clutch options?

[DCar]

i have an 02 busa. its gonna be a street bike this year and over this coming winter will be striped down to be a grudge bike for the 2011 race year. im not new to the drag bike world but im not sure what clutch to run. what are my options for a drag clutch for this level of racing?

 

[Mr Brown]

Depends on how much power you have while it's a street bike, and what class you will run. Stock clutch will do fine with a slave support and heavy springs up to around 250 hp, more than that you will need a lockup. When you grudge it out a convertible clutch (also known as a hand slider) is the ticket.

 

[DCar]

it will be a trailer queen next year. not sure if im going nitrous or turbo at this point but it will be well over 250hp.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

Well, you have a lot of options. From stock, to modified stock, single stage lock up, multi stage lock up, to a hand slider.

Of course the hand slider is the most extreme, and basically does away with the clutch completely. It is not streetable at all, and you have to have a pit bike to push you back from the ticket booth in most cases. A multi is nearly as good as the slider, and you could still street ride it if need be, and no push vehicle needed.

 

[Mr Brown]

Well, you have a lot of options. From stock, to modified stock, single stage lock up, multi stage lock up, to a hand slider.

Of course the hand slider is the most extreme, and basically does away with the clutch completely. It is not streetable at all, and you have to have a pit bike to push you back from the ticket booth in most cases. A multi is nearly as good as the slider, and you could still street ride it if need be, and no push vehicle needed.

Hand slider or convertible type clutch(Hays, Gann) is completely streetable. Old style slider is what you are thinking. Hand slider is based on wheel speed not rpm, and is totally operable as a hand clutch if you want.....

 

[Mr Brown]

I WILL have one of these eventually, they are just out of my reach right now......

 

[DCar]

so i can still street the multi stage? i dont know much about clutches, so i know im gonna have a few dumb questions. is the multi stage one of the clutches where you are off the clutch and all on the gas off the line?

 

[Mr Brown]

A lock up allows you to manually release the clutch, but adds centrifugal force to clamp when you get going. You can use anything except an old school slider on the street.

 

[03busaman]

A lock up allows you to manually release the clutch, but adds centrifugal force to clamp when you get going. You can use anything except an old school slider on the street.

These guys know their clutches if you need the answers they got em

 

[DCar]

will i have to specify to hays if i want the old skool clutch or the streetable?

 

[Nicholas]

edit***

if ur as good as this rider u dont need a clutch

 

[Wild07]

Depending on how wild you really want to get, a hand clutch will hold up to well over 250hp. We've got a RealStreet bike, that last summer made 302 on a weldup hub with HD springs on an otherwise stock clutch. It does have a stock sprocket cover too iirc, though i could be wrong about that. The same bike went 8.51 at the finals last fall at 176mph, and should go WELL WELL beyond that this year, with the same stock clutch and HD springs. If you're really dead set on a grudge bike, good luck getting that kind of info out of fellow racers. the guys heavy in the grudge scene wont put their clutch setups out there typically. If you want to be slick, a Hays is going to be the least noticable, still rideable(somewhat) on the street, and can still hand clutch it at high rpm, where a multistage will make high RPM hand clutch shifts, like on the street, will be difficult with a well setup multistage lockup.

 

[Mr Brown]

will i have to specify to hays if i want the old skool clutch or the streetable?

They make both, specify you want the convertible.
Ludicrous Speed knows his clutches also, I wasn't trying to sound like a know it all by any means.
I broke my cover with Schnitz heavy springs on a stock motor, so my advice would be definitely invest in a slave support.

 

[Wild07]

I'm certainly not ADVISING not getting a slave support, or a billet sprocket cover. Hell, I picked one up just in planning on having a heavy clutch at some point. At a minimum I'd get a slave support, even if you're only using shims to bump pressure up.

 

[Mr Brown]

I'm certainly not ADVISING not getting a slave support, or a billet sprocket cover. Hell, I picked one up just in planning on having a heavy clutch at some point. At a minimum I'd get a slave support, even if you're only using shims to bump pressure up.

I wasn't meaning you were advising against that at all bro.

 

[DCar]

Depending on how wild you really want to get, a hand clutch will hold up to well over 250hp. We've got a RealStreet bike, that last summer made 302 on a weldup hub with HD springs on an otherwise stock clutch. It does have a stock sprocket cover too iirc, though i could be wrong about that. The same bike went 8.51 at the finals last fall at 176mph, and should go WELL WELL beyond that this year, with the same stock clutch and HD springs. If you're really dead set on a grudge bike, good luck getting that kind of info out of fellow racers. the guys heavy in the grudge scene wont put their clutch setups out there typically. If you want to be slick, a Hays is going to be the least noticable, still rideable(somewhat) on the street, and can still hand clutch it at high rpm, where a multistage will make high RPM hand clutch shifts, like on the street, will be difficult with a well setup multistage lockup.

well if i do take the bike on the street i wont be raced. just a cruz to the beach at most.

 

[Wild07]

If you're looking for consistency, then a lockup of some sort is probably going to be best, unless you're already very good with a hand clutch. Brown, you and Ludicrous still lookin at the weekend of the 24th to meet up somewhere?
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

I had heard that the "hand sliders" were not streetable due to the fact that they do not engage until a certain RPM, and not just wheel speed. I will find out for sure from someone who knows....

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

Talked to a friend who has a Gann, said they are "fairly streetable" , so Brown was right on that one....

 

[Commuta_Busa]

You'll end up spending a ton of money to convert over to a grudge bike so you might as well leave everything alone until then. You have to really think about how you want to compete. It’s tougher to get races with a turbo. Also consider your wheelbase length and tire. The clutch is another area where it depends on the type of race you want to get. If you’ve got a slider then you’re not going to find to many races from people without one. Big motor with the option to spray will get you more races. Concentrate on weight reduction and CG. Gixxer front end to get things lighter, BST’s, cut frame, subframe, tank, etc. Grudge bikes make a lot of power and they spend a ton getting the bike to such a high level. This isn’t for someone with limited funds. Grudge racing is at an extreme level. If you can lock in a race and win then you can win more money in a single race than some people win all year. If you’re number 1 others will out spend you to get the title and will be gunning for you. If you’re not at the top then you’re loosing money.


Gann makes a nice clutch!