I think we all get the clunk (gen 1 and 2 of the 14r),
when shifting from 1st to 2nd, and but not so much
going into 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th.
--
So when speed shifting, is it significantly tougher on the
transmission or associated parts to shift from
1st to 2nd at 6k or 7k rpm vs 3k rpm, provided that
the actual shift is a clean/solid shift, and fairly smooth?
--
When you're speed shifting using the clutch, what is your
RPM shift point from 1st to 2nd ?
---
When actually drag racing, what do you do off the line,
where are your revs and how do you engage the clutch?
I don't think I want to stress my machine with full on
drag racing but would like to get an idea of the technique
for getting off the line quickly.
--
With cars, not that I was a racer, it was common knowledge
to rev up the rpms pretty high and 'dump' the clutch,
I kind of doubt it's that simple when drag racing a bike.

When I first started drag racing with a stock style clutch though I did have the Brock's clutch mod kit installed. I'd set my launch light to 4,000 rpm and roll into the throttle slowly until the light came on then you ease the clutch out slowly while simultaneously rolling on the throttle to maintain that 4k rpm until the clutch is fully engaged. Once you get comfortable with that you can feed it more throttle and rpm until the front wheel starts to dance. While practicing it will take tens if not hundreds of attempts to get it right and be comfortable. I'd limit your attempts to 6-8 times per session to avoid overheating the clutch. Hope this helps...

---

Thanks for the info.

I'm doing it wrong

I've been trying to get it into full clutch
engagement way too early, and relying on
torque to get me up to speed.
I watched a Ricky Gadson video this am and
along with your tips, I can see that I'm
way off having any proper technique.

I'd limit your attempts to 6-8 times per session to avoid overheating the clutch.

Will limiting each session to a few attempts, still
eat up clutch plates right away or is a
low hours clutch likely to have a fairly decent service life?

* Last updated by: Stratovarious on 4/17/2026 @ 1:14 PM *

The ZX14r clutch is super stout and reliable. The only thing you MUST do is if it were to start slipping and you find it's shed some of the fibers the oil pan must be dropped to replace the oil pump pickup tube. That's one of the biggest causes of engine damage and rod failures. The fibers plug the oil screen and starve the pump creating a path for catastrophic failure aka the #3 rod through the cases etc. Discoloring the fibers and hot spotting the steels aren't a problem, just when it actually sheds the fiber pads. It's not anything to worry about after hundreds of attempts as long as you give it some time to cool in between. Another thing you can do to help it is lean the bike towards the clutch side with the engine running and the clutch pulled in. That bathes the clutch plates in additional oil to aid in cooling. When drag racing or repeated hard launches you should have your oil level high at the top of the site glass with the bike standing up straight and level. I actually run a full 5 liters in my drag bike which is top of the glass plus 12ozs. losing some slight performance to parasitic drag but keeping the expensive parts happy. My data logger shows the oil pressure drop from about 85 psi at the 6k launch down to 55 psi as the clutch weights pull the engine down from 8k to 7,600 rpm at which point it's pulling 2.0 to 2.06G with a best 60ft. time of 1.219 to date.

---

Great tips, much appreciated.

The only thing you MUST do is if it were to start slipping and you find it's shed some of the fibers the oil pan must be dropped to replace the oil pump pickup tube.

I wonder if inspecting the clutchplates when I do my next oil change
would be in order. My clutch lever is a shorty and I seem to
prefert position 4, out of the 6 total. Is there a way to
test if my clutch is near or is slipping? It seems fine now.
----
I think I'm getting addicted to 'hard launches',
I'm a long way from going to a drag strip, if I ever do,
but I like the hard launch, and jamming through gears
rapidly, today's session was really fun, and went better
than I'd expected. I have this issue with my Ca ECU
and need to get it flashed so the rpm's stay where
I have my throttle grip set, but shifting between
about 5 to 7 thousand rpm is becoming fairly 'predictable' ,
sucks that the rpm wants to fall out but I'll just
continue to work with what I have until
I get the flash done. I don't think the 49 state ECU's
are nearly as bad.
---
I probably did 20 or more starts today, but as I mention
they weren't quite full on drag starts, I'd do one to
3, and go through to 6th gear with fast shifts,
then ride a few a few 'easy miles', before
before repeating and maybe do 1 or 2 launches instead of
3.... Does that seem reasonable?
Would checking the clutch case temp, by putting a hand on it
be a fair temp check, or using a temp gun make any sense?

run a full 5 liters in my drag bike which is top of the glass plus 12ozs.

