Pros and cons of the slipper clutch?

**White trash** · 13th February 2009, 15:03

Originally Posted by FROSTY

Its the old story --theres nothing a slipper clutch does that bloody good clutch control shouldn't be able to achieve.

Bullshit mate.

I can run the Thou' to redline in first then slam the throttle shut the instant it hits 168kph on the speedo. No wheel hop, nothing.

I don't care how good your clutch control is, the onle way to get a similar effect is to pull in the clutch lever, and let's face it, that's a hell of alot of work.

With the Yoshimura clutch, we further reduced the amount of back torque required to slip it by a third, THAT was fricken awesome. Felt like a two stroke as far as engine braking was concerned.

Imagine doing 310 kays down the back straight of Puke, drop of the crest, hit the front picks and start back pedaling gears as fast as you can. No rev spike required, just smash it through sixth to first in the space of 150 meters.

Downside? Don't think so.

**jrandom** · 13th February 2009, 15:05

Originally Posted by R6_kid

Helps n00bs ride overpowered bikes on the road.

As opposed to totally awesome masters of the machine like yourself eh bro?

**jrandom** · 13th February 2009, 15:09

Originally Posted by White trash

Downside? Don't think so.

Fuckin oath. I haven't ridden a bike with a slipper clutch on the track, just the road, but downshifting properly is hard work and I can certainly see the attraction.

I betcha pretty much anyone would pick up a second or two around most tracks straight away from a slipper clutch alone. I'm sure I would. It'd free up so much mental effort into corners that could be repurposed toward actually going faster.

If I had the option of getting a bike with a slipper clutch as opposed to one without, it'd be a big selling point for me. Road or track, doesn't matter, it's a gizmo that makes the bike easier to ride, and I'm not a masochist.

**Gremlin** · 13th February 2009, 15:13

They can certainly make slowing down for a corner easier (provided you're going in with enough pace to make it come into action), help bike control etc. Makes it stupidly easy to back the bike into corners as well

(I'm jealous, as I have a normal clutch).

On the other hand, you lose the skill of feathering the clutch, which can be rather entertaining, and probably adds to your riding skills.

**jrandom** · 13th February 2009, 15:19

Originally Posted by Gremlin

On the other hand, you lose the skill of feathering the clutch...

Indeed. Quite a delicate operation it is.

I credit my many years of left-handed masturbation for my ability to punt the 1400 into the back sweeper at Taupo without fishtailing and falling off.

**FROSTY:Me** · 13th February 2009, 15:29

Originally Posted by White trash

Bullshit mate.

I can run the Thou' to redline in first then slam the throttle shut the instant it hits 168kph on the speedo. No wheel hop, nothing.

I don't care how good your clutch control is, the onle way to get a similar effect is to pull in the clutch lever, and let's face it, that's a hell of alot of work.
Downside? Don't think so.

Mate --He's on a SV650 with 75 screaming ponies.

I used to slam the SV down through the gears then feather the clutch to stop rear wheel hop.

**Mikkel** · 13th February 2009, 15:32

Considering it is fairly easy to get a zxr250 to lockup if you forget to blip during downshifts I'd say it's a very worthwhile technology.

Coming into the same hairpin corner braking hard and downshifting I can just drop to 1st gear and drop the clutch on the zx7rr (slipperclutch) while it remains nice and smooth whereas I would have to be somewhat touchy-feely with the older zxr250 to avoid skipping...

As for blipping the throttle on downshift - that becomes very hardwork when you're trying to keep good feel of the brakes while supporting a considerable fraction of your body weight with your arms.

As for practicing feathering the clutch - just get something with a close-ratio gearbox and go for a well behaved blat through town.

**White trash** · 13th February 2009, 15:37

Originally Posted by FROSTY

Mate --He's on a SV650 with 75 screaming ponies.

I used to slam the SV down through the gears then feather the clutch to stop rear wheel hop.

Yeah, I used to have to feather the clutch on my K3 to prevent from crashing every turn at Manfeild a few years back while dicing with one Mr Williams.

Having ridden a bike very quickly without one, and also with a slipper fitted, I'll take the technology every day of the week.

**bully** · 13th February 2009, 16:45

you hardley notice it. i dont bother blipping and down shift when ever, why, coz iv tryied and it wont lock up. i believe you can use the rear break more too, well with out fear, why, coz it wont lock up. i know the front is the best break but can now use the back hard with no fear, therefore get the most out of it. it is a wierd feeling when it does work, but all good. i dont see any down side.

**HDTboy** · 13th February 2009, 16:49

Originally Posted by Mikkel

As for blipping the throttle on downshift - that becomes very hardwork when you're trying to keep good feel of the brakes while supporting a considerable fraction of your body weight with your arms.

As for practicing feathering the clutch - just get something with a close-ratio gearbox and go for a well behaved blat through town.

Use your legs and abs to hold your weight while braking, it makes controlling the bike much easier (blipping, braking, turning, and clutch feathering all at once).

That said, I'm a fan of the concept of a slipper clutch. Much less concentration on clutch control when entering corners has to be a good thing, poor clutch control caused me to have a massive highside in turn 1 at taupo writing my K2 600 off, I reckon a slipper may have saved me.

**slofox** · 13th February 2009, 16:52

Originally Posted by FROSTY

Mate --He's on a SV650 with 75 screaming ponies.

I used to slam the SV down through the gears then feather the clutch to stop rear wheel hop.

If ya get the revs right(ish) it doesn't hop much anyway...

**Mikkel** · 13th February 2009, 17:02

Originally Posted by HDTboy

Use your legs and abs to hold your weight while braking, it makes controlling the bike much easier (blipping, braking, turning, and clutch feathering all at once).

I do use those as well (ever the pedant: more the erector spinæ than the abs during braking though) when braking in a straight line - still, on the zx7rr at least, it rather quickly gets very hard on your forearms. Especially so as you are shifting your weight off the bike while still braking, I can't see how you would still be able to use your legs to provide longitudinal support in that situation.

But all of that could also have something to do with my level of fitness I suppose. Suffice to say that removing two layers of complexity from the equation in one of the most critical situations in motorcycle racing is a worthwhile gain.

**piston broke** · 13th February 2009, 18:23

wow,
these slipper clutches sound like the shitz,
although,road riding i've only ever had the back lock up a very few times

**Big Dave** · 13th February 2009, 18:51

There are other technologies emerging too.

The power shifter on the Spyder 'Auto' matches the engine speed to the gear and velocity before downshifting.