The Slipper Clutch
The slipper clutch, when a fast road rider or racer changes gears down rapidly as they arrive at a corner the gear can be too low for the rear wheel’s road speed, which leads to excessive ‘braking’ so the rear wheel hops and skids while the engine is forced to rev higher. A slipper clutch is a modified clutch center that deliberately slips the clutch in these circumstances, preventing the damaging hop, lowering the engine rpm and allowing more of the tire’s grip to be used for cornering.A clutch usually has three main components: the center, the basket for the clutch plates and springs and the pressure plate (the part that squeezes the plates together).
In a slipper clutch the center is split into two parts, the back plate and a ;rising center’ (the bit the steel plates for on). A series of ramps are build into the back plate and center of the clutch and, as the rear wheel tries to over-rev the engine, the center section of the clutch is pushed up the ramps, ultimately pushing off the pressure plate.
As soon as the pressure plate is pushed off the clutch starts to slip, and as soon as it does the pressure plate doesn’t rise further. It isn’t a full disengagement; the ramps and springs are chosen to leave a little engine braking, to ensure a settled feeling going into a corner.
The slipper clutch is designed to enhance the rider’s clutch use, not to replace it. The clutch level should be used as normal, but the rider will feel a slight pulsing through the clutch lever as the mechanism works independently, smoothing out their down shifts. This means more of the rider’s valuable attention can be used to control the motorcycle and to deal with the corner. In extreme situations a slipper clutch will allow clutchless downshifts too...Tag: Clutch Slipper-Clutch Modified-Clutch Engine-Braking Rear-Wheel RPM Clutchless Engine-Rev
