Clake? ..worth getting?

[Back2Braaap]

Got a message from Clake today. You gotta order one and it will take 5-6 weeks to get to you (in the USA ).

[Bedunjgi]

Be patient with him but be persistent. He will probably send extra cams for adjustability. I would specify what spares you want ahead of time since I have been trying for a while to get some different ones then what he sent. He will swap them for free but shipping is still a concern in the US. Take a look at the cam section on the website & some of it will make sense for when you communicate with him.  For my setup on the X-Trainer & the narrow cut bars, I want a slightly easier pull with quicker & more force on both the clutch & brake. None of the cams he included really helped. I am getting used to it & I think part of the problem was grease &/or wax on the rotor from my new bike setup. I think the clutch is breaking in & getting easier to pull as well. I might need to bleed them one more time as well.

Got a message from Clake today. You gotta order one and it will take 5-6 weeks to get to you (in the USA ).

Edited October 5, 2015 by Bedunjgi

[lotus54]

I didn't take that long to get mine, but it was quite awhile ago.

Could be he doesn't have any ready to go?

Mine came with extra cams, and it did make it quicker to disengage the clutch as I wanted.

[Roon]

So how much is that?    I see $790 for the clake 2 ... no one else twitching at that price?

 

Clake 2 is approx US$560 (no foot brake) or US$690 if you retain the foot brake (plus shipping), so yes they are not cheap, but they are quite an engineering masterpiece. I fitted one to a customers new RR300 last week and I have one on order which I will probably fit to an XT.

The bleeding is an exercise in patience and persistence.....

At present, Clake is only a very small operation and the units are all made to order in house, hence the 6 week lead time

Edited October 5, 2015 by Roon

[Rider777]

Clake 2 is approx US$560 (no foot brake) or US$690 if you retain the foot brake (plus shipping), so yes they are not cheap, but they are quite an engineering masterpiece. I fitted one to a customers new RR300 last week and I have one on order which I will probably fit to an XT.

The bleeding is an exercise in patience and persistence.....

At present, Clake is only a very small operation and the units are all made to order in house, hence the 6 week lead time

 

 

I've been contemplating buying the Clake2 (no foot brake) for a while and have finally accepted the 5-6 week lead time after order placed.

 

A considerable concern for me is that from all that I've read about this setup the bleeding is not necessarily successful.  I've watched Clake's video on this and the video is labeled for Clake2 also but it's not shown except for a couple of seconds at the end of the video.***      Video looks straightforward but my research shows it may not be.

 

***I watched Clake's video on preparing for install and see that the only difference with the Clake2 is how you release the levers.   So now the bleeding video makes sense to me.

 

As far as optional cams:  If there are only three optional one's as shown on the Clake site then I guess I'll just buy all three with the original order.   I would do this because of the very extensive wait time for new parts.

 

And a BIG concern:  Parts to repair in the future.  It's a turnoff to buy this product if the company has poor response/lead time for replacement parts.  

 

Regarding the price quoted by Roon above:

 

Here's what I see on the Clake site.  Has there been a downward price adjustment that he hasn't updated on his site yet?

 

Thanks for any constructive information!

 

Dave

 

 

Edited October 5, 2015 by Rider777

[lotus54]

Make sure to bleed the master first.

I've bled a couple, hoses can have high spots etc adding to trouble.

One trick is one that was in my 69 Lotus manual.

Open the bleeder slightly (with hose going up, then back down)

Then pump the lever fast, full open and closed. This fast motion can push stubborn bubbles out.

The other is getting air stuck behind the pistons in the caliper.

Pushing the pistons all the way back in will help push that air back out.

Edited October 5, 2015 by lotus54

[Roon]

I've been contemplating buying the Clake2 (no foot brake) for a while and have finally accepted the 5-6 week lead time after order placed.

 

A considerable concern for me is that from all that I've read about this setup the bleeding is not necessarily successful.  I've watched Clake's video on this and the video is labeled for Clake2 also but it's not shown except for a couple of seconds at the end of the video.***      Video looks straightforward but my research shows it may not be.

 

***I watched Clake's video on preparing for install and see that the only difference with the Clake2 is how you release the levers.   So now the bleeding video makes sense to me.

 

As far as optional cams:  If there are only three optional one's as shown on the Clake site then I guess I'll just buy all three with the original order.   I would do this because of the very extensive wait time for new parts.

 

And a BIG concern:  Parts to repair in the future.  It's a turnoff to buy this product if the company has poor response/lead time for replacement parts.  

 

Regarding the price quoted by Roon above:

 

Here's what I see on the Clake site.  Has there been a downward price adjustment that he hasn't updated on his site yet?

 

Thanks for any constructive information!

 

Dave

 

 

OK, my pricing was approx and Im out by a 9%, my bad....

[Rider777]

OK, my pricing was approx and Im out by a 9%, my bad....

 

 

I was hoping you had a   "connection"    ?

[Bedunjgi]

Bleed it every way you know of & then bleed it again. Watch the videos (One only shows the Clake Two at the very end). There are many cams available.

[Bedunjgi]

TUNING THE CLAKE. 

 

http://www.clake.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tuning_the_clake.pdf

Edited October 6, 2015 by Bedunjgi

[beachbrada]

There's a Clake 2 for sale in the thumper talk classifieds, u might have to look back a couple pages if u don't see it right away.

