Rekluse Z-Start Clutch review

[bigdrtrdr]

I first have to say I was very sceptical about my purchase of an auto clutch. Some of you may say it takes something away from motorcycling, and it may. But for me and a few others I know it is the best $400.00 we have ever spent on our bikes. The install was a snap, anyone who does the basics with a REAL set of tools and a general knowledge of how a clutch actually works can do the install in couple of hours.

I'm 6'9" tall and stand up riding is limited for a number of reasons for a guy of my size. This setup allows me to run a gear high almost anywhere. So shifting is reduced by about 1/3, and your clutch hand just gets to hold on for the ride. We went on a 60 mile poker run yesterday and I finnished in far better shape than ever before.

We came up to a nasty rocky muddy uphill section. Bikes Strewn about stalling in the rocks and mud. Not me, I just throttled through in 2nd gear. They just stood aside with mouths open. I cant stall my WR426!

I highly recomend this product Espcially for the taller riders. It has made me faster and safer, Both good things ?

Later

Eric

[PMAUST]

Eric, thanks for the review. I've been thinking about an auto clutch but have been afraid to spend the money not knowing if I would like it or not. Reviews like this help a lot. ?

Paul

[tad69]

Great review. I have been running an auto clutch for 2 1/2 years now and love it!!!

[jwriott]

I just bought the 300 EXC with 375 miles on it and the guy had put a Rekluse in the bike. I was going to take it out but after one ride, I'm pretty happy with the results. Realistically, you don't need e-start with this clutch because you can't stall.

Makes me think I could have bought a KTM 450 EXC and pulled the e-start to save weight and I wouldn't have been that far from the 300 weight wise.

[TW]

I would have to agree with the evaluation, although not tall(5'8) I love the product. I put the Z Start in about 3 months ago and can't say enough good about it. Just came home from a ride in TN where it rained hard both days we rode, snotty conditions, the Z start made it a breeze and a side benefit has helped my hands from CT problems to some extent. I did however have to switch to CR fiber plates to get rid of excessive drag, it was a simple and quick fix...........TW

[tool]

yea man, the thing kicks ? . i use my rekluse mostly for MX, but i ride some trails. the guys i trail ride with have xr650's and such... my YZ is a better trail bike than any of thiers - almost entirely because of the z start.

i dont think it takes away from riding, since it makes the bike so much more user-friendly.

you can forget about the clutch lever, or you can use it all the time.

the only downside - it makes you wish everything had an auto clutch on it.

[ncmountainman]

i'm ordering a z-start next week ,what is the deal with the cr discs thats the third time i've seen them mentioned? i was thinking of using the dirt digger with the carbon fiber discs(al says the kevlar's don't work well) and which would be better the steel plates or the alloy? ?

[tool]

nc, i think thats a 250f thing. i think its the higher idle on the 250 that causes it. my clutch doesnt drag much. glad to hear your getting a rekluse, you'll love it.

i think i would use either 5 or 10 TC balls, one ball doesnt make a huge difference. ?

[ncmountainman]

how many rpms would it lower the stall with 10? have you tried it?

[oldbones]

Yep. I made all my buddies test ride my bike after the Rekluse install.

Big mistake. Now they all went and bought auto clutches for their bikes too, so there went my secret weapon! If I had just kept it a little secret, then I would have had a leg up on all them guys, and maybe a chance at keeping up!

That's it. Next thing I find that really helps my riding, and makes me faster, I am keeping to myself.

?

[OldenPhatt]

My question is do you still get engine breaking when the throttle's closed? I'm a big fan of flywheel effect on technical downhills.

[duckboy]

Yes, you still get engine braking on hills. You can also let it go into neutral when you want to and goose it just a little to re-engage the clutch. Just keep in mind you will free wheel really easy if you're in too high of a gear and it's tuff too find neutral so be careful. ?

[tool]

how many rpms would it lower the stall with 10? have you tried it?

i havent tried 10, but im just saying that 5 balls makes a noticable difference. i dont think i could tell the difference when adding just one ball. therefore, i would either use 5 or 10.

as Al has said, the TC balls dont really lower the stall speed alot, but it steepens the engagement curve. so instead of it taking forever to fully engage, the TC balls make the clutch want to engage very quickly. almost too quickly.

