2015 Clutch Kits Now Available

Gentlemen, I got the oil back in and was able to test and man, it's like a different bike now. For the first time I feel like I have actual confidence on this thing. As you all have said, the clutch now behaves like a normal clutch on any other bike. Shifting and leaving from a stop is effortless now.

Some things I have noted though are:
1) Very difficult to find neutral with the bike running. I can't remember if it was like this before or not.
2) Sometimes seems a little rough shifting up from first to second while moving. Strange since I shift from first to second while sitting still all the time without meaning to trying to find neutral haha.
3) Other shifts are almost imperceptible they're so smooth. I do find myself using my entire hand to pull the clutch in. May try to adjust the engage point out a little bit where fully disengaged is further from the grip. (One reason for this may be the cable I have. Seems to want to stretch a lot before I get any action on the clutch tab down low. I may replace this soon.)

Final thoughts,
I could not be happier with this install. Best $80 modification you could make to this bike. Great job and big kudos to bayotte and kuksul 08 for making this possible. Thanks guys!

Huh I do find the neutral thing interesting. I can't say I noticed the same thing. There is another cable adjuster about half way down the cable on the side.

That's awesome to hear ripyowrist, glad it all worked out in the end. I did notice some increased difficulty finding neutral, but it improved with time and correct clutch cable adjustment.

Yeah I used the lower cable adjuster and got it set to allow the manual specs for play before engagement at the lever. Idk though. Maybe the neutral thing is related to the oil? I used Castrol 5w-50 full synthetic. Maybe I will just have to learn to leave it in gear while its running haha.

Did you replace your clutch cable?

I didn't need to, it's holding up well so far.

Good deal. I'll see how she wears in. Only got about 20 miles on the clutch mod. Everything's kosher so far. Maybe some more ******* will weigh in with their results.

Success!

Got out for a 75 mile ride yesterday. I have adjustable hand levers, and the clutch was set at the closest setting before, 1 out of 6. After getting the free play about right (didn't need to touch the mid-cable adjuster), I found that I had to go to setting 4 to get into neutral. This got better during the ride.

By the time I was back in town, the lever was at 2 and shifting seemed back to normal. It's still easier to find neutral from 2nd or while still rolling a bit (learned that on my Velocettes!) but I give it an A+. It's truly a whole different bike.

Now instead of worrying about clutch control, my new challenge is wheelie control!

Thanks again for this, Kuksul. I'd give this two smilies if the site would let me!

PS the correct sealant for the cover is ThreeBond # TB1215. The box even had the Ducati logo on it.

Jumped the gun and bought the retrofit kit before they're out of stock. Pretty excited to get this installed, unfortunately I won't be able to test it out until the spring with the bike tucked into hibernation. Good news is I have all winter to figure out the install.

Yeah only 6 left. He may get more if there is demand, but not until next year.

Zippy glad to hear it worked out for you. I really don't recall having to adjust my clutch at all, but then again I run the factory lever with factory clutch cable slack which is only 3mm, so I am always able to get a nice complete pull.

I'm glad this all worked out for you guys. I put a crap load of time into finding these parts and communicating which parts we needed, as did supplier. It eventually was less about profit for him and more about just following through with the project. Well worth it in the end

So which assembly option seems to be the ticket. A? C seems like it might reduce wear on the aluminum hub. Thoughts. I will be doing the update over the Christmas break.

I did A. I tried C and it didn't really sit right on my bike due to the way it's machined it seems.

Thanks for the info kuksul

Stradashpere, I too did option A, or was it B? I can't remember at this point whether I put the spring curve up or down against the hub. Either way, I think is fine as this thread and bayotte's guide can attest. For me this orientation has been successful.

Just be mindful of where the two washers and the sleeve go when you pull the clutch assembly. That was my mistake

Just placed an order for the kit. It's been encouraging reading the feedback about it here. With all my riding in heavy traffic and off-road it'll be very welcome to not have such a bitchy clutch to aggravate me so much.

philthymike said:

Just placed an order for the kit. It's been encouraging reading the feedback about it here. With all my riding in heavy traffic and off-road it'll be very welcome to not have such a bitchy clutch to aggravate me so much.

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Yes - off road is where it will get you and dump you.

appliance821 said:

Yes - off road is where it will get you and dump you.