[beachbrada]

https://www.thumpertalk.com/classifieds/item/11090-clake-two-clutch-lever/'%20title='Clake%20Two%20Clutch%20Lever

[clappedoutkx]

Has anyone tried the Prolever yet with a stock clutch? Looks like it would work well for restarting up a nasty hill.

[OZ DRZ]

...a BIG concern:  Parts to repair in the future.  It's a turnoff to buy this product if the company has poor response/lead time for replacement parts.  

 

 

it shouldn't be a concern in the long term rider777. the poor response and lead time is due to the sudden rush of international orders about a year ago and they are still playing catch up. i rang the guy to get a part and was chatting, they are busy trying to organize finance to expand and meet the demand so they should be around for a long time. 

 

re: bleeding, i mentioned that quite a few of us struggle with that and he's planning better instructions to make it easier and knows the stuff he's put up isn't brilliant. 

[Arctra]

I just installed my Clake SLR over the weekend and found the bleeding very easy. I don't do it the "traditional" way though. I put a syringe full of fluid with a piece of pipe connected to the bleed port down at the brake caliper. Crack open the bleed nut then push the brake fluid in so it forces the fluid back up the system until the reservoir up near the clutch. Too easy! Good feel straight away. Just for certainty I still zip-tied the lever to the to the grip for a day so that any little bubbles in the system could work their way into the reservoir. Great feel in the lever! I'm looking forward to testing it this weekend.

[Rider777]

it shouldn't be a concern in the long term rider777. the poor response and lead time is due to the sudden rush of international orders about a year ago and they are still playing catch up. i rang the guy to get a part and was chatting, they are busy trying to organize finance to expand and meet the demand so they should be around for a long time. 

 

re: bleeding, i mentioned that quite a few of us struggle with that and he's planning better instructions to make it easier and knows the stuff he's put up isn't brilliant. 

 

 

Thanks for this input.

 

Re: instructional videos.

 

According to Owen (inventor of the Clake) , he states there will be new instructional videos by later this month and they will be using the Xtrainer and the 390RR.  Perfect, as I own the 390RR!

 

 

 

 

I just installed my Clake SLR over the weekend and found the bleeding very easy. I don't do it the "traditional" way though. I put a syringe full of fluid with a piece of pipe connected to the bleed port down at the brake caliper. Crack open the bleed nut then push the brake fluid in so it forces the fluid back up the system until the reservoir up near the clutch. Too easy! Good feel straight away. Just for certainty I still zip-tied the lever to the to the grip for a day so that any little bubbles in the system could work their way into the reservoir. Great feel in the lever! I'm looking forward to testing it this weekend.

 

 

Also, thanks Arctra for your install experience.

 

This method of "reverse bleeding" is exactly what I am planning on using.

 

I did a "test reverse bleed" on my 390RR and found I really had to put a lot of pressure on the syringe in order to push the fluid up from the clutch slave cylinder.

 

Did you have the same experience?

 

Dave

[Arctra]

...found I really had to put a lot of pressure on the syringe in order to push the fluid up from the clutch slave cylinder.

 

Did you have the same experience?

 

 

 Yes... it takes quite a bit of sustained pressure to force the fluid through the system. I think this is to be expected given how small the tubes are and the fact that it has to be forced through some restricted apertures in the master cylinder.

[Rider777]

 Yes... it takes quite a bit of sustained pressure to force the fluid through the system. I think this is to be expected given how small the tubes are and the fact that it has to be forced through some restricted apertures in the master cylinder.

 

 

Thanks, that's what I figured.

[Bedunjgi]

I bench bled, reverse bled, pushed the calipers, regular bled, left a ziptie on the levers overnight, bled it through the bleed screws, rode it & have done it several times since. Each time it gets better. I am dreading disconnecting the clutch line to reroute it but it needs to be done.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Bedunjgi

[OZ DRZ]

CLAKE CROWD FUNDING: 20% discount off future products

 

ages ago i emailed owen at clake for a few guys here who were getting annoyed about delayed deliveries, he issued a public apology and said they were working flat out to meet the international demand that swamped them this year, but also find a solution. they are going the crowd funding route to resolve these current delays, and also get their new gear into production. click here to read about it. 

 

they are putting in a second more up-to-date CNC machine to boost production and hopefully eliminate delayed deliveries in the near future. the crowd funding will help with expanding their facilities but also getting their new stuff into production too. they are looking for an AUD$100 (about US$70?) contribution and in exchange there's a lifetime 20% discount on all their future products.

 

the new products are a customized throttle assembly, an electronic anti-stall device, and a fully electronic auto-clutch, with others planned later on too. 

 

 

the electronic auto-clutch is the one that i'm super keen on as my middle-aged fingers are starting to hurt after every ride even with the very light pull of the clake one light clutch. they reckon this is infinitely tuneable and can be set up to disengage the clutch when the engine is off - avoiding that nasty roll back on steep hills. 

 

a declaration of interest, i don't work for clake but they did ask me if i'd do some short videos for their crowd funding. no money changed hands but i'll be scoring one of those electronic auto-clutches when they come into production! i'll do an objective review once i get my hot little hands on it. ?