Confessions of a Newbie Rider

[Grahamm]

No mechanic or engineer (me) would advise someone with a worn clutch to refrain from using the clutch on downchanges in future.

Where did that say anything about a worn clutch?

The IAM's advice is simply to avoid unnecessary mechanical inputs (not just on the clutch springs and plates, but also on the cable etc) just as they advise not using your indicators when there's nobody to indicate to.

It's all to do with *thinking* about what you're doing on the machine instead of doing things automatically, for instance, similarly, they often say when manoeuvring "consider a lifesaver" instead of always doing one just because "that's what you're told to do".