My initial Rekluse Impressions

[95jersey]

So I installed a Rekluse 2.0 in my 2014 Gas 300 the other day. Saturday I was able to take it out for the first ride. Just so we are all on the same page, this is the Core EXP with the full basket and Rekluse adjustable slave. I set the gap per the manual and everything functioned 100% on the first attempt.

The purpose of my buying this product was because I am a hare scramble/enduro racer and we often ride 40-65 miles of pure tight bar banging single track. Often it is very tight for miles and you are just crawling along in second gear. It gets extremely tiring, and I am constantly feathering the clutch for miles at a time. So, I thought, why not try a Rekluse and I can focus on riding the not worrying about trying to keep the bike from stalling.

A couple things that I noticed which I was a little disappointed. All the write ups I read, stated that the clutch lever still works and feels as OEM if you decide to use it as such...wrong!

First the clutch pull is much harder (I mean noticeably harder). Rekluse response to this is that you no longer need to use it so it is irrelevant. I will get back to this later.

Second, you can not rev the bike while in gear with the clutch pulled in. Even with the clutch pulled in 100%, the bike still moves forward and engages. So no motocross style starts or building revs for a massive clutch dump. Rekluse has a way you can adjust the slave to get around this, but then that causes the clutch to constantly slip, dramatically increasing clutch wear and also reducing rear wheel power. So this is advised against.

Third, since the Rekluse is slipping slightly at low speed, it takes some of the bottom end grunt out of the bike.

In all the Rekluse write ups I have read, I don't recall ever hearing about these drawbacks.

Now, how does this effect my style of riding?

I am a hare scramble/enduro racer (not a pro or A rider by any means), but I am aggressive and are focused on maintaining momentum. I ride in fast sandy single track. There are no rocks, so even the tight stuff can still be done in 2nd/3rd with some clutch work. It is more like mini-motocross racing without the big jumps. There are big berms with steep lean angles, tons of roost and fast large whoops (think J day). I often enter a corner the same way an old school motocrosser would...hard on the brake, dragging the rear to rotate the bike, revs up, then a dump of the clutch to pull you out of the turn.

I immediately noticed I was not able to do this with the Rekluse. If you rev the bike, it will move forward, screwing up your angle of attack. If I pull in the clutch it helps a little, but it still moves forward and I can no longer get that dump the clutch snap point and shoot control.

It wasn't until I installed the Rekluse did I realize how much I was modulating the clutch in the turns to get the perfect amount of rotation and slip in order to get the rear wheel placed. Never thought about it, just 2nd nature.

Now there are MANY MANY faster riders than me who swear by the Rekluse, but I personally found it very challenging and just could not get the bike to turn. I felt much slower and could just not rail turns like I could with a standard clutch.

So, with the above stated, I could just continue to modulate the clutch in the corners (with less feel), BUT doesn't that negate the entire purpose of the Rekluse? And I could never deal with that hard clutch pull for long. If I were going to continue to modulate the clutch, why would I want to deal with a significantly less sensitive clutch that is 5x harder to pull? Seems damned if I do and damned if I don't...

I am going to get more seat time on the bike with the Rekluse and are HOPING it is just an adjustment phase, and that eventually I will get to that "ah ha" moment where I "get it" and can adjust my riding style. But I have a race in less than 6 days as of right now, I am down from my usual pace and confidence.

[bkwdc]

Gotta get that freeplay set right. Get the 3.0 ring upgrade. Use 3 lighter internal springs and heavier wedges. I can rev mine to the moon in second, then dump the clutch. Corner and tight woods modulation is just as easy as original clutch.

[Fred1956]

Originally Posted by bkwdc

Gotta get that freeplay set right. Get the 3.0 ring upgrade. Use 3 lighter internal springs and heavier wedges. I can rev mine to the moon in second, then dump the clutch. Corner and tight woods modulation is just as easy as original clutch.

