soupdragon
Registered user
Can anyone tell me if the centrifugal Rekluse clutch provides any engine braking when the throttle is shut off?
Rekluse clutch question
- Thread starter soupdragon
- Start date
The clutch will provide engine braking AS LONG AS IT IS STILL CONNECTED.
the minute the engine speed drops below that required to keep the wedges out the engine braking will cease.
You can influence the point that the wedges disengage by changing the springs.
You can influence the 'slip' by changing the weight of the wedges.
The Rekluse clutch can be good but it can also be dangerous.
I had one together with the LH Rear Brake on a KTM 350 EXC-F
Now removed it and sold it on.
the minute the engine speed drops below that required to keep the wedges out the engine braking will cease.
You can influence the point that the wedges disengage by changing the springs.
You can influence the 'slip' by changing the weight of the wedges.
The Rekluse clutch can be good but it can also be dangerous.
I had one together with the LH Rear Brake on a KTM 350 EXC-F
Now removed it and sold it on.
soupdragon
Registered user
Thank you karlp. Could you please tell me about the dangerous aspect of these clutches? Throttle blipping by accident, perhaps or a slight delay in dis-engagement due to high engine rpm?
If you get in a difficult single track situation and you need to open the throttle sharply to get through a section I found the delay in the initial bite of the clutch problematic. (in one case I was trying to go uphill and the rear wheel spun, lost grip and put me on a tree stump. The projecting bit of the tree went up inside the helmet (I still have the mark).
Despite never having done even any semi-serious off road riding I am going to disagree with Karlp. The scenario he gives (above) has got nothing to do with the clutch, but with the rear wheel spinning and loosing grip. I have yet to hear of any rider in any race type (off road, track, or road race) saying that the clutch was to blame when the wheel lost grip. If it was the clutch then the rear wheel would not spin. Either the clutch would slip, reducing drive to the wheel and thereby improving grip, or the bike would stall. If the clutch was binding closing the throttle would sort it out.
Plus, of course, that the Rekluse system leaves the original clutch lever and mechanism in situ to be used if you wish to. So why didn't you just use the clutch lever Karlp?
Because that is where you are incorrect.
You CAN leave the original lever inplace but also you CAN remove it and replace the clutch lever with a LHRB.
soupdragon
Registered user
What would the gear-changing be like with a Rekluse clutch on an F700GS? I do find the clutch lever quite hard to pull, especially when travelling on small country roads which require a lot of rear changes, so the possibility of clutchless gear shifting appeals. Is the gear change as smooth as with a normal clutch? How do you match the engine revs when changing down ( surely you can't blip the throttle like you do with a normal clutch) - do you therefore get a lot of crunching noises from the gearbox?
I Stand Corrected...
But I still don't blame the clutch.
Well, Karlp, I am assuming that your KTM has a hydraulic clutch and that is why you can discard the original clutch lever.
However, all the videos I have seen on YouTube and the Rekluse website state that you get the correct adjustment for the auto clutch on the 650/700/800GS by the amount of movement (not a lot) at the lever when blipping the throttle in neutral.
Soupdragon, when I first looked at these it took me a while to get my head round how it worked in use, and then I realized what it reminded me of - a Honda C90!
First bike I ever had (back in the dim and distance of 1974) was a C90 with a three speed box and a centrifugal clutch. So this would be the same but with 6 gears rather than 3. It was never crashy going up or down. Try a couple of up changes with out the clutch as-is and that should give you an idea as to what the Rekluse would be like going up or down the box. If you have never tried a clutchless change: foot under gear lever, apply some upward pressure; it doesn't need to be a lot; twitch throttle as usual. If you get it right it should change up seamlessly with out a crunch.
As for the dangerous question: this is an American device. Given how litigious American society is no American company would put out a product that could even remotely be considered dangerous for fear of a law suite running into the millions.
But I still don't blame the clutch.
Well, Karlp, I am assuming that your KTM has a hydraulic clutch and that is why you can discard the original clutch lever.
However, all the videos I have seen on YouTube and the Rekluse website state that you get the correct adjustment for the auto clutch on the 650/700/800GS by the amount of movement (not a lot) at the lever when blipping the throttle in neutral.
Soupdragon, when I first looked at these it took me a while to get my head round how it worked in use, and then I realized what it reminded me of - a Honda C90!
First bike I ever had (back in the dim and distance of 1974) was a C90 with a three speed box and a centrifugal clutch. So this would be the same but with 6 gears rather than 3. It was never crashy going up or down. Try a couple of up changes with out the clutch as-is and that should give you an idea as to what the Rekluse would be like going up or down the box. If you have never tried a clutchless change: foot under gear lever, apply some upward pressure; it doesn't need to be a lot; twitch throttle as usual. If you get it right it should change up seamlessly with out a crunch.
As for the dangerous question: this is an American device. Given how litigious American society is no American company would put out a product that could even remotely be considered dangerous for fear of a law suite running into the millions.
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