Rekluse or not?

[Waxy]

The really really nice thing, about the way our bikes come out of the box, is that it takes a brain and fingers to operate. For most of us that means the way the cluch can be engaged and disengaged is virtually limitless, STOCK! It makes no sense to me to pay $$$ for something that may help temporarily in a very narrow band of operations when your fingers can do it better under a far wider range of situations.

Most of the "stall" situations are not clutch usage issues at all, the clutch just happens to be the last thing that wasn't done right before the bike comes to a dead stop. Ie you stalled on the hill cause you rode like a dork not because you don't use the clutch right, and with an autoclutch your still going to ride like a dork. When this dork stalls right beside you my bike will wait patiently while I figure out how to progress, who knows where your bike will wind up.

In short autoclutch = an extra layer of complexity and cost with little or no payoff in your progression, you own a far better clutch setup already, your brain and the fingers of your left hand. If you are missing either of these by all means get a rekluse!

LOL, tell us how you really feel.

Look down your nose and make fun if you like, but no amount of sneering will wipe the grin off my face that the Rekluse Pro gives me, and after all is said and done, isn't that why we ride in the first place?

Waxy

[bikingagain]

I'll support ya buddy as long as a Rekluse can still pull a Broken Honda.

[Dobi]

I think the new rekluse that is essentially a hidden cluch that still provides the use and feel of the real clutch at the handlebars would be a good investment. It will save you in the absolute worst times and keep you alive in others.

FWIW Bobby Prochanu runs a rekluse in his 450 and the only times he does not win a race is when he has a DNF as a result of the rekluse....

We all need to get over the fear of not having a kickstart on your bike.... The odds of having your bike not start as a result of a starter or battery failure are less than the odds of tearing a hole in a rad, punching a hole in your case of frying your fancy EFI computer......

How many years have snowmobiles had electric start, efi, with no back-up? Those guys go way further into the bush in much colder weather than I ever will....

[thirtyseven]

Perhaps I am missing something, as 250scott points out any one buying a rekluse to stop stalling in the bush is missing the point of it, what then is the point? The complexity of the throttle-traction-clutch he mentions I don't buy. My understanding is an autoclutch engages at a specific rpm(which can be adjusted). With the fingers on your left hand you can engage at an infinite variety of rpms, on the fly, which again you can do with the new rekluse but it still leaves the q. What advantage does it have?

In my not so humble opinion, the use of traction has very little to do with clutch use, but is dependant on the dork on the bike. I am constantly amazed at how the good riders can "read" the terrain and use the traction available to the max.

So were back where we started, the only advantage I can see is a protection against stalling, which has been naysayed, and I don't buy the traction argument, sombody help me out here cause I'm getting really grouchy because twotired is going to make me do a redeye tommorrow with no autopilot.

waxy as you probably know I would never sneer down my nose at a fellow rider! Love you all.... Just a little grouchy!

[stubble_jumper16]

I just sold a Fe550, that had so much torque, a rekluse was the last thing I needed on the bike. The bike was very hard to stall, as I would imagine your 570 is.I hardly used my clutch at all. It well not make you a better rider. I have had 3 bikes with the auto clutch in it. With the Honda CRF450 I thought I could tame it for the trails by putting one on. Spent more time making adjustments on it, than I did riding. Bought a used 400EXC that already had the clutch in it. The clutch actually worked pretty good on this bike. But still had to make a ton of adjustments on it, to keep it running properly. When the Rekluse Pro came out, I thought I'd try one more time,and installed it on my '07 300XC, hoping that all the hype was true. I found I was way faster with the clutch off. Save your money.
On a side note, is it not true, that if you battery goes dead on the Husaberg, you are unable to bump start it? I was told that the FI on the Berg requires power at all times to operate.

[cedric]

On a side note, is it not true, that if you battery goes dead on the Husaberg, you are unable to bump start it? I was told that the FI on the Berg requires power at all times to operate.

I would imagine the EFI system would require a lot less juice than a starter motor. If the battery was absolutely dead, then maybe you'd be screwed. But if your battery had a bit of life, but not enough to turn the starter, you could probably bump start it.

Of course I just got my first e-start bike last year, and it will probably be 10 years before I buy an EFI bike, so what do I know?

