Can I get a light clutch with that?

[byke95]

Hey all,

After years of abuse and injuries my wrists are perfectly okay but struggle working a bike with a ‘heavy’ clutch.

I’m looking for a new bike, preferably a sports naked 1000cc, but struggling to find anything that suits. I had my heart set on a speed triple 1050 but my left wrist was aching ten minutes into the test ride.

I prefer a neutral/upright to slightly aggressive riding style, and my budget is up to £4k.

If there’s a simple hack to make a heavy clutch lighter, I’d also be all ears to hear it.

Much love.
Phil

[xX-Alex-Xx]

Make sure the lever isn’t so high it’s making your wrist bend back to put your fingers on top of it. Elbow-wrist-bars-lever is most comfortable in a straight line IMO. YMMV.
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DILLIGAF

[MarJay]

Get something with an 'assist slipper clutch'.

The Z1000 has one, and the clutch is *stupidly* light. (on the SX I rode, anyway).
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[jeffyjeff]

You know, that heavy clutch is probably a bike-specific condition. I had a similar experience years ago, when a friend and I swapped bikes on a ride. After 15 minutes, I gave his bike back to him due to sore left hand from the brute-force clutch action on his '97 VFR. Not six months later, I ended up purchasing a '98 VFR, which I rode for five years and 117,000 miles.

Keep looking, and don't give up on the Speed Triple. A few years back, I was in the market for a sporty naked, and rode several Speed Triples. Don't recall any issues with clutch action on any of them.

True Story: A guy in Santa Cruz, CA posts a low mileage '04 Speed Triple 955i. I rode over early on a cold January morning, froze my nuts off on the way. The guy had 8 Harleys parked around his garage, all his, and this Speed Triple. Says he's had it about 6 months. The bike is immaculate, neon green model. I'm swooning over this bike. Two questions I always ask are "what kind of oil is in it?" and "show me how you check the oil level." He says "Never checked the oil." C'mon, I say, dipstick or sight glass? "Don't know." He replies. I know it has a sight glass. The level was below the glass. He had some Harley oil, 20W-50. He added more than a quart before the level registered on the sight glass. We went on a 40 minute test ride, he on one of his Harleys and me on the Speed Triple. It ran perfect! But I was uneasy about the amount of oil we had to add, and never made him an offer.
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History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men - BOC

[byke95]

[MarJay]

[garth]

My 765rs has an assisted slipper. It's 1 finger light. Like a trials bike.
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You ain't a has been if you never was

[Robby]

There isn't a single common hack to make any clutch lighter, but most bikes with a reputation for a heavy clutch have some kind of aftermarket solutions. For Ducatis you can get an aftermarket slave cylinder. For Harleys you can get aftermarket diaphragm springs.

So if you have your heart set on a bike but the clutch is too heavy, have a look for solutions for that particular bike.

In general, newer bikes have lighter clutches.

[Irezumi]

If its hydraulic then this company are worth a look into.

https://www.oberon-performance.co.uk

[MarJay]

[ThunderGuts]

As mentioned, slipper clutches can be stupidly light to operate - my Street Twin was like this (it felt like it was broken sometimes it was that easy to pull in).
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TG.