+1 I can do MX starts with no issues. I agree there is a loss of low end 'snap' but the trade offs are well worth it to me. The later versions are much improved over mine (I have the Core EXP 1.0)

[Moto7man]

Originally Posted by bkwdc

Gotta get that freeplay set right. Get the 3.0 ring upgrade. Use 3 lighter internal springs and heavier wedges. I can rev mine to the moon in second, then dump the clutch. Corner and tight woods modulation is just as easy as original clutch.

Ditto. Mine will rev to the moon with the clutch pulled in and the clutch pull is the same as stock. Once your setup is correct and your adjust your style your corner speed will increase and you can even syncretize your old and new style.

[ScottyR]

Sounds like it is set up wrong, but I will admit, I am a slower rider with the Rekluse than without.

[wrench]

I have no personal experience with the rekluse but most of my friends swear by them, A riders to trail riders.

However, I would suggest that you switch back for your race then use the time between to the next race to get the rekluse and you riding style dialed in together.
I would agree that you have a set up issue as several of my friends have mentioned similar complaints until they tweaked it "just right".
As with any mod, you have to give up something to gain something, you will probably have to adapt your riding style ever so slightly. All my buddies with one have made this adaptation, and said that once it was setup right, they only had to make slight adjustments to their style.

[firffighter]

As mentioned, specific setup to your taste is key. I've had 3 bikes with a Rekluse now and each behaved differently and took slight adjustments to get to my liking. When idling and in gear, your bike should be slightly wanting to creep forward without actually moving. I have also heard the 3.0 is a significant improvement over the 2.0.

They all DO act a bit like a flywheel weight and can make your bike feel less zippy. Crisp linear jetting is key when running a Rekluse it seems.

Hope you get it dialed in to your liking. Hate to say it, but after having the Core Exp and now, the Z start Pro, I prefer the Z start Pro. Wish they'd make it for the Gasgas.

[desertgasser300]

Originally Posted by firffighter

As mentioned, specific setup to your taste is key. I've had 3 bikes with a Rekluse now and each behaved differently and took slight adjustments to get to my liking. When idling and in gear, your bike should be slightly wanting to creep forward without actually moving. I have also heard the 3.0 is a significant improvement over the 2.0.

They all DO act a bit like a flywheel weight and can make your bike feel less zippy. Crisp linear jetting is key when running a Rekluse it seems.

Hope you get it dialed in to your liking. Hate to say it, but after having the Core Exp and now, the Z start Pro, I prefer the Z start Pro. Wish they'd make it for the Gasgas.

What is it about the Z-start that you prefer?

[95jersey]

Spoke with a Rekluse rep and I think it is an OEM Master Cylinder problem. I have been through 2 of these AJP MC and this one may be failing as well. This would explain why I am not getting free spin when I pull in the clutch.

[CACTUSREID]

I HAVE THE CORE EXP 1 IN MY 11 EC300, AND HAD SOME GROWING PAINS AS WELL WITH THE ENGAGEMENT HIT ETC. I SWITCHED OUT THE STOCK WEDGE WEIGHTS FOR THE HEAVIEST SET THEY MAKE START OF THIS YEAR, AND NOTICED A HUGE IMPROVMENT! i HAD IT SET TO LOW RPM ENGAGEMENT AND HARD HIT ALL ALONG, BUT NOW WITH THE HEAVIER WEIGHTS THE BIKE JUMPS OUT OF THE CORNERS JUST ABOUT LIKE A NON REKLUSED BIKE. MY CLUTCH PULL IS STILL VERY SOFT,SO I THINK YOU MAY HAVE SOME SEPERATE ISSUE THERE. bUT GOOD ADVISE, PLAY WITH THE CLUTCH AND SET IT UP WHEN YOU HAVE TIME ON YOUR HANDS, AS THEY DO TAKE A WHILE TO GET THEM FIGURED OUT, AS YOU CAN MAKE THEM PREFORM MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.