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Magura Clutch Review

By TheWeez,
in CRF250R & RX

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Grand Master

TheWeez

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Yeah, yeah, I know a lot of you guys have been swearing by these things for years. I recently purchased a new Magura clutch and installed it. My first impression was how simple the install was. It really was as simple as taking the old clutch off and putting the new one in it's place, nothing more.

I've heard people say the clutch pull is about half of what the stock clutch pull is. That's what got me interested in the hydro. After installing it and riding the bike with it, a couple of things became apparent.

1) While clutch pull is MUCH lighter than the stocker, I wouldn't say it's half. I have heavy duty clutch springs and even with the heavier springs, clutch pull is still MUCH lighter than stock.

2) It felt "mushy" for lack of a better description. After about three laps at my local test track (it's really a big field behind a Pepsi factory), the mushy feeling became more of a precise, lightning quick feel.

So far, my only complaint is that my hot start lever no longer springs back?? I'm a little stumped by this but I'm going to initially blame it on the fact that I've never used the hot start lever, ever, so it's probably in dire need of some lubrication. I will attempt to lube and adjust the cable today in the hopes that it functions properly.

Now everytime I walk through my garage, I have to pull the clutch lever in. Everytime I do, I smile. It's that cool.

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Grand Master

Throttlejockey

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Told ya so. ??

I agree, it's more the smoothness of the way it operates than how much easier the pull is. Plus you'll never have to lube or adjust anything. Be sure you have the proper amount of free-play at the slave cylinder though.

I was using the DR.D but recently switched to the hs lever on the Magura setup and also had a problem with the lever not snapping back. I ended up using a flat point drill and counterbored the top of the lever so the head of the bolt wasn't pushing so hard on it. It still bound up slightly if you cranked down on the bolt so I Loc-Tited it and snugged it up and it works fine.

BTW- where have you been?

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Grand Master

TheWeez

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Told ya so. ??

I agree, it's more the smoothness of the way it operates than how much easier the pull is. Plus you'll never have to lube or adjust anything. Be sure you have the proper amount of free-play at the slave cylinder though.

I was using the DR.D but recently switched to the hs lever on the Magura setup and also had a problem with the lever not snapping back. I ended up using a flat point drill and counterbored the top of the lever so the head of the bolt wasn't pushing so hard on it. It still bound up slightly if you cranked down on the bolt so I Loc-Tited it and snugged it up and it works fine.

BTW- where have you been?

Hey Fred; I landed a new job last June and it's been really busy there. I really can't "surf" the Internet at the new job so I've had much less time to get on TT.

I recently had some Ferea SS valves installed, a Wiseco high compression piston, and the Magura. The bike's running better than ever and I'm looking very forward to some serious seat time this season.

I'll be checking in much more often now, as I'm sure I'll have some good ride reports to post.

Thanks for the valve advice a few months back; not sure I ever thanked you. How's the snow in CT? I assume you still get out and ride in the snow right?

Anyway, take it easy and thanks for the good advice.

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Veteran

Bodyman

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Never noticed any Hot start issues.. I will check the operation later.

Our set up was on an X and one of the first prototypes. I have an R set up also for spare parts. The onlt issue we had was the line melting againgst the header on the X only because the Tyrap moved.

We are running killer 450 Hd springs in ours and the clutch pull is sweet. In comparing a Stock set of springs to the Juice clutch it is not drastic.

An enduro Engineering lever from a KTM is a great add on as the needle bearings at the pivot point make a huge difference to the smoothness zone.

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Grand Master

Throttlejockey

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Thanks for the valve advice a few months back; not sure I ever thanked you. How's the snow in CT? I assume you still get out and ride in the snow right?

Anyway, take it easy and thanks for the good advice.

No problem, glad I could help.

No snow up here at all. Been a very mild winter with little snow. It's almost 55 degrees today! ?

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Proficient

mxneagle

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It takes a bit to get used to the differnent feel. A cable clutch almost has a break over feeling as you take the slack out of the cable. The hydraulic clutch feels very linear. The best part of the whole deal is the clutch never changes ever. I put the hot start on the brake perch with an addon kit.

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jasonblades

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i don't know how the set uup of the hotstart is with the hydraulic clutch, but some people have problems with the release of the hotstart on the oem perch, if its the same setup

take off the nut, loosen the bolt a little it so that it pulls freely, then put some locktite on the nut and put it back on, making sure not to put the top bolt too tight or else it will hamper the effect of the hotstart

or, maybe you should check your hotstart freeplay as if the setup is different, it will need to be adjusted.

How much was the hydraulic clutch??

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Grand Master

TheWeez

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i don't know how the set uup of the hotstart is with the hydraulic clutch, but some people have problems with the release of the hotstart on the oem perch, if its the same setup

take off the nut, loosen the bolt a little it so that it pulls freely, then put some locktite on the nut and put it back on, making sure not to put the top bolt too tight or else it will hamper the effect of the hotstart

or, maybe you should check your hotstart freeplay as if the setup is different, it will need to be adjusted.

How much was the hydraulic clutch??

Guess what? The problem was that the nut on top of the hot start lever was too tight. Yeah, I know, I should have checked it first. Once I figured that out, I did the adjustment as per the manual. Everything is great once again.

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Grand Master

TheWeez

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Alright boys, you talked me into getting one from this thread. I`ve been thinking about it for a long time and just ordered it up. Hope its as nice as you guys say it is.

I had the same doubts as you but they will all be wiped away the first time you ride the bike with the new clutch. Trust me.

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Grand Master

honda88

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Ok I have been holding off on getting a hydro clutch because I had a bad experence in 2000 on a kx 250.I will order one this week.I am trusting you guys on how good it is.Oh what did you pay and can you get one without the hot start lever.

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Grand Master

Throttlejockey

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I got mine before the price jump, which was $165 then from Kingair2000 on e-bay. Now they're around $200, but you have to make sure you're buying the latest model. I would suggest you find the best price on the web and let the TT store price match+10%

This is what the latest one looks like with the kevlar line.

CRFpartsforsale132.jpg

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Proficient

mxneagle

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The only thing that concerns me is the way it sticks out. I think I'm going to work on making a replacement for the holder bracket that has some sort of guard built into it. If you want to put the hot start on the brake perch you'll need to order a plain cover also. They are about $20 if I recall. The other option is to cut the hot start bracket off of the cover that comes with it. I figured I'd just get the other cover in case I want to go back. Once you get used to the change in feel you'll never want another cable clutch. It's the first thing I bought for my '06 even though the cable clutch was pretty good on it. BTW, the brass cap doesn't keep the plunger in, it keeps the dirt out and is used for bleeding the system.

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