Auto clutch=laziness?

[bwh998]

you guys know you can run a lhrb without the auto clutch right? they are called thumb brakes. it would sit on your side of the bars and you hit it with your thumb.

[MrBlahh]

Dont need to OWN one , i have ridden several bikes with them , and dont like how the lever feels on ANY of them , it is NOT anything like a STOCK lever feel , and anyone that says so , must have had a crappy stock clutch if it felt like that

core exp feels close to me, insulting my bike's stock clutch wont get you far, it does not have feelings

And so i guess you have never ridden steep switchbacks where you have to idle at times , and that is when the Rekluse fails miserably , when you start coasting towards the edge of the cliff , because it freewheels , how do i know this , because it has happened several times on several different bikes with one , i dont spread rumors

I've road switchbacks many times, never had a problem with engine braking or lack thereof, my bike wont freewheel, it tugs the wheel at idle, if your moving it is engadged and will engine brake, all 3 of my autoclutch's do this

sounds like maybe you rode someone else's bike and they had it setup to be full disengaged at idle, that's a setup issue, some people may like it that way, I dont. With my setup there is no downside that I'm aware of, nothing you have said has made me question the setup, mine does not do what you describe.

not sure why your ranting about who made what first, no care

[450XJimDirt]

this doesn't make any sense to me. why do you idle in steep switchbacks instead of just riding them? I'm not a rekluse-user (and I don't idle in switchbacks), but some of my riding buddies who use A/C's are among the baddest of the badazzes on steep idaho switchbacks. Of course those guys can ride them w/o a rekluse too.

So when you are going down a steep switchback when you get to the 180 corner you never let off the gas ??..this makes no sense to me !

and it cant be done in some situations

Uphill not a issue , but downhill is what i am referring to

[450XJimDirt]

core exp feels close to me, insulting my bike's stock clutch wont get you far, it does not have feelings

I've road switchbacks many times, never had a problem with engine braking or lack thereof, my bike wont freewheel, it tugs the wheel at idle, if your moving it is engadged and will engine brake, all 3 of my autoclutch's do this

sounds like maybe you rode someone else's bike and they had it setup to be full disengaged at idle, that's a setup issue, some people may like it that way, I dont. With my setup there is no downside that I'm aware of, nothing you have said has made me question the setup, mine does not do what you describe.

not sure why your ranting about who made what first, no care

Again , its not just 1 bike , every one i have ridden did this , so only people on these forums know how to set up a Rekluse ?? i dont think so , especially since one of the bikes WAS set up by the guys at Rekluse , so that blows that theory !

And my ranting is because for some reason some people are duped into thinking its the best thing since sliced bread , and it simply not , and just because YOU like it and support it , does not mean i have to or will , its kinda how it works in this country , you have the choice to like it and praise it , and i have the choice to say what i feel about it , like a keep saying , its not everything some people claim and its not for everyone , and its definitely not the cure for improper riding techniques and that is what a lot of riders use it for

[MrBlahh]

Again , its not just 1 bike , every one i have ridden did this , so only people on these forums know how to set up a Rekluse ?? i dont think so , especially since one of the bikes WAS set up by the guys at Rekluse , so that blows that theory !

I thought I was clear, maybe I was not

it's a setup issue, they set them up to freewheel at idle

I do not set mine that way

[450XJimDirt]

Well i thought i was clear , You just again said a "setup Issue" meaning that it was improperly set up , where i stated that someone from Rekluse set one of them up , so it must be that he did not know what he was doing and only people here do !

Like i continually say , just because you like something or had a good experience with it does not by any means mean that everyone does or has , that is what is being overlooked , i dont need anyone to TRY to convince me otherwise as my several experiences on several different bikes with different model clutches all had the same results , and all had the same quirks and drawbacks , so the only thing consistent is they were ALL Rekluse Clutches , so that to me says way more than chatter in some forum

[MrBlahh]

Well i thought i was clear , You just again said a "setup Issue" meaning that it was improperly set up , where i stated that someone from Rekluse set one of them up , so it must be that he did not know what he was doing and only people here do !

I was still not clear enough for some people it seems

YOU set where you want it to engage, just like you set where you want your bars, and you set where you want your levers

I like mine to tug at idle, it will not freewheel, I dont have problems like you do with them

[450XJimDirt]

Again , none of them were MY bikes , and each was different in one way or another ,but ALL of them still had the same issue and one of them was set up by someone that is supposed to know how to PROPERLY set one up , how is THAT not clear enough , i must be the only one in the world that has tried a Rekluse and thought it felt crappy , and freewheeled and had a crappy clutch lever feel , after several rides on several different bikes with them , yet i see dozens of posts on TT that claim the same thing i am , , i guess we all should be lobotomized so we think just like everyone here that thinks its great !!

