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clutch questions

TOOWHEEL

New member
hi sat. i was in a slow bike control class where we used clutch gas and brake at the same time i had smoke and burning smell.i have 2003 r1150rs w/93k.is the clutch shot?anyone know how much dealer charges for replacemnt?thanks for any input! brian
 
Yikes, these Beemer dry clutches REALLY don't handle that type of abuse well. If you were smelling it it was abuse. At the dealer, clutch replacement could easily be north of $2,000. Parts for a DYI, done right is around $500-700. Far from a beginner job, but easily doable if you're mechanically inclined.

Hopefully you still have some life left in it. Mine's >110k mi. and at last measurement (pull the starter) it still had 40% of the usable friction material remaining. If it still acts normal, keep riding until it slips in the higher gears with a roll-on at the torque peak. If you're curious, pull the starter to have a look. Wear limit is 4.5mm IIRC
 
BTDT Similar course last year.
The instructors gave everyone a heads up prior to starting regarding this issue
The trick is to keep the revs lower than you would with a wet clutch and don't do for an extended period of time.
I also took a few breaks and went on cooldown runs.

You are most probably fine, all the dry clutch participants in my course were.
 
did you ride the bike home? did the clutch operate as it normally would (in spite of any funky smells)?

if both answers are "yes", you're fine... until those 2 answers change to "no'.

most likely you ate up some clutch life, but did not kill it.
 
+1 on that. Don't mess with it unless it starts to slip, in 5th or 6th gear, steady loading like going up a hill. If it doesn't slip then you're good. You may have decreased the life of the clutch some, but no good way to tell that right now.

I have used my 94 RS for many ERC classes I have taught, and ridden it in the Wisconsin UBBC (Ultimate Bike Bonding Course, cop course for civilians) and my clutch did just fine. All depends on minimal slippage. Throttle up and steady, use the back brake to control speed and smoothness, balance.
 
This is from the BMW Brochure for the 2013 R1200 RT-P

The primary difference between the two designs is that the dry clutch operates at the end of the engine crankshaft before the primary gear reduction. The wet clutch design operates after the primary gear reduction. Meaning, that for a given RPM on a dry clutch design, the same RPM on a wet clutch design will be turning that wet clutch surface approximately half as fast (feet-per-second at the plate surface). Conversely, if you have been trained to ride a wet clutch motor, you will need to greatly reduce the RPM on the dry clutch motor to keep from over-heating it. How long would any wet clutch last if you grey-area slipped that clutch at 5,000 rpm?
 
This is from the BMW Brochure for the 2013 R1200 RT-P

The primary difference between the two designs is that the dry clutch operates at the end of the engine crankshaft before the primary gear reduction. The wet clutch design operates after the primary gear reduction. Meaning, that for a given RPM on a dry clutch design, the same RPM on a wet clutch design will be turning that wet clutch surface approximately half as fast (feet-per-second at the plate surface). Conversely, if you have been trained to ride a wet clutch motor, you will need to greatly reduce the RPM on the dry clutch motor to keep from over-heating it. How long would any wet clutch last if you grey-area slipped that clutch at 5,000 rpm?

Isn't the 2013 still the dry clutch ?
 
I believe it's meant for those motor officers coming off a Harley who are used to the wet clutch. Further in the brochure BMW says they will warranty the clutch for 12 months.
 
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