Never tried one till recently but I've always resisted having a slipper clutch on my 996SPS. Seemed to me that it would deskill me and dilute the experience by isolating me a little from the glorious V-twin engine - for me the throttle blip and controlling the rear wheel on the downshift was part of the joy of riding a Ducati. But my new bike came with a slipper clutch as standard and I love it ... couldn't imagine riding it without one. All of which got me thinking ... what about my ST4s, or my 996SPS ? ..... is a slipper clutch something that should be put on all Ducatis if you can; or just on the newer ones; or is it sacrilege to have one on any Ducati? Whaddya think?
I dont run slipper only for the simple reason I am to tight to buy one!! Annnnyway on the road I do blip on down shifts and it manages ok depending on how furiously im riding. On track I kick myself for being a minge bag.
Had one on my SPS for years, not really required on the road (but was a bit lighter so the engine spun up quicker) but great fun on the track.
The clutch on my 1098 is already toast at 7000 miles. As I'm going to sort the whole thing over the winter, basket and all. I've been toying with the idea of a slipper clutch. It would certainly help on track, the road not so much
Personally I think a slipper clutch is fine on the newer sports bikes but it would be sacrilege to put them on anything older up to and including the 916/996/998 - maybe I'm an old fuddy-duddy and a purist but I think they should be kept as classic as they were when they came out. Somehow I think a slipper clutch just isn't right on any Monster - it somehow undermines the raw, basic, naked point of the model. I'm less concerned about the others because they don't have the same sporting pretensions - I reckon they would all benefit from having a slipper clutch, even the older bikes like the STs. Just MHO of course :smile:
Sorry Dave, cant agree with that. On the road its not needed I agree, but on the track it chatters like hell under hard braking when the wheel is just on the ground. And I aint good enough to slip the clutch, pick my apex, figure out my braking point and dodge the rest of the lunatics trying for the same point on the track all at the same time. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
I have to confess I am thinking of road use - I've never ridden my 996 on the track. I've raced my 600 Monster DD bike and I can see that anything that helps you go faster in a race is a must :biggrin:
I had one on both my GSXR1000 and R1. Genius bit of kit and I have to say I miss not having one on the 848 evo corse. That and a gear indicator :wink:
Get one! Its a world of difference. Sigma one fitted to my 848 and tbh I'll never go back on a Ducati. Controlled entry doesnt cover it and also finding its useful on the road. Well worth the expense, far more than a set of cans but similar cost
what brands are recommended? I hear Sigma are good, but £££... I had an old DP one on my 748R and it was a piece of dog crap! I binned it and replaced with a std assembly. Probably tainted my view of 'em ever since!
i think the deskill bit is a bit like saying i dont want grippy tyres as a loose back end keeps my skill set up....get and use all the technology you can
No idea yet but just bought one for my 749. Looking forward to testing it. So, just to be clear: Scream up to a corner, bang it down three, let go of the lever and pile into the corner?
Yep thats about it. Concentrate on braking and turning. And next on the list is backing it in....loads of corners at Cartagena to learn that one in two weeks
I get your point Andy, and I wouldn't be without the slipper clutch on my D16, even on the road - but a couple of things hold me back from ever putting one on my 996 ... I fear it would sanitise and disconnect me from a vital character trait of the engine, and it just isn't 'period' for the bike. If I was riding it on the track and was trying to extract more performance from it then maybe, but by-and-large I'm just riding it on the road. Seems like most people agree with me in the poll ... keep the slippers off of the older, more basic sports bikes.
I think the older models need a slipper over the newer motors as they're more lumpy, I could definitely feel the difference on my 996, the 998 less and the 999 barely noticeable, the D16 has one but I don't think it needs it IMO not for what we do, 4 cylinders shouldn't be an issue.
I enjoy my sigma slipper clutch. The best bit is stripping it down to clean and regrease the ramps after a race weekend. In all honesty, I love it on the track. On the road I have little experience with it. My unit does not like bump starts, it breaks the spider spring........................