[ncmountainman]

is it hard to change them one way or the other? i talked to rekluse again(not al,he was in a meeting)but the feller said that it would benefit at lower rpm(ie;lugging)and would allow a lower idle,he also said i'd be hard pressed to tell but mathematically its 17% more weight. if its not to much pita ,i guess you have to go through the setup every time you change or can you change them without messing it up? ? also would just pulling in the clutch lever(i'm gonna keep mine)and blipping the throttle eliminate the search for neutral?

[John_Lorenz]

Hey Paul

f we ever hook up before WCTT4 you can ride my 426 to get a feel for the Zstart, if you see Blue_One take his crf for a spin. I tell you once you ride a bike with the Zstart, you will never go back to a standard ?

I can not speak for the WR, I have the yz with the genIII clutch, All I have done to it was simply change the spring to see what fits me best. I started with the softer spring, then setup with the stiffer, I have since returned to the softer, it suites my style more.

I have no idea about the differant balls used, never felt a need to inquire about them. The Zstart is a bit finicky in getting setup, but once you have it as you want it

Woooo Hooo, it is really fun to se the look on peoples faces when you stop on a hill ask if they need help the as you wave with your clutch hand you gas it and move along. That take a sneek peak behind you shot as they look at you with that is priceless

[tool]

nc, if your changing from 5 to 10 balls, then you dont need to touch the previous 5 balls. you just put in the extra 5 spaced exactly in between the previous balls. however if you going from 5 to 6 balls you would need take out all the TC balls and re-space them thoughout the set of 30.

as i said, i would go for 5 or 10. the TC balls definately help the engine lug better, in fact better than a stock clutch. because when you let the rpms drop low enough and hit the gas, the clutch slips a bit to get the right engagement - therefore its lugging, its torquey but the rpms are *never* too low. the bike always pulls even in the wrong gear.

now, for the lower idle... i was using a heavy flywheel and that allowed me to run a really low idle. the problem with that is these engines dont have effective power at idle (especially below idle), my bike seemed very laid back with a low idle, but would stall constantly - in wierd situations. a normal idle will keep it from stalling.

when your making a change to the clutch, you have to remove the 12 torx screws and that allows you to change the installed gap and/or change the ball bearing setup. you dont have to change the gap or mess with the balls if you dont want to.

also, if you have the lever finding nuetral is a breeze. its when you dont have the lever that you cant take the pressure off the clutch to get it into nuetral. no blipping.

so far, thats all i know about the clutch... ?

[duckboy]

NC I kept the clutch, using the external perch adjuster you buy separatly and I also have the '04 wr450. Rekluse will send you the same kit they use for the '03. This was important for me because the '03 has .047" drive plates and the '04 has .046". This difference caused my throw-out not to fully disengage my clutch with the clutch lever pulled in. I could tell it wouldn't work right after I had the correct gap set and the throw-out would not reach the pressure plate. I had to ask for a bigger throw-out spacer which they sent me free of charge two days later. Now it works perfectly. If you want you can download the instructions to see what tools you'll need when the kit arrives. rekulse instruction downloads ?

[gloft]

I been thinking of looking at auto clutches as well but have 2 concerns:

1. How is it for quick wheelies? I ride a lot of nasty tight stuff that requires using the clutch to lifting the front wheel over big logs, rocks, etc.

2. What happens if I need to jump start the bike? Will the engine turn over if I try and push start it in an emergency situation?

[oldbones]

The Rekluse is the absolute ticket for the tight nasty stuff. The uglier the trail, the more it shines. I have noticed that trails I used to think were really hard don't seem nearly as challenging with the Rekluse. I used to find myself between gears a lot on the tight stuff. First was too low, and would kick my butt, but second was too tall, and I would wear out my left hand on the clutch. Now, just leave 'er in second and go. My speed through those sections is definitely improved, in fact I often find myself a gear higher that I used to ride on the same sections. ?

I don't know for sure about the bump starting, cause I haven't tried it, but I think if your stall speed were set kind of low (like mine) that you could do it on a big enough hill. Don't quote me on that though...

[duckboy]

You can wheelie easy if you keep the clutch lever with the perch adjuster. As far as bump starting I can't see anyone having such bad luck as to kill the battery and break off the kick start. ?