Clutch Should you pull in the clutch when going downhill?

MinimumVK

Member
Local time
3:15 PM
Joined
May 19, 2023
Messages
68
Location
Slovenia
Hello! Most of my 2-stroke knowledge comes from mopeds and there we used to pull the clutch in (or pull the clutch in and give it some gas) because the engine is moving at a fairly big RPM and not getting enough lubrication when going downhill. And would the same apply when pedaling normaly and the engine RPM starts to rise quickly?
But then again would the clutch being pulled in cause stress/wear on the actual clutch components?
 
Yes, pull in the clutch. 2 strokes don't do well with prolonged engine braking as the motor is being made to turn high RPM, but there is very little fuel, and thus oil, going into the engine.

As far as wearing the clutch, yeah it might wear it down, but here is something to keep in mind about the clutch. It is intended to be the thing that wears out, that is it's entire purpose. Clutch pads and clutch adjustments are both easy to do. To save wear an shock to the clutch you can always give the throttle a little blip before releasing the clutch lever to try and rev match the engine.
 
Letting off the clutch is hill dependent. If the grade isn't very steep and/or isn't very long just throttle back some. If the grade is steep and/or very long use the clutch and throttle back.

This is where a tachometer comes in handy. Then you know exactly how much to throttle back.
 
I wouldn't know the answer to this question because I have a bt80, the bt80 is a centrifugal clutch.

I'd say on a small bike engine to disengage the clutch, but in a car or truck I wouldn't stress it.
 
Back
Top