Hydraulic Clutch

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pastorbuck
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Hydraulic Clutch

Post by pastorbuck »

Hey, I've been thinking about buying a Magura hydraulic clutch. Has anybody here made that mod? If so, what do you think of it? Thanks.
cornishwrecker220
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Hydraulic Clutch

Post by cornishwrecker220 »

I fitted a magura hydraulic clutch to my 220 this year & it`s great, it`s silky smooth operation & adjustable lever means i no longer suffer from forearm/finger cramps which i did when i used to ride the more technical stuff...if like me you ride tight woods etc then you will love it ..it`s not cheap but if you fancy one then you wont be disapointed :grin:
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Re: Hydraulic Clutch

Post by kdxtreme »

Buy a msr pro raptor clutch lever less pull than the hydraulic one even lighter than the ajp on my gas gas which I thought was pretty light compared to the brembo on my ktm or the magura on my tm.
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pastorbuck
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Hydraulic Clutch

Post by pastorbuck »

I know this post is a year old, but I thought I would give an update. I did buy the Magura clutch and have been running it this whole season. So far, so good. It was easy to install and does what it claims, which is to give you approximately 20 % lighter pull than the stock clutch lever and cable. I like it alot. It's super smooth and I can use one finger all day. I know it's a little pricey, but for someone who rides as much as I do, I think it's worth it.
chkdx
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Re: Hydraulic Clutch

Post by chkdx »

Thanks for the update, that's good info to know.
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Re: Hydraulic Clutch

Post by Bitteeinit »

A second resurrection... I'm assuming the lever that comes with it standard lengthy? Anyone know if there's a way to add a shorty lever? I see some levers advertised as shorty fr magura on ebay, but the pictures make them look like a standard lever. Also, I don't see them anywhere on the magura site. I'm a sucker for shorties as it makes me instinctively only use two fingers, whereas I find the big levers awkward as they tend to bang my remaining fingers on the handlebars, or the leverage is poor and I need more fingers etc.
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Hydraulic Clutch

Post by thirdgenlxi »

I'm glad I saw this..... was just thinking about this the other day. Was out riding with a buddy on a KX-250 and he had yet another clutch cable snap, after just having one snap on the same bike a few months ago when we were out riding (luckily both times we were in a good spot where he could ride back pretty easily). He was talking about going to a hydraulic clutch so he wouldn't have to worry about the cables anymore. I too am thinking about it as a lot of the stuff here is tight technical stuff and I clutch a lot..... my left hand gets to hurting on some of these trails, lol. Glad to hear it's working well and worth the $$ :grin:
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SS109
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Post by SS109 »

Two cables that close together? Either some really cheap cables or it sounds like someone needs to make sure their cables are lubed regularly. I have never had a clutch cable fail me even with the Dyna-Ring and it's resulting heavy tension on the cable. It was so much tension that I broke two clutch covers by using the clutch yet never the cable. Something is really wrong there.

Eh, I guess I'm just not sold on the whole hydraulic clutch. My Gas Gas was hydraulic and I've ridden plenty of KTM's with them and they felt no better to me than a good, and properly maintained, cable/lever/perch setup. For me, it's just more that can go wrong (KISS principle), it cost more, adds more weight, and takes up more space on my bars.
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Bitteeinit
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Re: Hydraulic Clutch

Post by Bitteeinit »

Actually they're apparently much lighter than standard cable clutches. I agree that two cables breaking is a sign of something else... I've only had one a snap in about 6 years of off-road riding. Carry a spare with my now. If a branch gets caught in your magura, you wouldn't be able to fix it on the trail and you'd be in for a pricey repair... But I hear the cables are braided and tough, so if properly ziptied out of the way breaking shouldn't be a problem. Just check for leaks before every ride I guess.

I'm surprised you didn't like them SS. Every report I've read says it gives you way more control, and whenever I feel a friend's KTM hydraulic it feels so easy to pull...