[crazy2wheeler]

Just so you all know, I won't be defending any rebuttals or 'negative' responses to the below, but...

I've been using a rekluse almost since they were available - I started in '95, and have run it in several 300's. There are various brands/types of 'auto' clutches, but the only one I have used (for many reasons) is the rekluse.

My opinion - I love the rekluse.

My experience:
- Install and set-up takes only a couple hours. The reading/research before hand, to find out how you want to set it up takes a few hours as well.
- I have not ever done - nor had to do - any adjusting or screwing around after the initial install.
- I think the rekluse creates less heat than a regular clutch, assuming all other variables are equal - the rekluse is just that efficient.
- The rekluse does make it easy to run a gear tall which is a benefit in muddy or slick conditions - If ANYONE is ALWAYS running a gear tall they need to buy a bike with a smaller engine whether they use a rekluse or not.
- I love the left hand brake and it is fantastic on technical downhills, as well as flowing singletrack
- I have 3 years on my current bike with the stock clutch plates. I bought new steels and friction plates a year ago thinking I'd need to replace them soon, and I haven't had to and still the clutch works properly. Either the KTM plates are VERY durable, or the rekluse leads to less wear on the plates (and probably it is both).
- It's FANTASTIC for log crossings and slow technical maneuvers.

Drawbacks:
- places where you would like dump the clutch from a higher rpm to create wheel spin (like coming out of a turn in sand), or slip the clutch to get rpms and power up (like in too tall a gear on a hill climb or race starts), or disengage the engine just for a moment without shutting down the throttle (like on a technical climb)

The Facts are:

- clutch can be set up to engage at almost any rpm, and can engage slowly or very quickly (or anywhere in between).
- once engaged, the clutch does not "disengage" on it's own, unless you lock up the rear wheel or essentially come to a stop.
- when disengaged, all that needs to be done to re-engage is quickly "blip" the throttle.

What is the main reason I still have it? I REALLY love the left hand rear brake.

There are definately places where I miss having a control over the clutch and do wish I still had it - but I feel the benefits of the brake outweigh the drawbacks of no manual clutch control.

Would my clutch skills be better if I didn't use the rekluse? Absolutely. But that having been said I can still jump on a bike WITH a regular clutch and ride it through technical single track or tough climbs without any problems... you won't "forget" how to ride/drive without the rekluse.

There are plusses and drawbacks, and to each his/her own. I figure if the rekluse helps me through one situation a year I wouldn't have cleaned without it, then it's worth the price - kinda how I think if the steering damper saves me from one nasty crash a year then its worth it too!

I wouldn't put a rekluse on a 250 4t though, and I"m not sure if I would put one on a 200 2t. I like to have engagement almost right at idle, and if you want to do that you need to be using a bike with reasonable power/torque right off idle (IMHO).

Either choice is a good decision, just some people lean one way, and some the other way as to whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Cheers!
D.

[thirtyseven]

Derek, what makes it fantastic for logs and tech manouvers? (this is not a rebuttal nor a negative reaction just a question)

[FlamesFan]

I know I have only been on a few rides on single track so my input is almost futile but.... I don't think my 200 would do to well with a rekluse.... I find myself consistently feathering the clutch and getting on the gas in 2nd gear for hill climbs. My 200 just doesn't seem to have the grit that my friends 300's have to tractor up those climbs. On the other hand, the 200 makes for a fun ride up the hill

I must admit though, a left hand brake would be great. I have been introduced to the tree's on downhill right handers a couple times.

- Sean

[350scott]

2x crazy two wheeler, particularly the rear brake on technical downhills.

Edited by moderator. Let's not let this post get out of hand. Stay on topic.

[markvfr]

FWIW Bobby Prochanu runs a rekluse in his 450 and the only times he does not win a race is when he has a DNF as a result of the rekluse....

Cory Graffunder runs one as well.

