Kawasaki ZX-10R Forum banner

help launching without frying clutch

3K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  tone.r 
#1 ·
ive had my 07 just long enough to break it in. friday night i went to the local strip, where i had 5 passes with a low et of 6.9... i have a 6in. stretch, full exhaust, bmc filter and pc, lowered and strapped. im a big guy and im not expecting much less time than tha for now. however, in preparing for the track i had a few practice launches @ 6 or 7000 rpms, and i found myself bogging down from dropping the clutch. at the track i was leaving @ a higher rpm and slipping the clutch longer. i wasnt bogging down but my buddies were telling me that i shouldnt have to leave with the rpms so high, so the next day i was practicing again @ 6000 slipping the clutch pretty long and after about 6 tries my clutch was gone. i had hoped that it was just hot but no, they arent grabbing with any throttle. now, the question is how can i avoid doing this again. is there any specfic technique or product i could buy that will prevent this? id appreciate any help or advice.
 
#2 ·
You need to gear it. Dont know your weight but i say go 1 down/ up 4-5 in the back. My 10 was setup similar to yours. I would go WOT before the clutch was out. Dump it dont slip it. The bikes long. It not gonna flip over. 1.50 60 foots that way. Leaving at 6500 rpm. But like i said. I would go WOT before clutch came out.
 
#3 ·
I launch bikes around 6-7k rpms and dont have a problem(not the 14 though, i lower the rpm). After you slip the clutch you need to to be out of it and at WOT as soon as possible. Dont still be slippin the clutch for any long period of time. I try to be out before or around the 60foot. Also let the bike cool after your pass. Making pass after pass is a sure way to burn up that clutch. From my expierence(dont know if im just hard on clutches) but the zx10s just dont seem to have long clutch life. peace
 
#4 ·
You should also lean your bike to the right so you lube those clutch plates. Dont feel bad about burning up the clutch cause thats what happens when you learn how to launch your bike at the track. One more hint is to take your oil cap off to cool the case down between passes.
 
#5 ·
first change your oil! whenreplacing your clutch spray some parts cleaner in the pan to wash out any crap. {old clutch fibers} Now Brock's and schnits sell stiffer clutch springs and Ihighly recomend them. they will not allow top end slippage witch will toast a clutch quick. Talk to dewayne at cycle concepts and get cha a new clutch and some stiffer clutch springs.
 
#6 ·
i already ordered a new set and i have a set of sprockets (-2+2). thats the perks of workin at a dealership you break something and can fix it in a few days. the clutch springs sound like agood idea. can you get them from orient express?
 
#8 ·
how much do the clutch springs generally cost to install?
 
#9 ·
i wouldnt think a shop should charge much over 2 hours of labor, but it would be pretty easy to do yourself. btw i found some brocks "spacers" for thirty bucks(which seemed to just be thick washers). but i think im gonna go with some barnett springs or orient express springs, whichever i can get in first. then ill hit the pavement again and try to keep these a little longer. thanks for the tips and if there are anymore let me know
 
#11 ·
well i changed out the clutch plates and sprockets today. mainly the front and rear plates were the ones that were worn. the steels looked real bad but most of the fiber plates didnt look too bad. i changed it all anyway. got in 6 passes tonight. leaving at 7500 and not slipping very long. i had pretty good success. no bogging and kept the slipping down to a minimum. my times werent much better but im still progressing. i kept my 60 foot down in the 1.70s all night but only got my et to 6.84. i think im still bullshitting out of the hole. i let my boy have a pass and he ran 6.40. but he is also over 100 lbs lighter than me. once i get my holeshot down i hope for 6.60s til i get my new head, cam and air shifter in. i need to work on making sure im 100% throttle on the launch. i think thats whats slowin me down. but we have an all bike day sunday and ill have plenty of passes to get it down.
 
#12 ·
What tire are you running?? Long bikes need very sticky tires or you just waste your time spinning. Get a Shinko or a very sticky track day tire like a Super Corsa. My bike went 9.40's with a Shinko and guys run 8's all the time with them. I've noticed with the long 10's you need to be giving it gas before you let the clutch out to keep from bogging.
 
#15 ·
im still ridin on the stock qualifier till its wore down. after that its shinko all the way.
 
#17 ·
You will be so surprised how much better a Shinko is over a stock type tire. I was in your shoes 2 yrs ago. I streched and slammed my bike but still ran the stock tire. It did nothing but spin and i only ran 10.0's. I was like WTF?? With the right tire i was able to get to WOT without slipping the clutch and first pass was 9.79. ran nothing but 9.70-80's all day. My bike sent up like yours eventually went 40's-50's like clockwork. IMO ditch the stock tire asap.
 
#18 ·
yeah im gonna get one but not till i get my moneys worth out of the qualifier. plus too i still use this as a street bike is so changing the tire that often isnt something i want to do till ihave to
 
#21 ·
i get shinkos under 100, i just dont want to get rid of the stock tire tll its dead. i definately dont want the drag tek. but out of curiosity how much are they?
 
#24 ·
Just an update. Last Sunday I had a best time of 6.47 @ 117 mph I finally got it dialed in launching at 10000 rpms. I know its high but it works. I got my 60 ft. Down to 1.59 and I don't have to slip the clutch. Next week I'm installing an air shifter and I hope to get down around 6.2 and then I'm gonna put a light rider on it are how far in the 5 second range it can go. Ill keep yall informed when I see what happens
 
#25 ·
Hey ncstuntstar.... whats the deal with the paypal payment?:dontknow:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top