Dry clutches

[megageoff76]

Just out of interest for a possible future purchase, is the life of a dry clutch on a Ducati any shorter than a regular wet one like on my Suzuki?

And should this bike have a vented clutch cover, does this mean more that dust and crap can get into the plates shortening its life?

Do they require any special care or maintenence?

[slowpoke]

Supposedly a Ducati dry clutch won't last as long as a wet clutch in similar duty, but having said thatwe are still talking many years for the average bike. It's not like you'll be replacing the clutch plates every year or anything.

The standard clutch cover is fine for normal duty but a vented clutch cover will keep it cool in heavy duty conditions like commuting and such. Given the gearing on say a 748-998 you will be slipping the clutch a bit more than your average Jappa sports bike and you'll have a Popeye style left fore-arm to prove it. An aftermarket slave cylinder alleviates the heavy operation, is readily available and recommended, unless you like being able to tear up phone books in your spare time.

The vented covers look fookin' cool especially with an anodised pressure plate, stainless springs etc but it does make the clutch even noisier, which some luv and others hate. I've not heard of anyone having drama's with shite getting amongst the clutch gubbin's, and I never had any drama's, but I would still take care when lathering up the ol' girl.

Remember: loud clutches save lives!

[megageoff76]

Thats awesome, cheers mate!

[Wheeliemonsta]

Remember: loud clutches save lives!

Damn straight...

Cheers

[davejenknz]

I'm replacing my OEM S4 clutch after 35000 kms.

The friction plates are down to the minimum thickness and the tang to basket gap is 1.4mm over spec. The basket is seriously notched and it makes a hell of a racket.

I'm replacing it with a Pro-cutting hard anodised basket and Barnett plates combo from Desmotimes, NZ$750, against NZ$950 for Ducati parts.

This combo has been reported to last 80000 kms, and is considered to be lighter, quieter and more durable than the OEM unit.
Of course that does depend on how hard you ride.

A vented cover is IMO just bling. I seriously doubt that I could overheat my clutch doing my daily 60km commute.

A 14 Tooth front sprocket helps with the high gearing, which means that excessive slipping of the clutch during town riding is no longer an issue.