Dear Adventure Rider Community, I need your help. Currently Im working on my final thesis in Germany at the university Ravensburg. Im particularly interested in your opinion about slipper clutches or 'back torque-limiting' clutches to form an opinion for this motorcycles-accessory. I place this survey in several forums and hope you bikers can support me. I thank all those who take 5 minutes time to answer my 5-7 Questions. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dG44YjYzd08zb2NQOXdhX0t1Z1UzNVE6MA In addition, I would like to discuss your views and opinions in this topic. Thanks for the support, would be great if I get a lot of opinions for my final thesis. With best regards Florian
They are very popular on Supermoto bikes especially for competition/racing. I'm sure there's some racers who don't use them but there are more or less universally fitted on Supermoto bikes used in competition.
I had never ridden a bike with a slipper clutch until I got my Caponord. Wow, what a difference, so much smoother going into a corner, sometimes I go down two or three gears on entry. Now I'm spoiled and want one on all my street bikes.
The only thing I don't like about the back-torque limiter on the Connie is that it limits engine braking a bit too much for my liking...
A slipper's not necessary for a streetbike as long as the rider knows how to downshift properly using rev-matching.
Kind of my thoughts as well. IMHO, at best they spoil riders; and at worst teach bad habits that could be potentially life threatening. What happens when somebody spoiled by a slipper clutch hops on a bike without one, enters a turn "with gusto" while banging down two gears and then locks up the rear wheel? Hopefully they squeeze the clutch and save their ass -- at worst they highside. I think it's cool tech, but it annoys me to see them being put on a stock Ninja 300.
Slipper clutches are great and all bikes should have them. I've had several bikes with them and they rock. However, I think their usefulness is limited on the street - track use is where they really shine - one less thing to think about on corner entry.
You see them on some beginner bikes (Ninja 300, some Ducati 6-series Monsters, etc.) because they reduce rear wheel chatter in the event of ill-timed/mismatched (beginner) or emergency downshifts. This in turn reduces the chances for the rear tire to break traction and potentially cause a loss of control and an accident in said circumstances. Of course those with slipper clutches can enjoy these benefits to the n'th degree while on the track. I've read some saying it can allow some more lee-way in the gears than normal clutch modulation alone which can allow one to stay in the faster gear when they couldn't before. I wouldn't mind seeming them in any factory bike I may purchase in the future or having one in either of my current bikes if money wasn't an issue. I have yet to hear about any real disadvantages. If I hopped on a bike without a slipper clutch, I would ride it like a bike without a slipper clutch...Just like I did when I got on my buddy's SV650 with a reverse gearbox. It's not like I had any practice at that, but I was fine. Did I want to ride in traffic? No, but it wasn't that hard to immediately adapt to and that was a much bigger difference than having a slipper clutch or not.
Putting one on a small entry-level bike doesn't make sense, because there are no consequences for making an improper gear change. It hinders learning proper riding technique. After years of riding, shifting becomes instinctive, and one no longer consciously thinks about it, so a slipper isn't necessary. Another downside is that a slipper doesn't allow bump or roller starting. It just disengages if you try to.
I'm not sure about this statement, can you clarify? My SV1000 bump starts all the time with a bad battery.
You misunderstand ttpete. He is advocating consequences for a botched downshift -- how else will the rider learn to never do that again?
If the downshift is that bad, they'll still have issues. I just don't see the need to punish beginners for bad downshifts with a potential crash. I think there's enough input that you did something wrong even with a bad downshift with a slipper clutch that beginner's will understand to not do that again.
Considering that it's only 300 ccs, I don't think the consequences would be too bad because most beginners aren't getting into a shift caused high side situation for awhile. If they do, it'll likely be from snapping the throttle shut in a turn when the back end gets loose.
I've owned and ridden both, but I never wanted to 'get used to a bad habit' so I treat each bike like there's no slipper. To be honest I've never felt one slip, but maybe that's just because it's so seamless it's not noticeable. For me if I am bike shopping it's a non-issue.
