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Hydro Clutch Conversion

16K views 54 replies 22 participants last post by  WittyBoi 
#1 ·
Game changer. No more cold start clutch unpredictability and much better feel modulating the clutch all around. Not to mention it looks incredible.
 

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#15 · (Edited)
Cable lubricant

Firstly my cable is fine... Anyway at some point it will need some lube, what do you guys suggest. There's possibly some stuff out there now that wasn't around years ago. It's been a long time since I have a cable clutch and I'm totally out of sorts on what's available.
On the other hand, does the SS cable have a nylon sheath surrounding the cable.
 
#16 ·
Firstly my cable is fine... Anyway at some point it will need some lube, what do you guys suggest. There's possibly some stuff out there now that wasn't around years ago. It's been a long time since I have a cable clutch and I'm totally out of sorts on what's available.
On the other hand, does the SS cable have a nylon sheath surrounding the cable.
I don't think you will ever need to lube the cable...but that's just me. Well, maybe in 15 more years...but at that point, just replace it with new and move on.
 
#35 ·
The clutch on my bike is extremely grabby when cold. Good to know that the hydraulic clutch remedies it.

Still tossing the idea around of springing for this upgrade. Having a clutch I can see spinning around (dry clutch or wet with a window) is one of the few checkboxes this bike did not check for me.
I got the conversion kit without the clear cover. Just need to add a plug available from Ducabike for where the cable actuator was.
 
#37 ·
The more I ride with the hydraulic clutch conversion the more I love it. Cable clutch is adequate, though I also experienced the cold start stall out for a long while. My Ducati mechanic thought it was all fine and couldn't put a thumb on why this was happening. But so far with hydraulic conversion, no cold start issues and well frankly, while the cable clutch is mechanic in feeling, the hydraulic clutch is plush. Yes, it's a lot to pay for even without the clear cover case. In addition to the kit, you need the 1) plug, 2) slave cylinder, 3) compatible (for the slave cylinder) front sprocket cover (we used a Monster front sprocket cover). IMO, the quickshifter is excellent going up, but less so going down and best done by blipping the throttle. I don't like that on the track, coming hot from a straightaway to a turn, to blip throttle, down shift through each gear. Faster (skipping gears if needed) with a hand clutch and certainly easier (less strain) with hydraulic clutch. But I'm old school (okay, not old in terms of cable clutch era but hydraulic era before the QS), and prefer the hand clutch even on the street for down shifting. But yeah, QS all the way for take off!
 
#38 ·
Hello,

I have pain in the left wrist even after a short ride (1.5 hours). Never had this problem with my previous bikes which were less sporty, I can’t perfectly set the tilt or distance with the OEM clutch lever.

So, I am very interested in having the hydraulic clutch for better settings and softer activation.

Dors anyone has mount the kit without the clear clutch? But with the ducabike KTCF01? I do not want to spent so much money for the conversion.

I read someone put the parts from the Monster 1200, is this going cheaper? I will use the monster sprocket cover anyway.

Do you think it is a good idea to solve my problem or is there a better one?
 
#39 ·
I agree, I find that I can't really set the angle I want on the clutch lever for my ergonomics. The only way to do it is to convert to a hydraulic clutch, which is a really expensive way to get another 5 degrees of rotation out of the lever. This is why I use the DQS almost exclusively outside of 1st gear.

You could probably source all the OEM parts from ebay for about half the price of the Ducabike kit.

It will probably be cheaper to buy the Ducabike cable plug for the wet clutch cover than to buy the Monster clutch cover. Other than that, you can do it all with the Monster 1200 parts. It should be easy enough to find a parts diagram to ensure you have everything you need. That said, I really like the feel of the Oberon clutch slave with the OE clutch master.
 
#40 ·
Yes, the investment is quite big, but cheaper than selling the bike:) Perhaps the clutch will be softer with the standard oil after break in.

I was speaking about the sprocket cover which is 10 times cheaper than the ducabike one, I will keep the Supersport clutch cover with the ducabike plug. Living ins Switzerland, ebay is not the right choice for me as the postal fee are huge.

Is there any feeling difference between the slave actuators? like the look of the Oberon better than the Ducabike, but have to source from another dealer:)
 
#44 ·
Thank you, you exactly explain what I was seeing on the rod, the anti-rotation cross-pin which is present on the OEM but not on the Ducabike.


I actually contacted my dealer a few days ago to discuss about this topic, but it is always interesting to come with information from users who made this modification:)
 
#45 ·
I should be clear, I haven't done this modification on my 939. I want to, but can't stomach dropping about $500 to move my clutch lever down a few more degrees.

I converted my 1994 900SS from the original coffin masters and OEM clutch slave, both of which blew out soon after I purchased it. I replaced the masters with radial master cylinders from the 1098 and used the Oberon slave. I had to learn about parts lineages and cross compatibility over about 20 years of motorcycles. Our bikes use the same radial brake master as the 1098, and the Monster 1200 uses the same clutch master and slave, all short of some part number differences for color and finish.
 
#47 · (Edited)
I guess one's subjective opinion is a highly variable thing! I had the Ducabike conversion done with a slave cylinder. It's been a clear upgrade for me and one of the better things (perhaps the best) I've done on this bike. Now whether it was worth it, is also subjective because it is costly (although I got the conversion kit at a sharply reduced price). But in my opinion, the pump is far smoother than cable (which is passable in itself) and assured at the track (vs. the quickshifter, which can result in in-between gears on the downshifting; upshifting is faultless though). And yeah I'm old school for using the hand clutch for fast downshift for the track riding, coming hot before the next chicane. I'm really happy about the hydraulic MC.

I also upgraded my axial MCs on another bike to radial Brembos RCS and was thrilled by that too. So I had high expectation it would work out positively for me on the 939SS and am glad it did.

Warning: if you do this with slave cylinder, do not buy the Ducabike clutch side chain cover, it is not compatible. I used a late model Monster cover.

Off the topic: I upgraded to (much) lighter Marchesini forged rims and put on 190 rear tire. Frankly I don't find that much of a performance upgrade on street or track. But some riders here find it a clear improvement. Funny thing on my other ride I upgraded to significantly lighter rims and found it a clear improvement but not this time for the 939SSs.
 
#49 ·
Any chance someone has a full parts list for this? While I'd love to go the ducabike route, no way I can afford it. When I last asked about this topic all the "cable's just fine" folks came out to say hi. Thanks but no thanks for all the negativity fellas. I have ridden both and want hydro clutch - just hoping someone has a better walkthrough on this or at the very least a full parts list of what is needed. It would be a nice sticky and how to.

Thanks in advance to anyone who might have this. It would also be interesting to compare looks and riding experiences on the Monster v ducabike kits.

Cheers
 
#50 ·
hey all...fantasic info all round... doing some research and just wondering on the following....ive just ordered the ducabike hydraulic clutch kit and the after that the clear cover but firstly once ive done the conversion i want to change the levers to short stubby ones....would i be correct in thinking the 'aftermarket' ducabike lever that comes with the conversion is a 'monster 1200' lever?......basical im asking if after the conversion if i buy the monster stubby lever, will it fit lol.... many thanks in advance x
 
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