Featured What you been doing with your TRIUMPH today??

You are just a youngster. The shift assist on my Striple is a dream and as for the “old way” my 1961 Thunderbird has a Slickshift gearbox as OE which enabled me to do a 60 mile journey back home after my clutch cable broke.

 

I have to agree, the quick shifter on my tiger is a dream. I do use the clutch from first to second on the way from a standstill and again on the way back down coming to a stop second to first. Otherwise the shifter does the job brilliantly

 

I agree that the quick shifting works great,it's just not for me.Admittedly I've not use it much,but I really enjoy changing gears . That's why I will always prefer a manual car.

 

I have to say there's a bit of flawed logic in there @Pedro1340 ..... you "really enjoy changing gears" but don't like the QS? Ermmmmmm ....you ARE still changing gears and in exactly the same way - as far as your brain, your ankle and your foot are concerned. The only element missing when using a QS is your left hand - which should stay firmly and fully clamped around the left grip!

Seriously, the action is fundamentally exactly the same but it does take some time and a little practice to make the QS shifts seamless and smooth. In some ways, my experience is not too dissimilar to yours - 58 years of unbroken, continuous riding of an enormous range of motorcycles (deliberately never had kids so didn't have to give up the true love of my life!) and ridden a fairly extensive range of motorcycles from quite a wide range of manufacturers, and my experience of the QS is on a Gen. 1 Street Triple so upshift only. I'd agree it is VERY difficult at first to override "muscle memory" in the co-ordinated movements of right and left hand when changing up - you have to remember to keep them both still - but, once mastered, it makes the expression "grin factor" an understatement. When you REALLY want to accelerate quickly and smoothly the QS is absolutely wonderful - it won't shave seconds off your 0 to 60 time but it will, when done correctly, add an additional adrenaline shot to your enjoyment of the 'fast overtake' or the insertion from a slip road into fast moving traffic on a motorway.

You owe it to yourself to persevere and practice ................ after all, you know what they say about practice!

 

I think there is something satisfying about that perfectly timed clutch lever/gear change action. But I'm an old guy too.

I had a Jawa 350 in the 70's - the gearshift lever clicked up to become the kickstart, and when you changed gear the gearlever released the clutch..... like an early quickshift! That one lever did everything.

 

Flawed logic ,mmm,show me were i said I didn't like it .I'm sure i said it worked great,I just prefer to hone my skills manually changing gears.i owned everything from z1b,fireblades, speed triples,etc never had a problem with fast overtakes or exiting a junction, or felt i needed another adrenaline shot .I'm glad others find them great,and they're terrific engineering, but at this very early stage of ownership, I'm not sold on it, for me...
I intend to keep this bike for many years, I'm sure i will grow to love the bike,but the quickshift to me,wasn't a selling point,I would have bought the bike happily without it.whereas, I wouldn't have bought if it was keyless.
If I grow to love the quickshifter I will certainly say so.

 

I totally agree with the clutch usage on first to second and second to first because the difference in the ratios is so great.

 

Not for me I’m afraid. When I was working I used to travel to Germany and the Low Countries and the one time I had an automatic rental car it was a revelation driving on the wrong side of the road and not having to change gear with the wrong hand, it was a total game changer.

 

For me it's all about fun,I drive a mx5 50% of the time,on twisting country roads where I live.rest of time it's 4×4..each to their own,
Drove an auto around usa and Australia, they were OK ,but not for the environment I live in now.

 

It’s funny as for many years I always said to myself (and others) that I would never buy or drive an automatic car. I want to drive my car, so a manual every day for me. This remained true for years, until about 8 years ago I had problems with my left knee. Changing gear became painful, so I changed my car for an automatic. 8 years on having changed my car at least three times and all have been automatics, this includes my current car. I can honestly say I will never buy another manual car. Fully automatic in sport mode is great fun and for long drives or in traffic you cannot beat an automatic. Just my two pence worth.