No Thanks !!

[scottiesbe]

I'll make the switch when it's fully automatic like the old huskys. I trialed demo'd them new on wet slick fall leaves mt trask when they were new, rode faster than my own bike! until the drum brakes got wet.... with disc brake I'd be willing to try it again

With the new dual clutch autos in st bikes one may not be far off.

Im having a flash back to riding my old twin shock husky with wet drum brakes:bonk:

[MrBlahh]

Again , none of them were MY bikes , and each was different in one way or another ,but ALL of them still had the same issue and one of them was set up by someone that is supposed to know how to PROPERLY set one up , how is THAT not clear enough

I was very clear, engagement rpm on an autoclutch is be set by the user, the bikes you rode were setup to freewheel at idle, obviously you found they did not engine brake

that can be adjusted, just like your levers and bars

[indy rider]

I was very clear, engagement rpm on an autoclutch is be set by the user, the bikes you rode were setup to freewheel at idle, obviously you found they did not engine brake

that can be adjusted, just like your levers and bars

I'll start by saying that I've only run a Rekluse Pro. To me, it sounds like the bikes Jim rode were either set-up with the high engagement RPM setting or a medium engagement setting and the idle set very low. I've never bothered to even try the high engagement setting but when I was running a medium engagement RPM setting my bike would sometimes freewheel if the idle was set too low. Turn the idle up and it would never freewheel. Now I run the low engagement RPM and it never freewheels.?

[MrBlahh]

all 3 of mine are at low engagement rpm, it's personal preference, just like bars or levers, you can adjust it

I've got a dynaring in the 450, pro in the 200, and core exp in the 250, all 3 bikes have hydraulic clutches, that's all I'll use anymore, I put them on bikes with cable clutch setups

the pro lever feels very soft, probably good choice for someone with bad wrists/hands, you can use the lever fine, pro has very smooth engagement, almost too smooth as the point it stops slipping is sometimes hard to detect

the dynaring feels more firm, above engagement it stays about the same unless rpm's are very high, then it gets softer, still nothing like the squishy pro, very smooth engagement

core exp feels almost stock above engagement rpm, but it is not as smooth as the other two

obviously below full lockup rpm, they all feel soft

[Watige420]

I was very clear, engagement rpm on an autoclutch is be set by the user, the bikes you rode were setup to freewheel at idle, obviously you found they did not engine brake

that can be adjusted, just like your levers and bars

Again , none of them were MY bikes , and each was different in one way or another ,but ALL of them still had the same issue and one of them was set up by someone that is supposed to know how to PROPERLY set one up , how is THAT not clear enough , i must be the only one in the world that has tried a Rekluse and thought it felt crappy , and freewheeled and had a crappy clutch lever feel , after several rides on several different bikes with them , yet i see dozens of posts on TT that claim the same thing i am , , i guess we all should be lobotomized so we think just like everyone here that thinks its great !!

No Thanks !!

I have my REVLOC set-up TO freewheel, I like it that way. Never liked the engine brake feeling. Mine was set up by REVLOC, I didn't like the feel they set it up with though so I readjusted it to my liking. Tried setting it up to engage right off idle but ended up adjusting a bit MORE freewheel into it. I think that's what Mega was trying to get across. Also I wasn't a true believer untill I had around 100 HARD miles with it, takes a bit. Not sayin' you will, would or should like it, just sayin' I think it takes living with an AC before one can pass objective judgement on the situation.??

[llamaface]

So when you are going down a steep switchback when you get to the 180 corner you never let off the gas ??..this makes no sense to me !

and it cant be done in some situations

Uphill not a issue , but downhill is what i am referring to

Oh, downhill, I get it, but I still don't get what you mean. I pull in the clutch in those situations. A/C or no A/C, I don't see how one's technique would differ much. I guess w/o the a/c you can just let the revs drop until it disengages, but I would still pull in the clutch override.

I have no use for engine braking tho, since my braking skills are better than the engine's.

[450XJimDirt]

Oh, downhill, I get it, but I still don't get what you mean. I pull in the clutch in those situations. A/C or no A/C, I don't see how one's technique would differ much. I guess w/o the a/c you can just let the revs drop until it disengages, but I would still pull in the clutch override.

I have no use for engine braking tho, since my braking skills are better than the engine's.

