Need for speed

A whole section dedicated to the Suzuki Burgman
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Red Dog
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Current Ride: Suzuki Burgman 400z
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Need for speed

Post by Red Dog »

If I ride my Burgman 400 really slowly, like between 5 and 10 MPH, does the clutch slip?

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roadster
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Re: Need for speed

Post by roadster »

In one sense it does but its more like engaging and then disengaging repeatedly. There have been cases of premature wear and also overheating issues if people regularly ride at dog-walking pace or if they are frequently stuck in up-hill slow moving traffic because of their commuting route. Racers sometimes modify the spring rates to induce abnormal amounts of slip for a quicker take-off but for them more frequent maintenance is not a problem. You should be able to feel the speed at which your clutch releases by the sudden loss of engine braking as you slow to a stop. In normal use clutch lock-up is practically instantaneous and friction surfaces get very little wear.
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Red Dog
Posts: 216
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2016 9:07 pm
Current Ride: Suzuki Burgman 400z
Location: Hinckley Leics

Re: Need for speed

Post by Red Dog »

Great reply thank you. There is a definite and obvious clutch release point during engine breaking.

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Data
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Re: Need for speed

Post by Data »

The B400 clutches whether 3 or 5 shoes on the 2007 onwards bikes lock up at around 15mph. They disengage at a similar speed depending on how fast you are slowing. As suggested you can feel the engagement and disengagement points. At 5-10mph it never locks up ever, it just slips. So care needed to avoid overheating the clutch. If in traffic it's best to allow the cars in front to get ahead a little in the que and then power the bike away as usual to allow at least some full lock ups, rather than just slipping it all the time. This helps to dissipate the heat from the bell.
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Red Dog
Posts: 216
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2016 9:07 pm
Current Ride: Suzuki Burgman 400z
Location: Hinckley Leics

Re: Need for speed

Post by Red Dog »

Data wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 5:36 am The B400 clutches whether 3 or 5 shoes on the 2007 onwards bikes lock up at around 15mph. They disengage at a similar speed depending on how fast you are slowing. As suggested you can feel the engagement and disengagement points. At 5-10mph it never locks up ever, it just slips. So care needed to avoid overheating the clutch. If in traffic it's best to allow the cars in front to get ahead a little in the que and then power the bike away as usual to allow at least some full lock ups, rather than just slipping it all the time. This helps to dissipate the heat from the bell.

Thank you.

I kind of got used to powering away smartly in my pre Dr pulley era when my scoot suffered from shudder as the clutch engaged.

Dave Weller
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Re: Need for speed

Post by Dave Weller »

IMHO, best to get the clutch engaged as quick as possible, get up to national speed limits then back off to minimum throttle needed to maintain speed for best ecconomy.
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