slippy clutch ... thoughts? | GTAMotorcycle.com

slippy clutch ... thoughts?

OSIRIS_001

OSIRIS_001

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for better or worse - you liking this tech - or would pass?

Curious where the crowd lands - i hear more complaints about this than anything else.
 
To be honest, non required feature for street bike. Can it fail or wear out easier, I doubt it because I don't think it will see much use..
 
The downshift only slipper clutch that Kawasaki uses in some of its models might be a handy feature for novice riders - no wheel lockup/hop.
They seem pretty durable.
 
"Slipper" clutch??

Good feature to have for a larger displacement bike.
 
I didn't realize how lazy the slipper clutch on my ninja made me until I jumped onto a bike without one. It really does smooth out your downshifts.

Having said that, it took one bad downshift to adjust to not having it. Once I got used to not having it I became much smoother with my downshifts.

Necessary? Probably not. Helpful, especially for novice riders? Absolutely.
 
I like them as it can help you stay out of the weeds. I wish there was some indication when it was working as I agree with Michael, it makes you lazy and I believe wears out the clutch faster.
 
OSIRIS_001 said:
for better or worse - you liking this tech - or would pass?

Curious where the crowd lands - i hear more complaints about this than anything else.
Click to expand...

never ridden a bike that had one
don't think I'd like it though
engine braking can be useful

but yeah for a novice rider it could be useful
my Capo with 1200 cc over 2 cyls and high compression
not difficult to lock the rear if you muck up a downshift
 
J_F said:
never ridden a bike that had one
don't think I'd like it though
engine braking can be useful

but yeah for a novice rider it could be useful
my Capo with 1200 cc over 2 cyls and high compression
not difficult to lock the rear if you muck up a downshift
Click to expand...
They got rid of the slipper on the 1200? The 1000 had one.
 
J_F said:
never ridden a bike that had one
don't think I'd like it though
engine braking can be useful

but yeah for a novice rider it could be useful
my Capo with 1200 cc over 2 cyls and high compression
not difficult to lock the rear if you muck up a downshift
Click to expand...
I don't know how much if at all it would reduce engine braking, if I am correct in my assumption that it just prevents lockup by limiting torque at the extreme end. I've only ridden one bike with it and have no comparison to the same bike without. It was a 300 so not a huge amount of engine braking to begin with.
 
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Michael0124 said:
I don't know how much if at all it would reduce engine braking, if I am correct in my assumption that it just prevents lockup by limiting torque at the extreme end. I've only ridden one bike with it and have no comparison to the same bike without. It was a 300 so not a huge amount of engine braking to begin with.
Click to expand...
The 1000 capo had lots of engine braking. You are correct, it should only slip when things have gone wrong (big speed mismatch between wheel and engine). Some aftermarket slippers are adjustable, I don't know of an OEM that is adjustable. With all the electronics in modern bikes, it shouldn't be too hard to turn on a light when the clutch is slipping. Without the light, it is very hard to tell if you are riding properly or whether the clutch is compensating for you.
 
cool
thanks guys
having never ridden a bike with a slipper
wasn't sure exactly the functionality

looks like on some of the aprilia motors - the 1000 twin included
they used an engine vacuum controlled slipper

sounds like it worked quite well
less intrusive than a mechanical one
 
Michael0124 said:
I don't know how much if at all it would reduce engine braking
Click to expand...

There is reduced engine braking, it is quite noticeable compared to the same bike without a slipper clutch.

But like anything, you learn to compensate for it by using more brakes.

Going from a slipper-clutch bike to a non-slipper just takes a few clunky downshifts for your brain to figure out, "Oh I gotta blip on this bike".

What I wonder is, if you've never learned to blip the throttle to smooth out downshifts and you've always ridden a bike with a slipper clutch, how much of a learning curve is it to learn that skill once you're a seasoned rider.

I remember trying to ride a GP Shift bike after years of riding regular shift. Took me forever to overcome the muscle memory. To be honest, it never became automatic.
 
Lightcycle said:
I remember trying to ride a GP Shift bike after years of riding regular shift. Took me forever to overcome the muscle memory. To be honest, it never became automatic.
Click to expand...
Try riding an old right side shift British or Italian bike. My Ducati and Norton were up for low, the BSA and Triumph were down.
Jumping from one to the other was … interesting.
My first Japanese bike (1966 Suzuki 80) had neutral all the way at the bottom - heaven help you if you shifted down one too many times !
 
Another nice thing with a slipper is that you can also get away with having less clutch spring pressure (lighter lever feel). Most of the more recent slippers have “assist” ramps, so as the bike sends power through the clutch its forces itself together rather than just relying on the springs to do so. Essentially it’s the reverse function of the standard one way slipper –where when the rear wheel torque starts to force the slipper ramps apart (reducing spring pressure) allowing clutch slip.

Definitely can be a nice thing to have but I suppose the argument can be made to start out on a bike without it to learn how to properly rev match or manually control your clutch slip.

Good read if you’ve never used one before: Slipper Assist Clutches Are Appearing On More New Motorcycles
 
So maybe I was doing it wrong with the slipper clutch? I would rev match regardless, are people just letting out the clutch on them? Would that still not give you immediate engine braking? From what I understood it was to prevent wheel lock up if you went down too many gears too fast and to smooth out your downshifts.
 
TK4 said:
Try riding an old right side shift British or Italian bike. My Ducati and Norton were up for low, the BSA and Triumph were down.
Jumping from one to the other was … interesting.
My first Japanese bike (1966 Suzuki 80) had neutral all the way at the bottom - heaven help you if you shifted down one too many times !
Click to expand...

Hmmm... Do I know you?

Are your initials MM?
 
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