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thirdgenlxi
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Post by thirdgenlxi »

Ohhh I agree.... I told him he's probably got a bracket bent and it's pulling the cable to one side and chafing it.... if I had to take a wild guess. I had that happen on my street bike before, bent the little bracket holding the cable until it was centered, and never had a prob with it again. But I think besides not having to worry about cables, a lot of it is the same reasons as me.... we ride a lot of tight technical stuff, him even more so than me as he does a lot more of the goat trails, lol
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Re: Hydraulic Clutch

Post by SS109 »

Bitteeinit wrote:I'm surprised you didn't like them SS. Every report I've read says it gives you way more control, and whenever I feel a friend's KTM hydraulic it feels so easy to pull...
Eh, I just didn't notice that much of a difference. Well, not enough of one to make the switch, anyway. To each their own, I guess! I would rather keep my cable clutch so I have more room for a LHRB. That's my next on-the-cheap project! :mrgreen:
thirdgenlxi wrote:Ohhh I agree.... I told him he's probably got a bracket bent and it's pulling the cable to one side and chafing it.... if I had to take a wild guess. I had that happen on my street bike before, bent the little bracket holding the cable until it was centered, and never had a prob with it again. But I think besides not having to worry about cables, a lot of it is the same reasons as me.... we ride a lot of tight technical stuff, him even more so than me as he does a lot more of the goat trails, lol
Yup, sometimes it's something simple like that that will cause a problem. BTW, I love riding tight and technical stuff. Never had a problem with my MSR AOF clutch perch/lever and Motion Pro clutch cable when riding the hard stuff but that's just me. I know everyone is different.
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Re: Hydraulic Clutch

Post by Tyl3r »

SS109 wrote:Never had a problem with my MSR AOF clutch perch/lever and Motion Pro clutch cable when riding the hard stuff but that's just me. I know everyone is different.
When I first got my last KDX, I immediately wanted a Magura on it, the clutch pull sucked. Then a buddy recommended the AOF clutch perch/lever and to lube the cable regularly. I did that and couldn't believe how much smoother it was. I ran ATF also and thought that was helping with the clutch pull as well, but I'm not so sure that really did, I may have just imagined it. My current KDX is running some bel ray 80w I believe right now with the same AOF and a lubed cable, and it is smooth as butter. Two buddies that I normally ride with have KTM's with Magura's. We ride each other's bikes all the time, when someone gets off mine, they always comment on the couch seat and the smoothest clutch pull. Mine feels smoother to me than theirs, but hey, as SS said, to each their own :butthead:
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rhody_romes
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Hydraulic Clutch

Post by rhody_romes »

Reviving this thread again. I just bought a Magura Hydraulic Clutch and am a little confused about how to install the slave cylinder. I bought the model for the KDX200 but the doesn't seem to reach the actuator arm. In the picture below I am positioning the cylinder where it would fit into the bracket. I know I still need to remove the return spring.

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cornishwrecker220
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Post by cornishwrecker220 »

With an adjustable spanner open up its jaws & attatch it to your clutch arm ( around the wider part where it goes in to the clutch cover )

Use the spanner to activate the arm moving it toward your magura pull rod.....the connecting part of the clutch activation pivot will now reach....attatch magura rod to pivot then release the clutch arm to its original position & remove adjustable spanner.....

Now go ride & enjoy ! :supz:
rhody_romes
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Hydraulic Clutch

Post by rhody_romes »

cornishwrecker220 wrote:With an adjustable spanner open up its jaws & attatch it to your clutch arm ( around the wider part where it goes in to the clutch cover )

Use the spanner to activate the arm moving it toward your magura pull rod.....the connecting part of the clutch activation pivot will now reach....attatch magura rod to pivot then release the clutch arm to its original position & remove adjustable spanner.....

Now go ride & enjoy ! :supz:
Thanks! I will give it a try.
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rhody_romes
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Hydraulic Clutch

Post by rhody_romes »

That look about right? I know I still need to clip the spring.

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dlundgren
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Hydraulic Clutch

Post by dlundgren »

I know this is an old thread, but I'm curious how the Magura has held up over time? I'm installing one on my KDX220R.
cornishwrecker220
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Hydraulic Clutch

Post by cornishwrecker220 »

Mine has been on for many years now & never given me any trouble at all....I've since installed a Wiseco clutch basket & Barnett HD clutch plates & springs.... The pull on the clutch lever is slightly harder than with the standard clutch but the operation is still silky smooth with a two finger pull. :grin:
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