Rekluse clutch questions, tips etc needed! :)

Hey Canuck. I can offer some advice. My 390 has a zstart.

I use my stock clutch cover with the thicker gasket. If you buy the billet cover you use the stock gasket.

I initially used the standard settings, but went to the quick engagement setting after riding it for a bit. Otherwise it was a bit abrupt at low rpm. The revs would pick up without the clutch engaging, and when it did engage it was awkward in slow, technical terrain. It made me look like a rookie rider too!

If you can install a clutch, you can do the Rekluse. I'm no wrench, but it went fine. Read the instructions through beforehand. Rekluse has them on their site if you want to review them before your clutch shows up. I also looked at some demos on YouTube.

The kit does not come with friction plates. You can use their thicker steel plate to adjust for worn frictions, but if they're too far worn you'll need new ones.

One down side of the Zstart is that your clutch feels like a wet noodle, with next to no resistance and vague feel. It's like it's 50% air. You get used to it quickly, but it's still a bit of a negative, especially as I use the clutch getting over log crossings and bigger rocks on my 390. Maybe it's not an issue for you though.

Where are you from Canuck? We must be within 6,000 km of each other if we're both in Canada!

Let me know if I can be of any help. I really like having the zstart. It prevents stalling, and that's nice to have, especially on my 390 where it likes to be in neutral to start, and that's hard to find.

Captain,
What year is your 450? I was looking at probably the same clutch you won. Looks like 09 and up take the RMS827. Don't know what is different in the kit. I ran a stock cover with the thick gasket on my 300xcw for 5 years with no issues. The Rekluse cover does look trick however! I just found one cheap on ktmtalk so we can compare notes in a couple of weeks.

mikec

I just checked their manual so I'd be using the correct phrasing. Stock recommendation is medium engagement RPM, and softer engagement rate. I went with low engagement RPM, which is the different spring, and soft engagement rate. The spring was the big difference. Like I mentioned, with the recommended settings it was very awkward when it first engaged. You looked like a rookie. The bike would have to rev up to maybe 2,500-3,000 rpm, and then it would engage fairly abruptly. Just like a newbie rides! So awkward in technical sections, and not very smooth. It's perfect with the low rpm engagement.

Sarnia is only a little more than 3,000km away! (And I'm guessing you work at a refinery or chemical plant?)

Good luck with it. Don't hesitate to drop me a line if I can be of some help. The install went well for me. Just take your time, and use a torque wrench and loctite where it's called for.

Cheers.