About 5.7 Quarts total?
Any danger in running that high all the time, for simplicity
and not having to change levels everyday, since I'll likely
be doing hard starts everyday as well as general riding
around town and in twisties?
When I bought the bike which specs 5 qts minus 4 ounce or
4 qts 28 ounces (:shrugs:) , it had been running at least
a qt high for it's 1st 4000 miles. Nothing seemed wrong
with the bike when I got it with those 4k mi already on it,
I changed the oil and dropped the level down by about a qt.

Another thing you can do to help it is
lean the bike towards the clutch side with the engine running
and the clutch pulled in. That bathes the clutch plates
in additional oil to aid in cooling.

Would I do this for a full minute at idle or longer?
Would there be a noticeable temp change by touch or temp gun
on the clutch cover or?
----
I just changed my oil this week, at 3000 mi, 10/40 kawi, conventional,
I think I'll go back to synthetic and drop the intervals to 2500mi.
It's going to start hitting 115+ here in a few short weeks,
would 20/50 synthetic make sense, considering along with it,
my new sub hobby of hard pulls/launches?

Strat, you can pull the oil filler cap, take a smell of the oil. Smell it now and remember the difference of it smelling like oil or has a more metallic smell to it. Kind of a burnt type smell. Once you smell that, pull the oil pan and clean the fiber material, pull the plates and change out the burnt ones. Clean the oil pickup screen.

The trick is to let the lever out rather than keep feeding the lever out and cook the plates. Try using the shifting by foot apply only. Leve the clutch alone. It's more timing of lift and shift. Lift meaning off the gas.

---

take a smell of the oil. Smell it now and remember the difference of it smelling like oil or has a more metallic smell to it. Kind of a burnt type smell.

Thanks Hub, do I need to take the pipes off the head
to get the oil pan off? (2013).

The trick is to let the lever out rather than keep feeding the lever out and cook the plates. Try using the shifting by foot apply only. Leve the clutch alone. It's more timing of lift and shift. Lift meaning off the gas.

1st to second without clutch is pretty horrid with my bike,
unless shifting at 2500rpm (lol), 3rd is ok,
4th, 5th, and 6th are smooth shifts.

It wouldn't hurt to pull the clutches out and inspect the entire pack. Some discoloration of the fibers and hot spots on the steels are normal and to be expected. Blackened fiber pads and burnt steels with pad transferring is not. With all the clutches stacked together as removed you can measure the full pack stack height which there is a specification for. To get an idea of how much heat you're putting into it I'd suggest a normal 30 minute ride with some stop and go and then you can shoot the clutch pack through the oil filler cap with the engine off for a base line. Then go do a bunch of hard lunches and repeat the check to see just how hot it's become. As far as pulling in the clutch to bathe it in oil 15-20 seconds is adequate to be fully soaked. I'd stay with 10w40 as the cams ride directly on the cylinder head without inserts and are clearanced accordingly.

---

To get an idea of how much heat you're putting into it I'd suggest a normal 30 minute ride with some stop and go and then you can shoot the clutch pack through the oil filler cap with the engine off for a base line. Then go do a bunch of hard lunches and repeat the check to see just how hot it's become.

Will do.

... As far as pulling in the clutch to bathe it
in oil 15-20 seconds is adequate to be fully soaked.

Awesome.

I'd stay with 10w40 as the cams ride directly on the cylinder head without inserts and are clearanced accordingly.

