Slipper Clutch - Cheating??

[NZsarge]

Personally I dont feel its cheating. I dont have one, and never have but if you were to say something like this was cheating then you could equally say that we're all cheating not having to manually advance our spark nowadays...or being able to shift with our foot...or having electronic ignition...tyres, suspension, brakes....its all going to advance as time moves on.

Its all about whether you want to use the tool or not. I dare say for racing, if you are not using the same or better toolbox than the next person then you are at a disadvantage...however on the road its jsut personal preference...use the tool or dont.

I had this conversation with my bro whos a cager...he loves TVR's which are sans ABS and the like which he prefers seeing it as a "drivers car". Definately see his point, and yours, and agree..but cant bring myself to disagree with people using the technology brought forth through evolution.

Yeah...what he said...and well put i must say.

[White trash]

How the hell can it be called cheating if it's a development?

It's like saying anyone with upside down forks was cheating when they first came out. Or Disc brakes.

A bike under rapid decceleration is more stable when fitted with one in most instances. I love the bastards, although I'm reluctant to not cover the rear brake doing wheelies with one fitted.

[limbimtimwim]

The k6 had the slipper done up too tight I think, which made it more of a hinderance, as it affected pulling away, or dumping the clutch, to dart through traffic. Didn't test it at higher speeds.

They don't work like that, it's not like a scooters 'centrifugal clutch'. It should not effect acceleration at all. It was probably just plain slipping.

It is a misconception that a slipper clutch means you cannot lock up that back wheel on a downshift. You sure can, I can do it on my gsxr and rvf. It just helps you a little if you don't use enough clutch when you should have. Any lockup there is, it is usually over very quickly with a slipper clutch too.

I know it has changed the way I ride, I get on some other bike and I know at some point I am going to go down a gear clutchless carrying a few revs too many and I'll lock up the back wheel.

Anyway, it's not cheating because everyone else is going to run one too.

I read in one of my magazines here that endurance racing bikes have the slipper removed because they encourage laziness in the rider (not matching revs on a downshift) and the clutch wears too quickly.

[justsomeguy]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Yes I know its progress and it's a great feature.

Slipper clutches seemed to literally feel like a switch - I habitually blip the throttle on every downchange at any speed. But with a slipper clutch it's like pushing a button - there is zero mechanical feedback.

However while riding (the usual rides and trackdays) my previous 04 636 with an old fashioned clutch I used to always have to be very alert to prevent locking the back up always having to concentrate on this. Which in turn I believe forced me to become a lot smoother with my engine braking or risk messing up the corner.

Therefore should someone looking at a thou – 1st get one without a slipper clutch – get used to taking it flat out (until he gets into the fast group at trackdays) – then buy another big bike with a slipper clutch as he has now gained slightly better downshifting and engine braking ability????????

Following on from a rider education perspective, and now looking at it as purchasing criteria, if slipper clutches are the shiz – then in the thou market – there’s the 04+ ZX10 and the 05+ gixxer. (cheapest slipper clutch thous)

But if they really aren’t that big a deal – one can buy an older thou and save the cash for more trackdays. What do guys reckon?

[justsomeguy]

Anyway, it's not cheating because everyone else is going to run one too.

hey S,

I'm not talking about cheating others - I'm talking from a purely personal perspective about cheating yourself out of developing better downshifting skills.