[crazy2wheeler]

Derek, what makes it fantastic for logs and tech manouvers? (this is not a rebuttal nor a negative reaction just a question)

Just to "pre-qualify" the following comments, I know that all clutch work would become second nature and something you don't ever have to consciously think about, but nevertheless;

In slow maneuvers - I don't think you could ever have smoother engine/power control with a manual clutch than with the rekluse (sure it could be equal, but probably not for most riders). It also then allows fine control of the back brake while moving very slowly (ie, almost not moving at all). For anyone who's spent time on a bike or motorcycle trying to stay up as long as possible while moving as little as possible knows that the rear brake helps keep the bike vertical better than the front. Here's a task to practice - ride in circles with the handlebars turned ALL the way to the steering lock. See if you can complete 1 full turn - then see if you can get to 3 or 4 full revolutions without moving the bars from the full lock position. Next, do figure 8's going immediately from lock to lock (ideally you would not be moving forward at all when turning the bars from left to right or vice versa). In short, the rear brake can be used to help maintain balance.

With log crossings, etc., what I like is that I can approach very slowly and ONLY need to focus on the obstacle and placement of my wheels (perhaps not any different from manual clutch..)... but, again I have fine control over balance, speed an position by being able to use the rear brake as well as the engine for forward motion. Perhaps most importantly (for myself and any other girly men), the rekluse allows me to have a full grip on the bar on the left side to (try to!) maintain control of the bike as it either graces over, or collides with the log (ie - it's easier to hold on!) - and I think it allows me to have better control of the front end when it is coming down from a large log crossing. Also, I have small(ish) feet - and I can be on the balls of my feet the whole time, rather than having my right heel on the peg and then having to move my foot back onto the ball just as I am hitting/passing over the obstacle. I think it makes it easier to have proper body position on the bike. Again, I'm not talking about 12" log crossings, I'm talking about 20", 24", 30" and 36" log crossings.

Anyway, as I said, this is just what MY experience has been. Plus, the rekluse is really nice to have for slow bushwacking, and in really UGLY sections where you are not moving very quickly and having to wortk the clutch a lot to maintain traction and /or not stall the bike... - and again, allowing use of the rear brake in a precise, integrated way with the forward drive.

I guess, really the rekluse is great for SLOW, technical sections/maneuvers... once you are rolling in first gear or higher, there is (for me) no major advantage of the rekluse over a manual clutch - but still there is the benefit of the precise control of the rear brake.

I hope the info in this and the last post holds some value for some of ya.

D.

[350scott]

Edited by moderator. Let's not let this post get out of hand. Stay on topic.

First time being edited. Cross another one off the bucket list.

Back to the topic at hand. I might not be able to explain why the Rekluse can be useful crossing logs, but the empirical evidence indicates they are usefull in this situation. It's open knowledge that a good number of the pro's at Maxxis Endurocross (not Taddy though) events have one installed and last race I watched had quite a few log's to cross.

Before knocking a Rekluse, people really should try one. This is also probably true for someone wanting to buy one. As Bruce indicated at the start of this thread, they aren't cheap and are not for everyone. But for some people (like me) it's basically included in the calculating the price of a bike.

[steve-o]

Is rekluse harder on the lower gears in the transmission? When I rode a bike with a rekluse I felt totally like a duck out of water, and couldn't get over the fact that when you wanted first gear from a dead stop you just pushed it into gear. It definately felt alot chunkier than normal going into gear. I can't help but wonder if long term it wears the gears more?

Anyway, after all this reading I sure would like to try one again for more than a 500 meter sprint. Maybe next time I can try your bike motored for 10 or 15 minutes? Of course without having to expose you to mine as you refuse to ride it!

(or someone else's rekluse equipped 2t, anyone??)

[MotorEd]

All 'gagets' or add ons are not necessary for a guy to ride a bike and have fun. Some are spendy and may not be worth it to everyone. No question that guys with superior clutch throttle skills are or will be the superior riders. Look at world class guys like Taddy, Knighter, Juha ect....think most of these guys have trials back grounds. Moose recently posted about trials bikes being a great way to train and help with clutch, throttle, braking. Things like the Rekluse, Stabilizers of whatever brand, trials tires and cool stickers can all help you be a better rider, but they are not for everyone. I find it funny that guys that havent even tried these things have such negative opinions. The Rekluse has totally helped me, I love riding with it....more so now for the LHB, I for one never really came to terms with the ol' foot brake....seemed it was 'ON' or 'OFF', there was no inbetween. I would watch Brent come cruising down a super steep hill with the back wheel just barely turning....super smooth...hahahah, not me! but with the LHB its awesome. Now I Love the super steep off camber right hand side hills!!! Hey Livingston!