Thanks for the 'why' of it, so much easier to remember
when told why, rather than the typical; ''its a good idea'' ,
you explanation insure I don't forget which viscosity to stick with.
I'm going to switch back to kawi full synthetic, is that a good idea
considering the new level of load I'm not putting on the
clutch?
---
I went on a few 'sorties' this am, straits and twisities,
I was having trouble switching gears, clutchless, frequently
leaving 4th through to 6th, sometimes a lower gear, this
has happened to me often enough in past rides to notice.
Today even when I 'clear' the sifter, by making sure my foot
is not putting any pressure on the shift lever at all,
and even slightly tapping down on it, the bike would not
budge out of gear. Like I say , this is not a new issue,
something that I'd just chocked up to, :shrugs: in the past,
but now with this bigger demand of hard-launch runs,
I can see this being a big problem.
---
After a few 'locked-out' shift attempts,
I reverted back to speed-clutch-shifting,
and this is probably a bad idea but I have the most fun
when I start to pull the clutch in right before shifting,
so the rpms rise, instead of just FALL OFF, due to the sht ECU
settings, doing so is kind of a thrill, but I'm sure it
adds quite a bit of additional wear to the plates.
---
Just to reiterate, regarding my clutchless shift skill-set,
up and down, I have them down well,
when just ridding around town at 'normal' in-town speeds/loads,
and I'm sure that the lockouts are not due to me not unloading
between those sifts.
Thanks, I've got 'New Tools', in my riding Toolchest!

Is it ok to bounce off the rev limiter, often?

I've only hit it 2 or 3 times today, I guess that is
what the yellow light is for or maybe it's just
a warning. I'm not sure if I even have a rev limiter,
I know what they sounds like, it's kind of like a
broken T-stroke engine that just keeps trying to run,
and I haven't heard that sound from my bike yet,
so not sure if there actually is a limiter.
I'm watching some MotoGP riding tutorials today ,
as usual, and the rider is saying to use
all the revs whenever going down the straight,
correcting a rider that isn't using them 'all'.

You can use full synthetic or Dino based oil and I'm sure it might make your shifts a bit smoother. I've been using nothing but Motul 3000 4T 10/40 and am going to try full synthetic once I use up what I have. I do however change my oil and filter and rotate out clutch packs every 20-25 runs. Your yellow light you mentioned can be found in your owners manual pages 39-45 as "Engage lamp" 1,200-6,000 and "Shift lamp" 7,500-11,000 with "Lamp mode" choices of bright, dim or flashing available. I believe the factory rev limiter is set at 11,000 rpm and typically raised to 11,500-12,000 rpm when the ECU is flashed depending on who's doing it.

---

Your yellow light you mentioned can be found in your owners manual pages 39-45 as "Engage lamp" 1,200-6,000 and "Shift lamp" 7,500-11,000 with "Lamp mode" choices of bright, dim or flashing available. I believe the factory rev limiter is set at 11,000 rpm and typically raised to 11,500-12,000 rpm when the ECU is flashed depending on who's doing it.

Thanks.

Someone asked if you can shift an old Honda without the clutch and said any bike can be shifted without a clutch so I made a video. Came to a tight turn and caught the tip of my shoe into the turn. Enough to wrinkle my ankle some.

---

Is it ok to bounce off the rev limiter, often?

I don't do it much but IMO, the reason for the rev limiter is so you don't rev past it. All it is is a fuel cut so you can't go past 11,000 rpm. Most agree, the hp is dropping off before 11,000 rpm so that limits the value of that portion of the power band. If you do a top speed run, you have nowhere else to go but past 11,000 rpm in sixth gear if your bike is still pulling. That's the only reason to exceed 11,000 rpm other than it must sound extremely cool. I'd do it for the sound alone. Twelve thousand us really about the limit though. These big ol engines want to fly apart if they turn faster

---

No need to go past 11k being there is a HP curve that drops off, or more the torque that gets you there and signs off. Like Rook says, you're going to have a short fuse ringing its neck out.

---

Thanks, Rook , Hub,

I guess the biggest part of my question
relates for example; to when my rpm is at
6k to 8k + - , about to shift up to
the next gear, clutch in,
the rpms jump, and sometimes to the
yellow light, so like clutch in at 7k,
rpms jump briefly to 11k + - , then
back down as I get into the next higher gear.

When you're going for super quick launches,
not necessarily going for sub 9's at the track,
just extremely quick launches, what are your (rpm) shift points?
WHEN USING CLUTCH;
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
---
When shifting with quickshifter or clutchless shifts?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
----
Could I redline each shift safely (briefly), and often,
when doing quick-launches without adding excessive
stress to the engine?
(again, not seeking absolute track boss eta's, just
excellent and predictable quick-launches).

