Feeling Adventurous? A Mod Worth Doing.

Keep your flat black paint and straight pipes, here's something that will actually improve your bike.

Hydraulic Clutch Conversion.

Other than the plate fabrication, it is a very straightforward project.

This mod has Rick's name written all over it.

 

Looks really interesting..... do you have any more details or links??

 

Very interesting -- combine that with flat black paint and you've got me sold!

 

I think what MAc is hinting at is for someone to give it a try with an XJ.

That pic is off an XS1100 and probably comes from XS11.com where someone recently did this conversion.

It required quite a few modifications from original, so I doubt Rick would have a crack at it. :wink:

I'm thinking of trying it out on my second XS1100, but not on m XJ.

The giveaway for it being an XS is the kickstarter hole at the bottom left of the casing.

 

I can see one potentially serious problem with this mod on the 1100. The new aluminum plate is mounted on the side using the 2 threaded mounting holes for the old cover that were never designed to hold something that would be applying pressure to the clutch so they could possibly break off easily. The new cover needs at least 2 more bolts in it. It would be mounted differently on an XJ so that may not be a concern.

 

I assume that slave twists rather than pushes.. (I may be wrong, but thats what I assume from the pics -- it looks like part of a brake caliper to me) So the reinforcing fins on those bosses would probably hold up, but its a valid concern..

I see another problem tho.. We don't have that pop off cover at all. The clutch internals on our bikes are completely wet, so it would have to be sealed as well.. However, with the position of the clutch actuator arm on the XJ, the slave would have to be at the 11 o'clock position on the clutch cover in order to properly activate it. It also appears to turn the wrong way. I think this one is a pass.. Cool, but not feasible.

 

It's a slave cylinder off an FJ1200.

I think we could do the same with our bikes if we used a small hydraulic cylinder to pull the clutch actuating arm. It would be a neat little mod. You could probably get by with a small air cylinder, since the pressures involved wouldn't be very great.

 

I wouldn't be on the list to try this Mod on my bikes. I like the way the XJ-Series clutch throw-out works ... just fine.

I'm not sure, the way that slave is secured to the case, that it would hold-up under the normal usage the clutch throw-out provides.

If it a Mod that needs to be added to a place that can leak ... that doesn't interest me at all.

All that said ... a hydraulic clutch is nice. You wouldn't get grip fatigued like you do in Rush Hour when your progress along the clogged highway is measured in feet and yards breathing bus fumes and finding Neutral to let your hand have a rest between first downs.