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2016 Versys 650 ABS, assist/slipper clutch?

10K views 51 replies 10 participants last post by  Kris 
#1 ·
I recently purchased my Versys, new, and I’m not sure if it has an assist/slipper clutch. I’ve read through lots of forums and have tried to google specs but found nothing to confirm whether it is equipped or not.
Owners manual makes no reference either.
Just curious as I’m a slightly experienced, novice rider.
Trying to refine and adjust my riding experience.
Thanks.
 
#2 ·
No slipper clutch on the Versys. That's more of a sport/naked bike thing. Not really necessary on a bike like the Versys.

 
#3 ·
First I have a 2015 and installed a slipper clutch from a Ninja 650. There is a thread in this forum.https://www.kawasakiversys.com/threads/slipper-clutch-lighter-clutch-lever-pull-assist-slipper-clutch-gen3-versys-650.222541/#post-1639401

According to this ;Kawasaki Versys 650 Review Test Ride | MotorBeam
The 2016 has a slipper clutch, easy way to tell is to downshift several gears under a controlled environment, good traction on a straightaway , be prepared to pull the clutch in. I do alot of engine braking, with the original clutch I have dropped down too fast and broke traction on the rear. I love the slipper clutch, my understanding is this is standard on all 2016 and newer Versys 650, why make two clutches?
 
#5 ·
I guess you didn't read my post above. 2016 ABS 650 on has a slipper clutch
 
#7 · (Edited)
I have 2018 Versys 650.
How much I understand that slipper clutch (when I translate from english to my language) that also affect on hard acceleration.
I know to ride hardcore sometimes motorbike and i change gears only on 8000 rpm (after many km on low speed 80km/h or less i ride motorbike really hard 2-3 km)
and when i shift from 4-th gear on 8000 rpm to 5-th gear rpm stay on 8000rpm and very small acceleration, and than boom (i just say boom i don't hear nothing), I have feeling that bike get hard acceleration, like after 1 second of slipping clutch , clutch finally get connected 100% than rpm go down and you get full power again.
Now i have that on brand new motorbike after 6000km normal ride, I try to see how fast I can accelerate with them and that is first time that I see that. shift from 4-5 rpm are same and after 1 second of slipping i get hard acceleration.

Correct me if I am wrong
 
#14 ·
It is ridiculous that Kawasaki did not fit the slipper clutch to Versys 650. Even Versys 300 has one, without needing it. I fitted in the past Ninja slipper clutch to Vulcan S, so it can be done. But it is not worth the expense. The only benefit is the easier pull on the clutch lever (3 springs). When you downshift, you are supposed to slow the bike down, or rev-matching, anyway.
 
#21 ·
I like it for the lighter lever pull but most importantly for sport riding. A lot of time when setting up corner speed, I roll off the throttle a bit and drop a gear vs braking.
The slipper clutch's inner rubber dampers absorb 'shock' to the final drive and prevent any lack of traction or wheel hop.
You are correct, you dont 'need' a slipper clutch but I really like it for my needs and am glad that more and more bikes have it as a standard feature now.
 
#20 ·
Short answer we don't, something like why do some people need a center stand. Would I change back to the regular clutch-NO , something like the flash, I see a big difference, some feel there is no need on the MK-3. My money my choice.
 
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#24 ·
so, I did transfer slipper clutch from my Vulcan S to Versys. The clutch does feel lighter. I don't think that changing to a slipper clutch really justifies spending the money, but it is still nice to have... Did someone mention here that the slipper clutch helps acceleration? How could that be?
 
#27 ·
I don't think we need a slipper clutch. it is a marketing thing. the regular clutch works just as well, and it is proven to endure all the beating. I installed the slipper clutch because I had it spare on the bike I am going to sell.

it is like with mobile phones: they all the time invent something new, but the phone works as it was 5 years ago. the only benefit from slipper clutch I see is the lighter lever pull; 3 spring instead of 5. however, there are slipper clutches on the market out there with more springs too. it is funny that they put a slipper clutch on Versys 300 (which does not need it at all) and not on 650. since around 2016, they did not change anything, as far as I am aware of, in 650 apart of adding gear indicator on the dashboard. which is fine with me, but they could at least add engine heat indicator or something of that sort...
 