 

I agree with almost everything you say,but,whilst my knees etc are still sunny side up,I will take a lightweight, rear wheel drive, 2seater, manual, on a country road,every day of the week for fun and enjoyment. That's exactly how I feel about my bikes,it's fun with a capital F,
I'm fortunate I don't have to ride to work, in shitty weather etc,but when I want to just get out on winding country roads.Too many baby aids on modern vehicles for my liking,my 4x4 tells me if I need my lights on,when to brake,if I cut a corner the steering shakes etc etc,,every bit of what I learned over 50 odd years is being made redundant. Im not having it,

 

WOW!!! Amazing sights, @Florian320! Great photos, too.

 

@aht_six, that all sounds all too familiar! After reading your post I had to check out where you're from. Yep, Minnesota! That's where I hail from, too. Now I'm in Arizona and there's no tucking our motorcycles away or mounting a snowblower on a lawn tractor. Speaking of snowblowers, I worked for a spell back during college on the assembly line at the Toro factory in Windom making "personal" snowblowers. Not my favorite job.

 

I love the quick shifter on my 2019 Speed Triple RS. It saved my bacon twice when I had surgeries on my clutch hand/arm and could barely pull in the clutch lever. My other bikes didn't have quick shifters so between that nice feature and the lower weight, my Speed got me back riding more quickly than I would have otherwise been able to do. Mostly I like having the option. I don't HAVE to use the quick shifter but I CAN.

 

My wife thinks we should move south in the winter, I just can’t see myself missing out on the snowmobiling.

 

Well, @aht–six, you could always move west or south and then travel to snow in the winter for a couple of snowmobiling trips! And I have a nephew who lives in southern MN where I grew up and the snow has gotten so poor for sledding (as he calls it) that he and some buddies do a couple of big(ger) trips each winter to good snow out west. Speaking of which, that photo doesn't look to me like anyplace in MN that I'm familiar with! Where are you in the pic???

 

Last year the snow season here was a bust. No snow to speak of in Wisconsin or Michigan either. We had to go to Wyoming to find good riding, that’s where the picture is from.

 

That's where my nephew and his buddies typically go, too! I don't know where in MN you live, but it seems to be about the same distance from Tucson to Yellowstone as it is from Minneapolis to Yellowstone (about 1K miles). Just think, you could live in Tucson and ride year round then trailer your snowmobile to Yellowstone for some good sledding in the winter.

 

I’m sure Tucson is nice place, but there is no chance I’ll be spending my summers there or anywhere else is south. I would much rather ride in the cold than try to deal with the summer heat in the south.

 

For me personally I think having a Quickshifter/Blipper is a game changer, like a few have said you only need to use the clutch on first to second and second to first (setting off and coming to a stop), otherwise it work flawless. The same is true for a lot of motorcycle electronics, take the STRS 765 for example, you can turn off all rider aids, I did this in the summer for a track day (I don't do hardly any these days), the reason why I turned everything off was to avoid the ABS and traction control kicking in, now would I turn them off for riding on public roads not a chance, I embrace the electronic advancements, having ridden many many machines with no rider aids I am a convert to all these advancements. Take the electronics on my son's Panigale 1299s, it has fantastic electronics, his quickshifter is silky smooth and one of the best I have ever used, he runs it permanently in race mode, however when I ride it I put it in sport mode as it utilises more electronics, it is running 220 BHP and is lighter than my STRS 765, so for me personally it gives a far better riding experience, and I wouldn't want to keep using the clutch lever to change up and down the gearbox all the time on twisty country roads. The same is true for the clutch slip assist design the bikes have, changing down gears approaching bends, you no longer risk having the back wheel lock up as you used to have. Knowing how and why these electronics work is also vital, as is their limitations and rider ability. If all the rider aids enhance a riding experience and make for a more enjoyable ride out, then why would anyone not want this. Ride safe all from an ageing Rocker.