.
I coach swerving with clutch lever out. They only have a problem when they decide to engage their brakes early.
I am yet to be convinced that lever in is better; I get concerned about what might happen as the driveline reengages.
 
Will somebody who actually knows what they are talking about jump in here?

What I learned was that a hard swerve takes most of your available traction. So you are best off to keep a steady throttle as braking or accelerating make traction demands. I think pulling in the clutch is a small form of braking, even if you don't touch your brakes. And when do you re-in gage the clutch?

Much better practice, in my view, is to increase your following distance. See the potholes, etc. well ahead and avoiding them is not at all dramatic.
 
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