[3th3r]

I came upon these pics of an R3 in Thailand, and saw it was fitted with a hydraulic clutch, which was likely a conversion kit, but does anyone have any info as to what brand/model it is and where it can be sourced?

 

[t-rav_12]

Sitting on the bike, look at the clutch actuator arm in front of your right ankle. Pull the lever a couple times to be sure.
...do you REALLY want to re-engineer your awesome brand new bike?
Hydraulic clutches complicate a simple process.
...Hoses, fluid, reservoir, ... Not to mention adding all that weight + some sort of slave cylinder. Admittedly, it loox cool, but there is no benefit whatsoever.
If you want a better clutch feel, get rid of those cheesy levers they gave us and lube your cables.

 

[t-rav_12]

Sorry, 3th3r. I totally din't answer your question.

No, I have no idea where to get the hydraulic clutch setup. But it will entail a new clutch cover $$$.

 

[Aufitt]

So we want to make the bike slower haha.

 

[3th3r]

Sorry, 3th3r. I totally din't answer your question.

No, I have no idea where to get the hydraulic clutch setup. But it will entail a new clutch cover $$$.

No worries, thanks for your comments. I agree with you in that simple is usually better. My interest in this product is purely for my own edification, as I don't own an R3 yet.

The cable-to-hydraulic conversion process is fairly simple, as I have found, and does not involve replacing the clutch cover, but it does involve mounting the pump/slave cylinder near the actuator arm. Also, in some cases, replacing the cable system with a hydraulic actually saves weight.

Currently owning a Monster with a hydraulic clutch and a GSXR with a cable clutch, and having worked on both, I can say that neither system is inherently more complicated than the other, just a different application of technologies that achieve the same result, and there advantages and disadvantages to both.

 

[3th3r]

After having done some research, and to answer my own question, the conversion kit in the picture is a made by a RCB, a Malaysian company, and it costs approx. $150.

There are other clutch conversion kits that are better known and pricier, with the best known being from Hebo, a Spanish company, and Magura, a German company. The Hebo conversions are popular with the dirt bike crowd, and the Magura conversions are popular with the dirt bike and the cruiser bike crowd.

For informational purposes... here is a video that shows how to swap the cable clutch system for a Magura hydraulic on a BMW F800GS. It's in German, however.

 

[Xyzzy]

Currently owning a Monster with a hydraulic clutch and a GSXR with a cable clutch, and having worked on both, I can say that neither system is inherently more complicated than the other, just a different application of technologies that achieve the same result, and there advantages and disadvantages to both.

The new Monster that I test rode had a cable clutch, probably to save weight and cost.

I've had numerous road and dirt bikes with hydraulic clutches, and I like them, but I can work with a cable clutch. I like how the hydraulic clutches auto-adjust for wear but I dislike bleeding them. I personally think the feel of a cable clutch is slightly better with a cable clutch, but I am not a pro. I the hydraulics deaden the feel a little.

 

[walinder2]

For people who are just not getting it or getting started here is what i would recommend reading about clutch
clutch