[Jaggu]

I got back into motorcycling after about a decade and my first bike was a Triumph Street Triple 675, this bike was my daily commuter and one thing i didn't enjoy was the hard clutch that it came with. Stuck in Bangalore peak traffic and working on that clutch to inch forward was a horrible feeling, i started wearing a touring glove to get over this pain and that reduced the pain on the palm to an extent. Moved onto the Tiger Xrx and it definitely had a lighter clutch and since the touring glove became a constant companion i was quiet ok. Time went by, traffic got worse on my daily commute route (thanks to some grand flyover plans) and i was soon reminded of the pain in the palm lol That is when i saw a fellow Triumph rider posting pictures of a small triangular box that is attached to the clutch cable and claims to reduce the clutch lever effort by 40% atleast.

Got in touch with Madhan the fellow Tiger rider from Bangalore, the gentleman who created this device and is now selling it to interested enthusiast bikers. He promptly shared a video as well as details of the product, and i assured that i would get back to him soon! As usual the soon is never too soon, so much so that few of my friends beat my lazy behinds to the product... and i kept postponing the dates again and again.

Finally this weekend i decided that its time to get in touch with Madhan and get this sorted for once and for all. A dear friend and myself rode to Madhan's house yesterday evening and got the Easy Clutch fitted and i kid you not, this was the best 2800 INR i spent on this bike. Madhan personally helps in installing the device though it actually is one of the simplest thing to do if you can understand what is the difference between flat and star screw head



Fitting is simple:

Step 1: Remove the OE cable from the handle end, yes you need to loosen the cable to get it out.

Step 2: Open the easy clutch cover using the small allen keys that is provided.

Step 3: Attach the small cable that came with easy clutch to the clutch lever, adjust the play so that easy clutch lever and easy clutch attachment inside is activated to the full.

Step 4: Attach the OE cable at the other end and adjust the cable slackness to specs.

Comes in 3 shades for now, silver, black (the one i got) and an orangish shade for the KTM fans. The small cable that you see will sit at the bar end instead of the OE cable.



And this is how the OE cable is attached. Neat markings to ensure there are no confusions. Notice the small roller bearings to keep it absolutely friction free, and those two small cuts on the sides? that is to drain water and should face downwards once installed.



Finally this is how the final installation looks like. This is the position for most of the bikes, though some models of Royal Enfield needed the positioning to be at the gearbox end than at handle bars.



Finally the pack comes with spare cable, cable tie and the small alen key if one needs to open the device. This can be kept along with the tool kit of your bike. Yup there is ample documentations for those who would want to do DIY's.



Short video on how effortless this device makes the clutch lever to operate. Before i would need minimum two fingers to de-clutch and now even my lil finger is able to activate the lever!

https://youtu.be/kpmRFPIYiAY

First impression after about 20 kms in traffic, makes the bike feel like a clutchless one lol. It needs getting used to since the feel of the heavy left hand is gone and one tends to release the lever too fast. I think i would be fine in about a day or two. But the biggest difference i think is the effort needed to activate clutch has been cut down closer to 60% (Madhan claims 40%), atleast from the feel perspective.

Some detailed info regarding the product (that Madhan had shared with me earlier) is attached at the end and has the contact details.

Disclaimer: Met the creator for first time yesterday, so please don't expect me to make profit out of this post or anyway related to the company lol

Sharing since i felt this was a simple yet robust product that is a boon to folks who commute in crazy traffic OR the ones who do very long touring. This product has been fitted in host of Triumphs, Duke's, Bullets and Kawa Z 800 according to Madhan. Basically only the "bowden cable end" size needs to be adapted for various models, ie if they have a different cable and that can be done very easily if the details are shared with Madhan. NO this won't work for bikes with hydrolic clutch lever!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Tried it on my Versys 650 over the last weekend and it certainly did reduce the effort required to activate the clutch. Very much recommended if the bike is to be used in the city. Felt as light and usable as the clutch lever of a Japanese brand 150cc bike.

I tried it on my bike so that a fellow BHPian friend who was present there could get a feel of how it works. I wouldn't be purchasing it soon as my bike is limited to highway runs and more importantly - I have some higher priority items still pending in my bucket list.

[papaboost]

Wonderful review Jaggu. Looking forward to trying it firsthand. With the traffic now in Bangalore, this would really help ease the strain of clutch use.

[Motard_Blr]

Interesting product. The device does not have any power assistance and functions by increasing the leverage to reduce the lever pull force at the expense of clutch cable travel. This means that even when the clutch lever is fully pulled in, the clutch might be partially engaged. If so, it will make great shifts harder. So I'm not convinced that this product is a must buy.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

The device does not have any power assistance and functions by increasing the leverage to reduce the lever pull force at the expense of clutch cable travel. This means that even when the clutch lever is fully pulled in, the clutch might be partially engaged.

This is where setting up comes (step where most time was spent), if there is too much slack the clutch is not activated fully like you mentioned correctly. Me being paranoid did the adjustment myself and after 2-3 tries now activation is fine with some minimal play at OE cable. This took a little more time somehow on my friends bike, since it has a wider explore handlebar. I did compare the travel of the clutch activation lever at engine side and it is moving as required on my tiger. Unlike the cheaper Chinese products here right cable travel range has been determined while designing the device.

