Motorcycle Repair: Shifting gears, shifting gears, transmission gears

Question
A few times, I have shifted (up and down) without using the clutch: I'm just
starting to ride again, and sometimes I forget to shift. Is clutchless shifting bad
for the clutch and or transmission? 1973 Honda CL350

Thanks

Answer
Well Art, when I first started racing I was told that using the clutch would waste time and I could get around the track faster by speed shifting like you described.  I had to replace a number of transmission gears after about a dozen races.  I wouldn't recommend shifting with out the clutch.  The transmission has dogs and slots in the gears to lock the gears together after a shift.  When you don't clutch it can put tremendous force on the edges of the dogs as they slip out of the corresponding gear.  When the edges get rounded off you're done.  It will be time for a rebuild because the transmission will start jumping out of gear.


Regards
Rich