When I get my ECU flashed, the redline is going to
increase from 11k to 11.5 , having Ivan do the flash,
since I'm not going for world records lol, but I
want to test my high rpm shift points, might I be
better off to have Ivan keep the redline limiter
to 11k rather than allow it to increase to 11.5k?

Using @Fordtech58's suggestion of shifting clutch-less
when going for quick launches, I had few 'successful'
quick launches today without clutch, 1st to 2nd being
the scariest by nature, I think I was shifting
at about 6k rpm, there's a dip in torque somewhere
around 6k , so maybe that contributed to the success.
---

* Last updated by: Stratovarious on 4/21/2026 @ 6:00 AM *

I have the most fun
when I start to pull the clutch in right before shifting,
so the rpms rise, instead of just FALL OFF, due to the sht ECU
settings, doing so is kind of a thrill, but I'm sure it
adds quite a bit of additional wear to the plates.

Are you not releasing the throttle fully before pulling the clutch lever? I accidentally do this sometimes, not severely enough to hit the rev limiter. You've described your bike as not revving when you pull the clutch lever before It sounds like you might be describing the bike as revving when you do pull the clutch lever at zero throttle? Hub has a California bike and he's never described these things. I wonder if there might be something weird with your clutch sensor and your throttle sensor. I hope the flash cures this but I have never heard anyone describe these symptoms before. ...or maybe you're just experiencing an accidental blip between gears, grabing the clutch real fast before the throttle is fully released to zero. I do that. I try not to but it happens sometimes shifting fast.

When you're going for super quick launches,
not necessarily going for sub 9's at the track,
just extremely quick launches, what are your (rpm) shift points?
WHEN USING CLUTCH;

You know, I don't really know the answer to that because I never practiced maximum acceleration. If I recall, 10,500 was the shift point for the Gen1. Have a look at some dyno graphs and you'll see where the hp drops off on top. The bike still continues to accelerate in this range but it's actually making a little less power than if you shifted. I you're going to rev to 10,000 rpm, you'll be doing a hundred at the top of second gear. That's why I never experimented a lot with the optimum shift point, I was out on the street and a hundred wasn't an all the time thing. Most rides, I hit a hundred and then slowed down immediately.

Could I redline each shift safely (briefly), and often,
when doing quick-launches without adding excessive
stress to the engine?

If you're talking safe from police, probably not. See above. I don't think it puts undue wear on the engine to redline it under load. It puts a little wear on the engine to redline it under zero load, like the clutch is disengaged or the transmission's inNeutral and you zing it up to 11,000 rpm. Many owners will do this every once in a greaT while. Years back, there was a video of some guy redlining his gixxer in N for 2 minutes straight. Generally, I don't do it but if it happens once in a while, I don't think it's something to lose sleep over.

might I be
better off to have Ivan keep the redline limiter
to 11k rather than allow it to increase to 11.5k?

I'd stick with the 11,500. I'd even go 1200, maybe. The zone between optimum rpm and redline is pretty small. If you have at least a second of over rev to make the shift, that's better than hitting the rev limiter. I never had a problem with hitting the rev limiter, I rarely exceeded 9000 rpm except in first and second gear. I hit the rev limiter a few times doing first gear wheelies. I just knew when to shift from the sound of the engine.

You have to enjoy your bike the way you enjoy it. I always used the clutch to shift from first to second. Even with a quickshifter, that's a lot of force between the transmission and the engine. I don't think a cfirst to second gear shift at 6000 rpm is outrageous. Much higher rpm, I think that's too much stress on the gearbox. JMHO but I'd probably be clutxh shifting from first to second even if it was a drag strip bike.

The quickshifter felt really cool onmy Gen1 and sounded amazing. At higher rpm, it often missed the shift. I had to lower the kill time. It was jerky between WOT shifts. Felt kind of cool but, I can shift that fast using the clutch and it's not jerky. Its fun stuff to play with. I might do it again. I'm really not sure how meaningful the improvement in acceleration is though...to the average street rider even if he likes to go fast. I will try an electric shifter on the 14 next. It's gotta be faster and as smooth as I am with the clutch or it's not worth the potential damage it can cause. I did chip my gear dogs a couple times because of that quickshifter, trying to make it really quick.

