Please explain a dry vs. wet motorcycle clutch.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Last bike I rode was a dual sport Suzuki something or other with a wet clutch. Our class instructor said most bikes have "wet" clutches which are constantly bathed in oil and so you won't wear them out by using the friction zone in stop and go traffic or at red lights or on hills. But the 2004 BMW R1150R I'm picking up this weekend has a dry clutch. I understand car clutches pretty well and only ever use them for shifting, not inching back and forth on hills or in traffic. How do I not beat up a dry clutch on a bike? Or do I have nothing to worry about?

speeder · speeder's Garage

I've never exactly understood how wet MC clutches hook-up, but BMWs have always had relatively huge dry clutches that look like they belong on a small car. I know that BMW clutches last a long time, but then I don't recall ever having to do a clutch on any MC.

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

It's common practice on m/cs to have the clutch and trans gears together in side the trans case bathed in the same fluid. They will use multiple plates that are designed to work in that environment.

On most cars the trans case is separate from the clutch aka dry.

Nostril Cheese · 11-02-2006, 07:19 AM

most bikes use a series of clutch plates in a holder. In some ways it's better than the clutch on a car. Compact, easy to replace.

BlueSkyJaunte · 11-02-2006, 07:19 AM

One sounds like a tin can full of marbles, the other doesn't.

928ram · 11-02-2006, 07:29 AM

I'd say nothing to worry about, whichever system is installed on a particular bike is sized and engineered for a reasonable lifetime of normal use.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

If a wet clutch system is so much better and lasts longer, why not use it on cars? Too much fluid (weight) or what?

Joeaksa · 11-02-2006, 07:39 AM

The clutch on the R1100/R1150 lasts a long time when taken care of. Have owned two of them and no problems there.

Do not sit at a light with it in gear and the clutch pulled in. The throwout bearings are not the best in the world and this puts a lot of stress on them, so keep it in neutral until ready to go...

Nice bikes, I miss mine!

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Joe, is 12k miles high for this clutch? Owner has been meticulous with all maint. too.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
One sounds like a tin can full of marbles, the other doesn't.

that's a feature, not a bug

Somewhere a Ducatista is signalling "fangul" in your general direction.

MotoSook · 11-02-2006, 08:04 AM

You get the funniest looks from drivers when parked next to them at a light while riding a bike with a dry clutch (marble in the engine sound).

I don't see why anyone would need to use the clutch to hold the bike from rolling back on a hill or use the clutch otherwise for anything but to accelerate from a stop or to change gears. The rear brake is separate from the front. Even on a hill once can balance the bike with the left foot on the ground and the right foot on the rear brake, releasing as the clutch comes out when starting off.

Bleu: fangul!

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

I usually keep it in neutral until I'm ready to roll but to be fair I have no idea which kind of clutch my bike has. I'm assuming a wet type, but honestly don't know.

Doesn't sounds like it 's full of marbles either.

SlowToady · 11-02-2006, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee
Joe, is 12k miles high for this clutch? Owner has been meticulous with all maint. too.

My dad has a K1200LT that also has a dry clutch, and he has over 30,000 miles on it. He's never said a word about the clutch.

He also had a slightly older K1200LT with about the same mileage and no problems.

12,000 miles on a BMW really isn't much, you should be fine. Enjoy!

Flatbutt1 · 11-02-2006, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee
Joe, is 12k miles high for this clutch? Owner has been meticulous with all maint. too.

No, not at all. I had 29K on mine when I went in to service the tranny splines andit still had life in it.

cstreit · cstreit's Garage

My Ducati not only has a dry clutch, but a vented cover as well. I loved the comments from people that it sounded like the bike was gonna blow any sec...

A little touchier than a wet clutch, but other than that, basically transparent. I think the motorcycle dry-clutch got it's start in racing...

VaSteve · 11-02-2006, 08:31 AM

Rick, you will find your BMW bike experience to be fairly similar to the 911 experience. They last forever. BMW's are meant to ride, and the owners generally have a LOT of miles on them. I have seen bikes with 100K!

I think you have nothing to worry about. Then again, if you do, there's plenty of folks around here that know how to fix stuff. We'll have to ride up to SP next time Nate Kern is racing. He's a BMW racer, races both an R and a K bike (I think). There's some cool photos in the R1100 section on this board.

motion · 11-02-2006, 08:32 AM

I had no idea my BMW had a dry clutch!!!

The Ducati dry clutch sound makes me weak in the knees... my Yamaha TZ250 is dry clutch also. 99% of the bikes out there are wet clutches (boring).

BlueSkyJaunte · 11-02-2006, 08:34 AM

Hey Duc guys, lighten up, you should hear my neighbor's POS "Iron Horse" HD chopper wanna-be. His dry clutch sounds like a major chain tensioner failure in a 911.

nosmo_king · 11-02-2006, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile
I usually keep it in neutral until I'm ready to roll but to be fair I have no idea which kind of clutch my bike has. I'm assuming a wet type, but honestly don't know.

Doesn't sounds like it 's full of marbles either.

Box o' rocks? That's what my R1100S sounds like- though ATGATT (all the gear all the time) includes custom ear plugs, so the sounds a bit more tolerable

Call me paranoid (or clueless or ... whatever) but I keep the bike in first gear and pointed towards an "exit" when I'm stopped at a light or in traffic. And always w/ an eye scanning rearwards for those crazy P- drivers (kidding) who may not "see" me or stop in time. The clutch may get toasted sooner but, hey, it's good for me!

island_dude · 11-02-2006, 09:06 AM

12K miles on a beemer is just breaking in. This is particularly true with the earlier ones. I spend a lot of time in traffic, so I just assume that I am going to toast my clutch sooner than normal. I have already resigned myself to an early throw bearing replacement for the same reason.

There is nothing wrong with a dry clutch.