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No kidding. I tried to pull off some nice controlled power slides and things got interesting to the point I eventually gave up on it. I can pull them off but it's so unpredictable with trying to feather that clutch just right while on bumpy uneven surfaces. Couple times when reaching a dead-end and having to turn around on a tight trail where I had no choice but go off the trail a bit I very nearly dumped it or just plain got it stuck because I just couldn't get the right control over the clutch for delicate maneuvering on really soft ground. The one time I did dump it in the mud was because I tried feathering the clutch in the mud and got too damn much wheel spin and slipped right down into a truck rut. Then trying to get out of the rut I couldn't ease the clutch in carefully enough and the bike tried to motor it's way up the hump between the ruts causing me lose control and take a mud bath with it.
So yeah I've had my share of puckering thanks to that clutch in the dirt. And the past week I've learned the damn clutch is even more miserable in the snow.

The picture is where I rode earlier today learning just how crappy my clutch is in slushy snow and mud together. I really do not recommend this at all.

I just completed the clutch update. Have not taken the bike out, but from playing with the clutch in the garage I can tell that it is day and night better. I can feather it with brakes on and not kill the motor. I'll know more this spring when I take it out of hibernation.

Well, based on that picture I gather philthymike is a crazy man! I can't imagine riding a bike in slick snow like that, let alone a bucking motard with crazy-clutch.

Three months ago I wanted to sell this thing because I couldn't ride it but now I can't imagine how I rode anything else. If you're just wanting a toy to put a stupid grin on your face, this is beast to do it. Impractical, yes. Powerful, yes. Pleasing to the ears, yes. And now, thanks to the hard work of kuksul and bayotte, it's rideable and controllable and thrashable and hoonable. I know I'm basically a fanboy at this point but if you're even vaguely considering this mod all I can say is do it! For $80 and an oil change you can transform your bike into a machine purpose built for murderin' da streets!

I put a few more miles on the clutch this weekend. It's like a regular motorcycle! (to qualify that, it's like a regular motorcycle clutch) Also to anyone doing this mod I strongly recommend lubing your clutch cable. It was like night and day after that. When I first joined the forum someone was telling me how awesome and easy to pull this clutch is supposed to be (even before the upgrade kit). Now I see what they were talking about. It is strange too considering this is the only cable I've ever seen to make essentially two or more 90 degree turns on it's way down to the clutch spring tab. It's definitely tighter than the sweeping arc you see on dirt bikes. But now it's like butter. So if your clutch lever is not super easy to pull, then lube that freaking cable.

Also, after stalking some of kuksul's other posts, I have to agree that the gearbox on this thing is ridiculously sweet. With an easy clutch like this I just bang through the gears with tight positive shifts, no rev matching no nothing, it's ***** proof, and that little blip from the engine braking when downshifting is intoxicating. All that said though, I still have a really hard time finding neutral. It just wants to slip down into first or skip over and go to second. I usually cut the bike off and finagle it with the engine stopped, but I wonder if this will be an issue if I need to stop at a light I hope it will improve with time but no change so far.

I have a 2015 Hypermotard, so I don't have the clutch issues (as far as I know) that the older models seem to have. I can say though, I've always found neutral hard to find, it takes a very light touch to avoid going into another gear. Usually I end up going down to 1st and then nudging it up into neutral.

ripyowrist said:

<snip>
All that said though, I still have a really hard time finding neutral. It just wants to slip down into first or skip over and go to second. I usually cut the bike off and finagle it with the engine stopped, but I wonder if this will be an issue if I need to stop at a light I hope it will improve with time but no change so far.

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Mine got a lot better after 75 miles or so. Getting the cable adjustment to "just right" is also important. I have better luck when the bike is still rolling, a trick I've learned from years of riding Velocettes. Their clutches make the Ducati look simple.

Our 390 Duke is my exemplar for the launch. I get my head over the steering stem, drop the clutch, and bang through the gears. One block later I'm in 6th and can see no one in my mirrors. The Strada is close, but for the first three gears the 390 is still king so far.

What are you wearing for riding boots? Off road style boots might hurt the "feel." Any boot that's hard to walk in might do the same. Here's what I'm wearing - wore them to WSBK at Seca, walked in them for three days, perfect comfort. They are Alpinestars Multiairs.