Best clutch practices for commuting

[jdmccright]

I live in an area where lane splitting and filtering are illegal. And I don't feel comfortable doing it anyways on my ST. And I don't ride down the shoulder bc of fear of getting a flat, nm every other m/c does it. So, I slug along with everyone else in a cage.

My main worry is the clutch. I don't rev high to get going, but I also don't do clutchless shifts. I'll pull it in a little to ease the up- and downshifts bc the ST1100 is clunky otherwise. I am asking what are some good practices to maximize clutch health/life? TIA!

 

[Weaselinsuit]

I'll shamefacedly admit that I do ride down the side. Even got a flat as a result once and still didn't penetrate my thick noggin. If I manage to restrain my inner immaturity then on declines etc. I will leave the bike in neutral and coast. If in gear/no decline, I'll still try to coast if I can by giving the throttle a bit of a blip, pull in the clutch and coast as well. But it's a workout for the wrist.

 

[SMSW]

Pay attention to maintenance issues. I'd grease that brass bushing (the one in the clutch handle that wears out) at least quarterly, make sure the shifting linkage is clean and greased, and bleed the cluch every year. And of course, use only clutch friendly motor oil.

It is my understanding that a clutchless shift is hard on the gearbox unless you match rpms perfectly, and few of us do that consistently.

 

[St-Gerard]

After 40 years as a Transmission Rebuilder, you would think I would have good advice on how to get the most out of a clutch, which I seldom follow, first Stop and go traffic is the hardest thing for a Clutch, stay out of the friction Zone as much as possible, I know that goes against all your riding classes for slow maneuvers, but it's hard for the clutch. What is good for a Clutch is the Shortest time between disengaged and engaged but as smooth as possible, matching Rpm when shifting and throttle load timing as well, or in my words once the clutch is engaged then you can go full throttle. I'm probably preaching to the Choir but you did ask. Awhile back I changed out my Clutch Master Cylinder with a smaller diameter one 1/2 in bore , made City traffic a lot better to deal with, came off a 800 Vfr , hopefully I have the part number written down some where. Hopefully this helps JD , personally I just stop for a coffee and wait for traffic to clear, one benefit of being old and retired.

 

[TerryS]

After 40 years as a Transmission Rebuilder, you would think I would have good advice on how to get the most out of a clutch, which I seldom follow, first Stop and go traffic is the hardest thing for a Clutch, stay out of the friction Zone as much as possible, I know that goes against all your riding classes for slow maneuvers, but it's hard for the clutch. What is good for a Clutch is the Shortest time between disengaged and engaged but as smooth as possible, matching Rpm when shifting and throttle load timing as well, or in my words once the clutch is engaged then you can go full throttle. I'm probably preaching to the Choir but you did ask. Awhile back I changed out my Clutch Master Cylinder with a smaller diameter one 1/2 in bore , made City traffic a lot better to deal with, came off a 800 Vfr , hopefully I have the part number written down some where. Hopefully this helps JD , personally I just stop for a coffee and wait for traffic to clear, one benefit of being old and retired.

The VFR800 VTEC 2002-2012 has the 1/2" master. The 98-00 VFR has a larger bore than that.

 

[Ron]

Evidently we lost the thread on replacing the clutch master cylinder with the VFR one. The VFR is 1/2" dia. (1/2 cast into bottom of the MC) by the lever pivot bolt hole) vs. the 14 mm ST MC. I also bought an Oberon slave cylinder which is a larger bore than stock. The 2 together make a lighter pull. If you look enough on ebay you may find a 1/2" MC with an adjustable handle. The correct master cylinder came with black or silver handles according to year or model.

1/2" casting about 10th picture turned side ways

https://www.ebay.com/itm/406627801412?

There also was a thread about swapping the rear brake master with a 1/2" bore from the same VFR (I think) to get better feeling brakes.

 

[W0QNX]

My main worry is the clutch. I don't rev high to get going, but I also don't do clutchless shifts. I'll pull it in a little to ease the up- and downshifts bc the ST1100 is clunky otherwise. I am asking what are some good practices to maximize clutch health/life? TIA!

It sounds to me like you are doing the right things. Don't mess around letting the clutch out and don't rev super high doing that.

My 1300 has given me a super long life and still seems fine. I haven't asked it to do lots of drag style drops but I havem't baby'd it either. One big difference is I only use the clutch in 3 4 and 5 gears about a third of the time. I have no problems doing clutch-less shifts in the upper gears.