The clutch - perhaps the most important part of the motorcycle to master if you want to improve your riding. By taking the hassle of stalling out of the equation, and making the need to learn how to slip the clutch from the word go a thing of the past, an auto clutch might be for you. And then again, it might not...

• And just a side note. The CORE EXP 2.0 has been superseded with the CORE EXP 3.0 so if you are after this specific auto clutch look for the 3.0

I’m going to start by telling you a little story, so bare with me. My first baptism of fire into the auto clutch world was taking the reigns of John Kircaldi’s Honda CRF450 for a blast around D-Tours enduro track, way back around 2009 or some such. He had one installed and offered me a ride. From a patchy memory I cut over 30 seconds off my time around the 10 minute enduro loop I had been riding all day on my race bike. This was on a bike I had not ridden before. So needless to say I was impressed. However, I didn’t go out and but one straight away - for two reasons. The price for an auto clutch back then was anywhere between $1500-$2000 and I didn’t have that kind of grass lying around. Secondly, it was kinda cheating...wasn’t it? I mean, I had pretty good clutch control already and I didn’t exactly need it. I barely stalled and I felt my clutch clipping abilities were maxed out. So I left it.

Fast forward to 2012, and I was in the running for the outright honors in the NZ Enduro Champs against Adrian Smith. Mid-way through the season I got myself a Rekluse CORE EXP 2.0 Auto Clutch and after a few trial runs, knew I was going to kill it at Whangamata. I felt good on the bike and was laying down some hella-fast test times all day. Spoiler alert - turns out I wasn’t. I finished the day 15th outright - the worst finish in my ‘career’. I’m sure you know what happened next. I pulled that sucker out and threw it in the back of the shed never to see the light of day again. I finished the 2012 season in 2nd outright...the closest I’ve ever been to getting that numero-uno.

RE-BIRTH

However, the light did shine another day - many moons later when in 2016, my four-year sponsorship with Yamaha Motor NZ came to an end. I wasn’t finished racing and got myself an old 2009 Honda CRF450R to do some races with. It was a bike I knew well and one that I had a number of parts for already in the shed. Including...you guessed it…that Rekluse CORE EXP 2.0. It was time to give it the respect, dedication and time it deserved.

Let’s start by explaining what an auto clutch is. Firstly - it is not an automatic transmission. You still have to shift gears, but you don't have to worry about using your clutch as much or stalling. It will AUTOmatically engage and disengage the clutch for you without touching the lever. You simply select first and twist the throttle. Albeit gently of course. You can still override the action with the clutch if you want to, and trust me, you will for the first few months as force of habit. In fact - if you have mastered clutchless shifting then you could probably take the clutch lever of, but it's nice to have it there in my opinion. Not having a lever on the left side just looks weird to me.

Things you will notice

You will use the clutch anyway even though you don't have to, because you always have. The clutch lever on a cable system will feel heavier than normal. Not crazy heavier but you will notice it. A hydraulic setup will feel exactly the same. You will still have engine braking on your 4-stroke mostly. I say that because if you’re coming into a corner hot and jam the brakes on, the revs will drop. When you let the clutch out again, the revs might be too low for the engagement to occur and it will start to freewheel much like a 2-stroke would into a corner. So that can take some getting used to. A quick blip of the throttle will bring the revs up again and engage engine braking. If you just throttle off without braking the engine braking will react as normal until the engine slows enough for the Rekluse to disengage the clutch.

How a Rekluse might affect your riding

Firstly - you will probably never stall your bike again. That in itself is a blessing. Plus if you tip over in a corner or endo that log, the bike will continue to run until the ECU turns the bike off itself (injected 4-Strokes). No wasting time or energy starting a hot bike. (NOTE: now most bikes are electric start it is less of an issue).

It will let you focus on more important things than when you need to be on the clutch and you can survey the track ahead and concentrate on where you want to put the front wheel and how much throttle you need.

You can use a higher gear, not worry about stalling off the start line of a race and tip toe around tricky and slow technical terrain.

But perhaps most importantly, it can help your confidence which doesn’t have a real measurement to anyone else but yourself. But confidence can be huge.

Real World Use

So, to actually using it on the track. I literally have no idea what I was doing back in 2012 because I have had nothing but fantastic experiences with the Rekluse the second time around. It will slip the clutch better than I can and it actually inflicts less wear on the plates and fibers than I normally do in manual mode. I have had the CORE EXP 2.0 in my 2009 Honda CRF450R since 2016 and it has done two National Enduro seasons, as well as many trail rides and motocross races and play riding with mates and i’m still on the same clutch plates.

My only gripe on the system is when it does flame out, which the number of times won’t use up the fingers on two hands, my bike is still kick start and I can’t bump start it. Though after setting up the system with where I like the clutch to engage and having the correct Free Play Gain (Rekluse Setting jargon) I haven’t had a stall in nearly a year. The other minor issue is that if you stop on a steep hill, turning the bike off won’t prevent you from tumbling down as with no revs, the clutch will be forever disengaged. Something to be aware of.

The Dirt

My system uses OEM fiber plates and Rekluse steels, while using normal OEM recommended oil and no need for consistent adjustments after it is all bedded in. The stalwarts of the community will say it takes away your clutching ability and will affect you later when or if you have a bike without one. The reality is that for a beginner, it will accelerate your learning and improvement time frame exponentially compared to regular learning with a manual clutch. You get to focus more on other aspects of riding without worrying about stalling on a hill or tight off camber and tipping over. It won’t change you from a beginner to expert overnight, but it will speed up your learning curve if you take full advantage. You can still use the clutch as normal and get used to it that way without all that stalling. And for pro-riders - one stall could mean the difference between being on the podium or being in the crowd. I will run the Rekluse Auto Clutch till I’m old and grey if I can. But unlike handlebars it won’t go from bike to bike which is a pain if you change brands or the manufacture significantly updates the transmission in the next model that you want. Nevertheless - there are all different models and price ranges to choose from in the Rekluse line up and it is in the list of the Top 10 Mods you should do to your bike to improve your riding.

Any more questions email chris@thedirt.co.nz and put ‘Auto Clutches’ in the subject line.

CLICK HERE for information on how to get yourself a Rekluse clutch right here in NZ from your local dealer. Distributed by Whites Power Sports @ bits4bikes.co.nz

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