---

Are you not releasing the throttle fully before pulling the clutch lever? I accidentally do this sometimes, not severely enough to hit the rev limiter. You've described your bike as not revving when you pull the clutch lever before It sounds like you might be describing the bike as revving when you do pull the clutch lever at zero throttle?

Nah, it's 100% the ECU, Ivan and I talked about this
and its a big part of why he's in business, once again
it's Eu inspired with a kick start from CA emmissions.

As I've gone through a few times, this does not happen
under every scenario, it's in the ecu program, and tedious
to ferret out.
As mentioned this am though, regarding climbing rpms,
under load, is an entirely
different animal, under load, pulling in the clutch
at 6k for instance and say 50 or 60 mph, the rpms
will race, however if pulling in the clutch with no load
as I've mentioned a few times, and at 'CERTAIN'
speeds and in certain combinations of those speeds
and the gear choice, when pulling in the clutch the
rpms drop right off, it's in the emissions program
period.
I don't know what Hub's experience is, I can only
speak on my bike and dozens of owners of other bike models
that experience the exact jerky throttle and rpm drop off
under 'certain' conditions.
I also can emphatically say
that there are thousands of riders that will have
no clue that their bike is programed to please
EU emisions, rather than finesse and traditional
throttle response performace, they will NOT even notice.
Here's an example of what I've described at least
4 or five times here; When at certain speeds , and
one comes to mind from memory for example, at 40+ - mph
in 4th gear with throttle LOCKED in position, riding
at a steady speed on flat ground, when pulling in
the clutch the rpms drop off instead of naturally climbing,
like a traditional motorcycle throttle would , that is again
100% part of the ECU emissions-inspired programing.

If you're talking safe from police, probably not. See above. I don't think it puts undue wear on the engine to redline it under load. It puts a little wear on the engine to redline it under zero load, like the clutch is disengaged or the transmission's inNeutral and you zing it up to 11,000 rpm. Many owners will do this every once in a greaT while. Years back, there was a video of some guy redlining his gixxer in N for 2 minutes straight. Generally, I don't do it but if it happens once in a while, I don't think it's something to lose sleep over.

Yeah, not a police issue, a bike issue. And I'm not referring at
all to shifting an 10k or 11k rpm, I'm talking pulling in the
clutch at say 7 or 8 thousand rpm, where the revs might freguetly
race to rev limiter for like 60 +- milliseconds. VERY brief, but
possibly often.

You have to enjoy your bike the way you enjoy it. I always used the clutch to shift from first to second. Even with a quickshifter, that's a lot of force between the transmission and the engine. I don't think a cfirst to second gear shift at 6000 rpm is outrageous. Much higher rpm, I think that's too much stress on the gearbox. JMHO but I'd probably be clutxh shifting from first to second even if it was a drag strip bike.

Me too, and good point, 1st to second is sketchy, feels
very tough on the tranmission shifting at say 6k into
2nd , sometimes not too bad but others, just seems to
hard on the parts. If I'm just sight seeing in town,
not trying to get anywhere quick, I only use the clutch
to get started , then nice easy shifts all the way up.
Shifting from 1st to 2nd at between 2k and about 2.3k,
is or can be super smooth, depending on the finesse I
apply to the shift, and 3rd to 6th are a cake walk, same
with clutchless downshifts , if I'm going to shit down
to 2nd and first, for the way I'm riding it's not worth
doing the shits at 30 mph, much better to be very easy
on those two gears, under 20 mph, but usually after
I've gotten down to 3rd, I'm not worried about that
last ounce of engine braking.
I decided today, which could change soon enough lol, that I'm
going to use the clutch from 1st into 2nd, then from my
experience today again, and inspired by Fordtech58, all clutchless
from there on out, and that will save wear and tear on my
clutching hand. Though I love that clutching action a lot.
Thanks Rook, cool input.

with shifts i think the only thing that matters is that it is smooth , i only ever use the clutch for low speed shifts then anything with a reasonable bit of load / acceleration on it either clutchless or with the quickshifter. i fear messing up the clutch/throttle relationship going from 1st to second can also encourage a hop / wheelie especially considering this can and has happened with the quickshifter.

