Wet Clutch, Dry Clutch?

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Lion_Lady · #1 Unread post by **Lion_Lady** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 3:36 am

Okay, as far as I know, my bike has a wet clutch. Someone responded in another thread that a dry clutch is a "handicap."

Does it matter regarding weight of the bike? What kind of riding one does?

Admitting here that I'm no techincal expert. I'm looking for the real deal and some explanations, not flaming opinions.

P

Sev · #2 Unread post by **Sev** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 4:08 am

For what it's worth a wet clutch should last longer then a dry clutch if you spend a lot of time slipping it. Simply because the clutch plates are set in an engine oil bath. They're lubed.

However because a clutch is a place that you want to have friction you are prevented from using certain oils with, "lubrication additives". Well... you're advised not to because they're similar to teflon it's like shining up your clutch plates WHHZZZZZZZZZ.

So then you can bounce around to the other side and say, "because you aren't using these additives your engine won't last as long." Though I'm not totally sure I believe that.

All in all a dry clutch will be a bit noisier, and you need to be more careful about not slipping it. What does this mean in the big scheme of things? Don't pick your bike based on what kind of clutch it has, just like you shouldn't pick your bike based on its final drive. If you truely love the bike it won't matter if you have to lube the chain, or if you have to make sure you don't slip the clutch.

PostHuman · Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:28 am

It was I who called dry clutches a handicap.

The only advantage of a dry clutch of which I'm aware is the weight savings. Other than that it doesn't slip as smoothly, wears out faster, and makes a horrible sound.

Right there are enough reasons for me to accept the extra few pounds a wet, multiplate clutch confers. And by the way, that's the other disadvantage of the Big Bimmer... it's single plate, not multi.

And as for final drive, don't be goofy. Final drive is another important consideration in a bike because driveshafts, while low maintenance, sap torque. "Truly loving the bike" is probably much determined by how much maintenance it requires, or even moreso, how easy the clutch is to operate. (try living with a Ducati)

Sev · #4 Unread post by **Sev** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:50 pm

PostHuman wrote:It was I who called dry clutches a handicap.

The only advantage of a dry clutch of which I'm aware is the weight savings. Other than that it doesn't slip as smoothly, wears out faster, and makes a horrible sound.

Right there are enough reasons for me to accept the extra few pounds a wet, multiplate clutch confers. And by the way, that's the other disadvantage of the Big Bimmer... it's single plate, not multi.

And as for final drive, don't be goofy. Final drive is another important consideration in a bike because driveshafts, while low maintenance, sap torque. "Truly loving the bike" is probably much determined by how much maintenance it requires, or even moreso, how easy the clutch is to operate. (try living with a Ducati)

I wasn't aware that you were qualified to tell me how I feel about the maintenance involved with the upkeep of my final drive. I very much appreciate that you are so kind as to inform me of why I like my bike.

If I fit comfortably on a duc I would not care if it was a wet or dry clutch, just as I do not care that my bike is a chain drive (high maintenance) because I enjoy riding it.

Everything with bikes is a trade off. Cornering clearance for comfort, hp for torque, length vs turning, low maintenance ineffecient power transfer vs high maintenance efficient power transfer.

Like I said, if you like the bike* it will not matter what kind of clutch it has. You will SIMPLY adapt. You are capable of adapting are you not?

*I sat on the Honda 599 and knew almost instantly that I would own one. It did not matter what kind of clutch it had, what kind of final drive it had, what sort of engine, or what kind of hp it put out. It was, and is the right bike for me. Everything else just came down to the work I need to do to keep it running.

qwerty · #5 Unread post by **qwerty** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 3:52 pm

Wet clutch vs. dry clutch is nothing to argue about. I've had single and multi plate examples of each. All worked. What bikes have a dry clutch these days, anyway? I haven't even seen a dry clutch on a bike in years.

Sev · #6 Unread post by **Sev** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 3:54 pm

The aforementioned Ducati's have dry clutches.

PostHuman · #7 Unread post by **PostHuman** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 5:01 pm

I wasn't talking about *your* preference. You were speaking dogmatically (referring to your assumption that if we love a bike we'll overlook those little flaws).

I saw some clown in another thread trying to dismiss a BMW bike's annoying flaws as "quirks you get used to" as though getting used to is some sort of goal to which to aspire when you drop in excess of 15 grand on said motorcycle. While I'm on that tangent, it's astonishingly dumb that they would make the different turn signals on separate handlebars but make the signal cancel on the right only, and hard to reach at that. (how is it the crafty Germans can't think of clicking twice to cancel??)

As I said, the low maintenance of a shaft drive is not the thing most would take issue with, but rather the torque loss from the shaft. Similarly, it's not the higher maintenance of a dry clutch that damns it, but rather its less-smooth action and that god-awful racket it makes. Anything that affects the everyday ride-ability of the bike is going to affect whether we "love" it.

PS: I had the priviledge of riding a Ducati 999S once, and while it was as fun as sex with a moderately attractive woman, that stiff clutch would be positively insufferable in daily riding.

High_Side · #8 Unread post by **High_Side** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 5:12 pm

PostHuman wrote:It was I who called dry clutches a handicap.
(try living with a Ducati)

I have, and it's friggin awesome....wet clutch and all. Stating the Duck dry clutch is the same as the Beemer dry clutch is like comparing apples to oranges. Have you actually ridden either one of them?

PostHuman · #9 Unread post by **PostHuman** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 5:21 pm

High_Side wrote:
PostHuman wrote:It was I who called dry clutches a handicap.
(try living with a Ducati)
I have, and it's friggin awesome....wet clutch and all. Stating the Duck dry clutch is the same as the Beemer dry clutch is like comparing apples to oranges. Have you actually ridden either one of them?

Read above... I've ridden a 999S and had fun but the clutch, though this is less an issue of wet/dry was stiff as a cadaver.

Sev · #10 Unread post by **Sev** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 5:25 pm

PostHuman wrote:I wasn't talking about *your* preference. You were speaking dogmatically (referring to your assumption that if we love a bike we'll overlook those little flaws).

LMAO, you say that like you have ground to stand on. You who step up onto your soap box and condemn shaft drive for a loss in power from crank to wheel saying they are irrevocably worse (an opinion). You who claim that a dry clutch is a burden to put up with (again an opinion). And then insult those who say different.

Personally I think the fact that I need to sit down and adjust my chain every 500km is vaguely annoying. But I don't mind doing it because I like the bike. I wouldn't mind losing HP, not torque to a shaft drive... except for the fact that I now know exactly how annoying they can be to actually work on. Have you ever had to adjust driveline lash?

And no offense, but you're an idiot if you think that liking your bike means you wouldn't be willing to overlook a flaw in it. Why? Because if you like the bike it isn't a flaw in your own eyes. Like said above, I don't like adjusting my chain, but I don't mind doing it. Actually... I intended to be offensive there.

Oh, and a stiff clutch is a good thing to me. Separates the weak from the strong.