What i mean as you might have surmised from my posts , is i use a lot of engine braking as opposed to brakes , i use brakes but only as a last resort , i usually only tap the brakes here and there , i am not a brake abuser , a set of pads can last me the life of the bike , my pads on my 450X are 4 years old and still look almost new , i do use the brakes in some sweeping corners where i want to carry speed but drag the brakes enough to keep me planted in the corner but that is usually on the track , but for the most part , i rely on and am used to using the engine compression to keep or slow my momentum even at lower speeds (the last i owned a 2 stroke was 1979 , so i have been riding 4 strokes for a while and enjoy and utilize the compression as a means of controlling the bike), when the clutch freewheels , since at this point in the switchback you are not on the gas coming into it , is when i was wanting the compression and it just freewheels , usually sending me into a panic skid , that is what i mean , like i said , none of these were my bikes so adjusted nothing , and just rode them "as is" , as i can get on just about any bike and ride it just like it was my own , i dont have issues with that ,, but the clutch throw a big spin on that and i just dont like what they do to the feel of the bike , as well as my other gripes about them , uphill i didnt have any issues on switchbacks and rode them like i do my bike with a clutch , no problem there , but like i said , there are situations where you are not on the gas in a corner or switchback , or even on some sketchy downhills where there is a drop at the bottom so you cant power down it , the Idaho mountains were full of places like that as you well know , like i keep saying its a matter of acquired taste for a auto-clutch and its just not for me and it tastes like crap to me , and does not work with how i like to ride

Edited December 2, 2011 by 450XJimDirt

[Vegemite_luva]

I'm not a mechanic but I have always heard that engine braking is more consistent than actual brakes because those can heat up and fade. I never experienced brake fade on my motorcycle (because I engine brake) but I have definitely experienced it with my mountain bike.

But back to the original post. No, it's not an ego thing. No, using a clutch is not too much work for those of us who are physically able but an autoclutch is less work thus allowing you to redirect or conserve your energy and focus on other things. For those of us who have autoclutches I really don't see any of us twisting peoples arms to go out and get one so I don't think we think we or our bikes are better in the universal sense. But they are better for us and our personal preference. Dirt bikes are not a one size fits all. One person likes 2 strokes, others 4. One person likes 250s another 450 another 230 etc. There is no way that anyone can convince us all that there is one type of bike that is the best universally. And I know you know that. So basically this thread has devolved into a pissing match between people trying to prove each other wrong just for the sake of it. Next thing you know we are going to have legal counsel review our posts before they get posted.

Anyhow, stay safe, ride as much as you can. Enjoy life. Rock on!

[Big Ron L]

i dont like them at all, especally on small bikes. i briefly owned a wr250f with one. no engine breaking, cant bumpstart it and one more thing to break on the bike. my friends went on his ktm 300 a few months ago, it took us hours to get him out of the woods and this was in NJ! if we were out west we would have been screwed. i use the clutch alot when i ride anyway especally on smaller bikes and you dont need the clutch to shift if you do it right. i dont care if people use them or not though, everyone has their own perference.

[450XJimDirt]

Thank you mtnman0712 !!!

I was not trying to convince anyone to change their bikes to please me , but it certainly seemed like it was the other way around , as i felt like i have been talking to several vacuum cleaner salesmen this entire time , trying their best to sell me something i did not want , nor did not need , but the pitch continued even when I gave a firm NO , but it does this and that , well , it doesn't do this and that and i dont want it , that should be acceptable for most people and they are content with the fact that , because I or a select group do NOT prefer the product we should be accepted as feeling that way and move on , the question was , Laziness ?? i replied yes , and got the sales pitch of the century , and i still will not buy one , nor would i recommend one to anyone , i would rather have someone learn to ride correctly first , then make their own decision after they actually know how to ride properly , if i buy a used bike and it has one with it i will request that the stock clutch be put back in and they can keep it to sell to someone else !!

Nuff Said !!!

Carry on your discussion without me , my sinuses are stuffed up from all this pressure to buy a Rekluse !!

[bushman45]

vodka anybody?

[MrBlahh]

I have my REVLOC set-up TO freewheel, I like it that way. Never liked the engine brake feeling. Mine was set up by REVLOC, I didn't like the feel they set it up with though so I readjusted it to my liking. Tried setting it up to engage right off idle but ended up adjusting a bit MORE freewheel into it. I think that's what Mega was trying to get across. Also I wasn't a true believer untill I had around 100 HARD miles with it, takes a bit. Not sayin' you will, would or should like it, just sayin' I think it takes living with an AC before one can pass objective judgement on the situation.??

He does not understand