concuring with fordtech , the clutches in the 14's are pretty damn tough. i checked my original clutch pack after almost 300 runs and it had both minimal marks on the steels and everything was well into spec. that was with me haphazardly doing up to 18 runs a session in heat and me abusing the thing in general. During that time i had transitioned to deleting the slipper and using brocks springs (3xUHD w/ 3x EBC)

launching i tend to stage at around 3500-4000rpm , use clutch to roll into beams as to gauge where the clutch is biting. i try to aim for the clutch to be out near the light but before the 60ft but i vary all the time. a smooth roll on of the throttle is more than enough to move quickly and is easier to keep the revs in check while getting off clutch ( less wheelies this way). im probably quick to ramp up to 2 thirds throttle then roll in slow enough to hit full throttle a little before top of 1st.

my revlimiter is set to 11500 but 1st gear i shift mostly by sound then im shifting at 11 give or take. i wanted to test if different shift points effect mph but too many variables and the runs are all different so no good data on that.

ps - do not dump the clutch lmao.

* Last updated by: killernugget97 on 4/24/2026 @ 6:51 PM *

---

i fear messing up the clutch/throttle relationship going from 1st to second can also encourage a hop / wheelie especially considering this can and has happened with the quickshifter.

Try missing a shift at WOT! If the shift kicks back down, you're in for a ride! I hit the rev limiter and the bike went back to second gear. There was no time to back off the throttle. That was the highest and fastest wheelie I ever did. Had that happened with missing the shift to second gear, I'm sure the bike would have flipped.

---

concuring with fordtech , the clutches in the 14's are pretty damn tough.

I may have misunderstood @fordtech58 on clutchless, I'd interpreted him
as saying clutchless after 1st as being highly recommended.
I'm addicted to the sensation of quick launches using clutch,
though in QL, (I'm miles away from being 'drag quick'), but I do
pretty well omitting the clutch after getting into 2nd gear.
Is your clutch pull a lot harder with the higher spring rate?
I'm sketched on omitting my slipper clutch, I like having it.
I don't have any wheelie sensation at all but I rarely take
the traction control 1 setting off.
I did attempt a couple of half hearted wheelies a few weeks ago,
with not TC, but quicky abandoned them, as I just didn't seem
to be happening and didn't want to put excess stress on
the clutch.
What I do find on quick launches is that even with tc 1 ,
in my second surge of throttle at I guess the 60' + - mark
feels a bit scary at the rear wheel, if feels like it's
starting to go into a burnout, yet is quickley checked I guess
by the TC , I'm afraid to turn that TC off permanently when I
go for the ECU flash.

My bike is lowered 1.25'' rear and 3/4'' front.

ps - do not dump the clutch lmao.

Right!

Ricky Gadson instructs, letting the clutch out just so far initially,
maintaining a pretty constant rpm , then letting the rest out
once the bike has almost caught up to power.
The CC's weren't good in the videos, I think he said 40% initially
with maybe 4k to 6k rpm, but another time I thought I heard
him say 60%. But the take away for me was basically as you say,
'DON'T DUMP THE CLUTCH'

* Last updated by: Stratovarious on 4/25/2026 @ 5:42 AM *

my clutch pull is a decent bit harder than stock which took a bit of getting used to , especially in stop/start traffic. this makes the clutch also bite harder as you're feeding it out which i like for launching but changes how you clutch shift a bit too.

optimally the idea is you jump the first bit of the clutch so as soon as you start hitting the throttle so the clutch is biting and trying to pull the revs down ( or keeping it still) and you feed the rest for the wheel speed to match up with engine speed. better you match this up the smoother the transition will feel and less likely you're gonna be wheelieing on the way out.

slipper clutch is nice but not needed , either you're mindful of where in the rpm you downshift or you're blipping/rev matching which aint an issue. i've been riding without the tc for a few years now and its nice to have the control and no intervention but i did end up on my ass once from trying to out throttle a burnout.

And yes do not dump the clutch.

---

i've been riding without the tc for a few years now and its nice to have the control and no intervention but i did end up on my ass once from trying to out throttle a burnout.

I may do that then eventually, turn off the TC permanently,
but It's saved me a couple of times,
once when a bit too heavy on the throttle
while turning right from a complete stop,
that woke me up right quick.
I try to practice caution now in that
situation, hopefully it becomes a permanent
habit, then having no TC might be ok for me.