This is my understanding ^

EDIT: if the bike has a central stand, setting up is easy since one can see if there is drag at the wheels, by engaging gear at idle and pulling in the clutch lever.

[wanderlust]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

That is when i saw a fellow Triumph rider posting pictures of a small triangular box that is attached to the clutch cable and claims to reduce the clutch lever effort by 40% atleast.

Thanks for sharing Jaggu: I assume this does not interfere with the small switch in the clutch lever assembly that enables starter when the engine is in gear and clutch is depressed (or vice versa, prevents start of the engine when it is in gear).

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by wanderlust

Thanks for sharing Jaggu: I assume this does not interfere with the small switch in the clutch lever assembly that enables starter when the engine is in gear and clutch is depressed (or vice versa, prevents start of the engine when it is in gear).

Ofcourse not or how will the bike start.

One just removes the OE cable and attach the easy clutch cable at the lever. Take the OE clutch cable and attach it inside the easy clutch pivot. Check the pics above and you should get an idea.

That's about it. No other part is touched or harmed in this process

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

That is when i saw a fellow Triumph rider posting pictures of a small triangular box that is attached to the clutch cable and claims to reduce the clutch lever effort by 40% atleast.

Can this be retrofitted to cars? I'm sure a lot of Fiat customers would want this on their cars.

Jokes apart, I have a couple of questions. I went through the PDF attached and have understood a bit. Please do correct if I'm wrong, but the cutch cable is attached to the hand lever as well as the actual clutch by means of levers on both ends. The Easy Clutch comes into play by altering this arrangement at one end - in your case near the hand lever. Now here are my questions -
1. If the ease of using it has been reduced, shouldn't the travel of the clutch be increased as well? I'm guessing a finite amount of effort needs to be applied to the clutch, but it is a factor of force you apply on the lever as well as distance it moves. e.g. Like a pulley, lift more loads buy you need a longer rope.

2. The PDF attached shows this pic. Here too the same is mentioned, the green arc is longer than the yellow one, but it is less than the total movement of the clutch. Does this mean that relative to the clutch lever, the bite point has slightly moved?


Thanks.

[srishiva]

It does change the movement range on the clutch lever side, just like any leveraging would do. Guess you need to get used to it too. Maybe, thats the reason they promise improvements on lower side ? If the bite on the clutch side itself is iffy with too much travel needed, it might not help.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Can this be retrofitted to cars? I'm sure a lot of Fiat customers would want this on their cars.

I did not want to reveal too much before it is done, but another friend already has given his car for some R&D lol a logan

1. If the ease of using it has been reduced, shouldn't the travel of the clutch be increased as well?

Yes and remove the excess slack in the cable and it is taken care

Does this mean that relative to the clutch lever, the bite point has slightly moved?

Yes and.....

Originally Posted by srishiva

It does change the movement range on the clutch lever side, just like any leveraging would do. Guess you need to get used to it too. Maybe, thats the reason they promise improvements on lower side ? If the bite on the clutch side itself is iffy with too much travel needed, it might not help.

And most of the big bikes comes with adjustable levers (for various palm sizes) that can vary the bite point. Can adjust the same to retain clutch action. My bike was at position 3 and now i have moved it to 1. Hope this clarifies.

[Sutripta]

Beautifully made and finished, but I agree with

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

functions by increasing the leverage to reduce the lever pull force at the expense of clutch cable travel.

An input displacement/ output displacement graph would be interesting.

A hard clutch is something which keeps a lot of interesting bikes out of my ambit. So definitely interested.

Regards
Sutripta

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

An input displacement/ output displacement graph would be interesting.

Will check with him, i don't think he is in the forum.

Meanwhile another friend got in touch offline and mentioned the product is NOT that great and it makes the gear shift notchy since the cable is not completely actuated like normal clutch lever. I thought i should clarify this in public also, this product needs a bit of of fine tuning (using hands ) while setting up, but it is not that complicated at all. It took me two / three attempts, but i was able to set the bike up very nicely.

My bike does not have a grabby gear, nor it is slipping clutch due to a tight clutch cable. The trick was to get the handle bar cable perfectly set up first, ensure the pivot unit has full travel and the cable is tight as possible. Then adjust the OE clutch cable, keep a finger at the exposed part before the gear shaft to check slackness. I tightened it for zero slack and then eased off about 1/2 to 3/4 turn and it was perfect.

Put the bike on central stand and at idle, started the bike and slotted into gear while holding clutch in. If the wheels are spinning fast then it is sign that the clutch is not fully activated and you would need further adjustment. I did this when engine was warm, today morning i started and engaged gear without any issues like jerking.

[Turbanator]

Jaggu

Even I have ordered one today for my Storm. Hope it works as you have mentioned

[green_ninja]

Simple but interesting product. My only concern with this is that it adds two more points of possible failure on clutch cables which are already prone to failure. Clutch cables for most mass market bikes are simple to find at almost any corner of the country but a cable like this? One may have to carry a couple of those all the time.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by green_ninja

One may have to carry a couple of those all the time.

True like i mentioned the kit comes with a spare cable and tool to open the device and install, which is a very simple 5 minute job.