Fingers on the clutch or lack there of for the pro's

Four strokes allow it

If you can learn to corner and accelerate without the clutch - you will be faster
People often flick the clutch on accleration thinking its faster to get the rpm pick up but you loose acceleration in that time and actually loose time

Corners without using it improves entry and roll speed -

Im a believer in always covering it like bailey says for safety and the occasional big screw up - but learning to go without it is important

On a 2 stroke I still believe it must be used to advantage in key situations. However the recent mxa videos of nearly every two stroke are how you shouldnt ride a bike.

On my 450 I only use the clutch for power control. Having a finger on it 24/7 doesnt seem to help anything for me. If i ride my 250f im constantly on it only because im 250lbs and it takes all the power it has to pull put of corners and make a jump

I learned to always keep two fingers on the clutch when I started out on 80's and moved up to 125's. My first 4-stroke was a 98 YZ400F and, if I remember correctly, the 4-stroke guru's at the time were preaching there was no need to abuse the clutch but to use the motor and throttle to modulate power so I got used to riding with no fingers on the clutch and just grabbing it with my middle and ring finger if I happened to need it. In regards to clutch use I think some people ride them more like a 2-stroke and some ride them like a 4-stroke. Eli always seems to have a pointer finger on the clutch. It would be interesting to hear an actual pro weigh in on how much clutch work goes into their technique on these modern bikes.

When I ride a 450 I don't use the clutch that much, roll the throttle on and be smooth in the corners but I still have one finger on the clutch out of habit. I think if I can break this habit on the 450 than I can have a more relaxed grip and maybe reduce some arm pump. On a 250f I use the clutch more especially on my tight practice track so the finger on the clutch comes in handy.

What happened to Roczen and Villapoto with the no finger on the clutch riding style? I'm not convinced that it's better. My Alta is turning me into more of a "no finger on the clutch" rider when I ride gas bikes. I just hope I don't crash hard because of it.

I keep 1 finger on the clutch most of the time but rarely use it.

look at old RC and Stew photos on two stroke 125s not many times will you see their finger on the clutch, that's because they knew how to ride and were always in the rite gear and in the power I noticed that quite a bit back in the day and I couldn't do it to save my life

pete24 wrote:

look at old RC and Stew photos on two stroke 125s not many times will you see their finger on the clutch, that's because they knew how to ride and were always in the rite gear and in the power I noticed that quite a bit back in the day and I couldn't do it to save my life

Don't know how James rode the 125 without a finger on the clutch that much. I could never do that on a 125.

I’ve seen a lot of current pros, like ones that work with Swanepoel or Grind Compound (Plessinger, Cooper, Oldenburg, etc) will tide one day a week with the rear brake off the bike and the clutch lever pointing straight up. They’re trying to increase roll speed and keep the bike tracking easier. Clutch input can upset both of these and as stated above, four strokes don’t really require much clutch attention.

ML512 wrote:

I’ve seen a lot of current pros, like ones that work with Swanepoel or Grind Compound (Plessinger, Cooper, Oldenburg, etc) will tide one day a week with the rear brake off the bike and the clutch lever pointing straight up. They’re trying to increase roll speed and keep the bike tracking easier. Clutch input can upset both of these and as stated above, four strokes don’t really require much clutch attention.

Maybe I need to try this trick out. Just need to put lots of padding on the tree's surrounding my practice track.

pete24 wrote:

look at old RC and Stew photos on two stroke 125s not many times will you see their finger on the clutch, that's because they knew how to ride and were always in the rite gear and in the power I noticed that quite a bit back in the day and I couldn't do it to save my life

Lots and lots of skill and experience

There's definitely still some Pros using the clutch a lot.. Reading an article last week about Reed's New Zealand win it was stated both he and Wilson were on the verge on no remaining clutch after 2 of the 3 races..Apparently Reed had a bit more left than Wilson and won the 3rd, while Wilson faded with clutch problems.

It's a hard habit to break, being an old 2 stroke guy...I can ride without the clutch pretty good when practicing...but when I"m racing I revert back to my old habits.....funny that Pros"s don't use clutch much, last time I was at a national all I could smell was burning clutches.....

i coudlve sworn I either read a story or saw a video fairly recently of tomac's mechanic saying they have to change his clutch after every race because of how much and how aggressive he uses it....I could be a crazy person though

Auto and Slipper clutches

Steve125 wrote:

There's definitely still some Pros using the clutch a lot.. Reading an article last week about Reed's New Zealand win it was stated both he and Wilson were on the verge on no remaining clutch after 2 of the 3 races..Apparently Reed had a bit more left than Wilson and won the 3rd, while Wilson faded with clutch problems.

That's because it was a mud race. Regardless of your style or skill, the clutch Will be over-used in a mudder

What you think, why so many smoking bikes in recent mud races? Because of the fingers on the cluch

I'm remember when I raced back in days, I wasn't able to use the clutch in the last laps of the race, because i was so tired that wasn't too able use the clutch

Would any of that have to do with an auto clutch like Rekluse? I don't think many of the top guys run those though.

pkiczuk wrote:

i coudlve sworn I either read a story or saw a video fairly recently of tomac's mechanic saying they have to change his clutch after every race because of how much and how aggressive he uses it....I could be a crazy person though

You're not crazy. They use the clutch plenty.

I always try to keep a finger on the clutch, you never know when your buddy is gonna snap a good picture hahaha. But for real it has saved my ass a few times

ML512 wrote:

I’ve seen a lot of current pros, like ones that work with Swanepoel or Grind Compound (Plessinger, Cooper, Oldenburg, etc) will tide one day a week with the rear brake off the bike and the clutch lever pointing straight up. They’re trying to increase roll speed and keep the bike tracking easier. Clutch input can upset both of these and as stated above, four strokes don’t really require much clutch attention.

nd54 wrote:

Maybe I need to try this trick out. Just need to put lots of padding on the tree's surrounding my practice track.

Or...a rider could just practice NOT USING them...I call this the "MC Method"...Jeremy can literally change his methods on a whim...I watched him ride one of our Adaptive Athlete's Yoshimura RMZ's back in 2010: Hand Rear-Brake/No Brake Pedal, Rekluse Auto w/a very small and hard to use lever...and Jeremy just SHREDDED on that thing.

The dude is fast on anything,I guess.

2 strokes require fingers on the clutch.

4 strokes....nope. Roll it on.

pkiczuk wrote:

i coudlve sworn I either read a story or saw a video fairly recently of tomac's mechanic saying they have to change his clutch after every race because of how much and how aggressive he uses it....I could be a crazy person though

It was during one of the the “Science of Supercross” segments.

ok good, I knew it was recent haha

I always cover it for safety reasons. One thing I don't like about electric, even if you don't need it is you don't have that option or added security.

One thing I've experienced is I'm always better with the clutch after a stint with a Rekluse...

Monk wrote:

One thing I've experienced is I'm always better with the clutch after a stint with a Rekluse...

You can adjust the rekcluse so it feels normal just won’t stall....

I used to use the clutch all the time but I started taking lessons with Sean Lipanovich (slmx school) and he has taught me to barely ever use it. He had me turn my clutch lever up until I got used to not touching it and I am way smoother now in corners because I carry more speed.