Low Effort Clutch Perch/Lever..

[Edray]

My clutch pull on my narrow case 250 has been super heavy, and it seems like all the ducatis that i've tried that don't have hyd. clutches are the same..since a wrist injury and old guy arthritis, i wasn't sure i could i could really actually ride.. i've even been turning down rides on my buddy's 72 750GT !!!, damn..wasn't quite sure i could ride vintage bikes again..
i was down in L.A. and checked out my buddys Yamaha WR250X supermoto, he'd gotten a super smooth low effort clutch perch/lever that was silky smooth..a young guy manufactures them for stunters..yeah, those guys.evidentally they need them for their stunts, sensitive clutching and all....
http://www.righteousstuntmetal.com/domestic/levers.html
well, got one and can't be more pleased... it reduces the effort by half(?) and is really smooth. beautiful fabrication and finish..he machined a bigger bore to acommodate the big barrel end on the stock cable, but i'm sure you could use a different end to use his stock sizes, but he'll machine your size.....
best part is while working on my lever, Josh mentioned that he also does brake side levers for cable actuated brakes.so can now have matching levers...so ordered, he has a 3-4 week wait on this stuff.
i got the XL lever ,the longest..the 6" ..
here's pix:
http://edray.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Du ... 0275-M.jpg
http://edray.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Du ... 0271-M.jpg
certainly not as elegant as the stockers, but if i have to compromise? i think this is a great alternative (for me,and my bike..)
cheers

[Bevel bob]

I had the same problem,bike came with Brit steel levers/perches with a distance of 27mm between perch pivot and cable nipple centers. Far too big for effective leverage ratio. I purchased some ally scrambles levers and got 2 pairs cheap. I redrilled the levers to about 16mm centers , This made a very light clutch with not enough lift. I changed the clutch plates for a set with thicker but less plates and spent time getting the clutch to lift evenly. Sorted. Looks a bit odd though.

[Jordan]

Some bikes (eg Norton, Harley-Davidson) used over-centre clutch action, which didn't make the initial movement easier but took less effort to hold in.
Norton did it by using a diaphragm clutch spring, H-D by having a mechanism with an auxilliary spring.
Such a thing might help. A device that could be mounted discreetly somewhere on the cable run is something I've been thinking about.
Other options for a lighter clutch action:
- Increase friction surface area. Add more plates (in pairs). Might need to reduce thickness to fit.
- Increase clutch lining material for one with a higher co-efficient of friction. I use cork on some of my old bikes - nice light action - but can catch fire if slipped excessively.
- Mount clutch on crankshaft. Higher speed means less torque and smaller clutch. Not practical usually, but my old MZ had a nice light compact clutch.
- Increase diameter of clutch. Not practical usually.
- Optimise clutch cable routing and lubrication. Often very effective, avoiding sharp bends and not restricting movement too much by strapping too closely to frame tubes.

Jordan