Cool posts guys.  Yeah, I've gotten into the habit of going to the whole clutch friction zone/rear brake/throttle balancing act every time I hit 1st gear when decelerating (the same tap dance that's used to do low speed maneuvers). It seems like a good habit, right?  I think holding the bike at an uphill stop sign with the clutch is a pretty good idea (at least just before take off), I'll try to make that a habit too.

I wonder how long the clutch will last with all this slippage going on?  

Dave

I'm probably too inexperienced and too inept to chime in here, but one of the things I've stuggled with most is learning to use the clutch as a "governor". In a car or truck we all learn to use the (dry) clutch as little as possible to avoid burning it. In my case that amounted more than 40 years of motorcycle-inappropriate experience. Our (wet) Savage clutches are far less prone to slip damage, as I now understand it, and thus far more useful as low-speed control devices.

My MSF instructor didn't stress this forcefully enough to penetrate my limited wit, but it is central to this discussion. Understand that once you've got enough RPMs to move the bike at low speed, you can comfortably control acceleration with the clutch while maintaining  throttle.  As you finish the turn you can add throttle and increase clutch engagement as simultaneously (and undramatically) as you wish.

I'll second the "Proficient Motorcycling" recommendation; tons of useful - and potentially life-saving - information.