Hydraulic Clutch - Recommendations Wanted

[Kompact]

Looking to put a hydraulic one finger clutch on my bike but don't want to spend Clake money. Recommendations appreciated.

[William1]

A Hydro clutch does not make the clutch take less effort. It makes it self adjusting, consistently smooth. The only way make a clutch operate with less effort is to change the mechainical advantage, to to decrease the effort, you need to increase the travel. So I hope you have long fingers.

I have hydro clutches (Maguras) on all my current bikes for the self adjusting and consistent, smooth action. I have to use two fingers.

[The Inquisitor]

1 hour ago, Kompact said:

Looking to put a hydraulic one finger clutch on my bike but don't want to spend Clake money. Recommendations appreciated.

Not sure if you posted this before but what bike?

[Muffintop]

Magura makes hydro clutches for various bikes, you're probably better off getting a better lever setup and a new clutch cable though...

[Flagstaff]

Just buy a KTM. Bonus, you now ride a KTM. ?

[Kompact]

2 hours ago, filterx said:

Not sure if you posted this before but what bike?

 

3 hours ago, William1 said:

A Hydro clutch does not make the clutch take less effort.

Thanks for the info. Maybe the Clake clutch setup functions differently from the one you have on your bikes. In speaking with Clake and reading peoples testimonials it make it much easier to pull which is what I'm after.

2 hours ago, filterx said:

Not sure if you posted this before but what bike?

CRF250L. I talked with Clake and they have a setup for the bike but landed at my door it will be over $500. Trying to find something that is one or two finger and easier to pull but isn't going to cost me so much.

[William1]

6 hours ago, Kompact said:

 

Thanks for the info. Maybe the Clake clutch setup functions differently from the one you have on your bikes. In speaking with Clake and reading peoples testimonials it make it much easier to pull which is what I'm after.

CRF250L. I talked with Clake and they have a setup for the bike but landed at my door it will be over $500. Trying to find something that is one or two finger and easier to pull but isn't going to cost me so much.

Unless it is power assist, there is no 'magic system' that will do it. Clutch operation is a series of levers and basic physics explains the level of effort over distance. More distance = less effort.

[Wild Alaskan]

There is one other way; softer clutch springs, often times bikes have their clutches replaced with shitty cork clutches that require heavy springs to function. If this is the case a real clutch and stock springs will improve things greatly.

[The Inquisitor]

19 hours ago, Kompact said:

 

Thanks for the info. Maybe the Clake clutch setup functions differently from the one you have on your bikes. In speaking with Clake and reading peoples testimonials it make it much easier to pull which is what I'm after.

CRF250L. I talked with Clake and they have a setup for the bike but landed at my door it will be over $500. Trying to find something that is one or two finger and easier to pull but isn't going to cost me so much.

So Im going to assume that the 250L clutch springs are softer than my OEM 05 250R so here is my set-up on my R and IMO its 1/2 fingers and I've had guys with older KTM hydraulics and say it feels easer to pull theirs.

First I I'm using a SunLine V1 clutch/hot start perch with a breakaway lever. The breakaway works great and IMO the SunLine gives you an easy pull and you can adjust the lever start position forward/back of the grip with the bolt (the red arrow and this is the lever without the hot start).

Next I use a Motion Pro clutch cable which IMO has a slightly bigger diameter inner cable than OEM and I also occasionally use a Motion Pro cable lube tool and Maxima MPPL after about 4 or 5 washes. The MPPL displaces water and I find its a non sticky lube. Then I replace the cable yearly. With that said I recently order a Motion Pro cable and they sent my an All Balls one and it looks like the inner is the same diameter as the Motion Pro one. When I get a new cable I lay it out against the old one and make the the outer cable adjustments are the same and as well how the adjust at the clutch arm is set.

Then I make sure the lever is set-up on the bars. Basically you leave it slightly loose and start with moving in left/right and up/down until you feel you have good leverage with 1/2 fingers then you can adjust the bolt.

Then with the lever still slightly loose, make sure you have about 1/4" of free play. Go for a short ride and make sure the clutch is engaging properly (and the SunLine has really easy adjust for free play while your are riding) and then adjust lever positions as needed.

This is obviously a long winded post and probably sounds way more complicated than it is and not sure how much of this applies to your L but IMO try the easy cheap stuff first like lever position and a new cable first. Then if you can get a SunLine for the L IMO it's well the $$$$ and cheap compared to a Clarke or Hydraulic.

 

 

 

[Kompact]

26 minutes ago, filterx said:

So Im going to assume that the 250L clutch springs are softer than my OEM 05 250R

Thanks for the detailed post and great info, I think I'll try that route before spending the big bucks.

The stock L has the sissiest clutch possible including a judder system that is designed to slip and weak springs. I got rid of the judder non sense and upgraded the springs to some hd Barnett. The clutch is awesome now, the draw back is it's harder to pull.

[The Inquisitor]

Ya I'm not familiar with the L but figured it had a sissy ? clutch.

I can't seem to find any good pics of the clutch perch or where the clutch cable goes into or mounts at the engine so can you post some pics of your bikes set-up and if this gets moved to the 250L/M/Rally forum I'm following it.

[subxero]

There may or may not be a used clake one for sale in the classifieds, don't ask me how i know.  You could always contact clake and see if the units available there would work for your bike.   I bet the lever and master are all the same, but the slave might be different.  

Edited May 16, 2017 by subxero

[Kompact]

Pissing rain out so I just quickly lifted the bike cover and snapped a couple. I can take better pics if needed when it isn't pouring out.

I didn't post this in the bike specific forum because no one there has done this to my knowledge, figured I'd get better input in the general forum.

[subxero]

The lever/master will mount, that is not a question.  Maybe the bark busters would need altered a bit to clear the master but nothing major.

The question about fitment would be about where the cable goes through the anchor and then attaches to the actuator arm.

The mechanism for it all is all the same and it would probably mount up no problem but it's whether or not the rod/travel on the slave that is for sale is the right length and will have the right travel to completely disengage the clutch.  

 

[seer]

 You can mix the stock springs with the HD springs. Try half and half.  

[The Inquisitor]

55 minutes ago, Kompact said:

Pissing rain out so I just quickly lifted the bike cover and snapped a couple. I can take better pics if needed when it isn't pouring out.

I didn't post this in the bike specific forum because no one there has done this to my knowledge, figured I'd get better input in the general forum.

Ya its pissing rain here as well but I'm having a slightly hard time figuring out whats between the grip and the lever and right away it looks like your clutch cable has a weird bend in right after the boot and might not be routed correctly cus it should come straight out IMO.

As subxero alluded to, maybe take off the bark buster and work on getting your current lever/perch/cable set-up correctly, then try and sort out how best to mount the bark buster.

I just took these pics of by bike but I don't use bark busters but they might help.

Edited May 16, 2017 by filterx

[Red NT]

When I was an apprentice buying tools one of the tradesmen told me that "long after I had forgotten the price I would still be enjoying the quality ". Still using those tools 30 years later.
Buy the Clake. It is top quality, fully adjustable, and you can swap it from bike to bike.

[Cascão]

There are Braktec too

http://braktec.com/

[Kompact]

4 hours ago, Red NT said:

... tradesmen told me that "long after I had forgotten the price I would still be enjoying the quality ".

Agreed! In general I follow that rule. "Buy quality and you cry once, buy crap and you cry a thousand times." 

I have to get full suspension as well so was hoping to save a couple bucks on the clutch and still get quality without having to spend 5 bills plus.

-

Thanks for the Braktec link.