#28 ·
The main benefit a slipper clutch offers is not locking the rear wheel when down shifting and braking aggressively. I have on many occasions locked the rear and slid. Rain, sand on pavement, gravel, dirt... I’ve been lucky/skilled enough to regain control. One of these days...

The lighter clutch pull is an added benefit that I’d certainly appreciate when navigating city traffic.
 
#31 ·
I recall reading something about rubber damping and the slipper clutch. The slipper clutch has a tapered casting, at a certain forward force, it forces the basket to turn forward and actually release pressure on the clutch plates , which causes the clutch to slip until that forward force is reduced.So if you had the bike in say 2nd gear and tried bump starting, it may not work, the force may be great enough to cause the clutch to slip. So my guess would be to bump start in say 3rd or 4th gear.
The rear sprocket is actually rubber dampened, forward or rearward force is cushioned through a series of rubber inserts, my first time with the 07 getting the tire changed I felt a bit stupid, the bike shop mechanic removed the rear sprocket by hand and the inserts, I looked on like I knew what I was doing and was a bit embarrassed..
 
#33 ·
locking the rear wheel is the least of the concern, and it can hardly happen; unless you downshift from 5 to 2nd gear. who is doing it anyway? it is the stress that you put on the transmission that is the problem. in fact, the slipper clutch does s..h to diminish this issue. you still need to slow the bike by braking, or do rev-matching before you aggressively downshift. the slipper clutch is just a marketing scam. they put it recently even in small cc bikes, for no reason whatsoever. the only benefit I see is a slighter clutch lever pull, but it is not that noticeable. I changed my clutch to a slipper, just because I had it on another bike. my, advise to those who consider doing it, don't! save money for other things
 
#34 ·
locking the rear wheel is the least of the concern, and it can hardly happen; unless you downshift from 5 to 2nd gear. who is doing it anyway? it is the stress that you put on the transmission that is the problem. in fact, the slipper clutch does s..h to diminish this issue. you still need to slow the bike by braking, or do rev-matching before you aggressively downshift. the slipper clutch is just a marketing scam. they put it recently even in small cc bikes, for no reason whatsoever. the only benefit I see is a slighter clutch lever pull, but it is not that noticeable. I changed my clutch to a slipper, just because I had it on another bike. my, advise to those who consider doing it, don't! save money for other things
And you are so very wrong!

I had a close call yesterday due to braking and downshifting. Damp road, slightly downhill, braking to stop, downshifted from 4th to 3rd and didn’t get the engine speed matched well enough (yes, I’m a less than perfect human and had been riding in poor conditions for 2 hrs). The rear wheel lost traction and slid sideways 30 to 45 degrees very quickly and smoothly. I recovered by releasing both brakes, pulling in the clutch, regaining rear traction and straightening out the bike. I was able to stop just short of the car in front of me by braking hard on the front and hoping for the best traction. Thankfully I’d left a good distance between the car and myself. The engine never stalled, so I didn’t lock the rear, I just asked it to do more than it could.

ABS might have prevented the slide, but a slipper clutch would have. Of this I have no doubt.
 
#36 ·
do you really think that slipper clutch saves lives? it does not. its purpose is to reduce the stress on transmission if one is engine braking too hard, mostly for beginners. no one has ever reported avoiding an accident due to having a slipper clutch. as least nobody that I heard of...
 
#37 ·
do you really think that slipper clutch saves lives? it does not. its purpose is to reduce the stress on transmission if one is engine braking too hard, mostly for beginners. no one has ever reported avoiding an accident due to having a slipper clutch. as least nobody that I heard of...
Never had anyone suggested such a thing. Well, not until you did.

I FULLY understand what a slipper clutch can and can’t do. And I’m well aware of my riding skills. I can’t speak to your knowledge, except for what you’ve posted here...
 
#41 ·
Actually, something of that sort is written in the great book, 'Proficient Motorcycling'. The idea is first that you cut off the engine inertia; at this point, as you press the brakes, there is not much of an engine braking, but rather engine wants to pull you forwards. also pressing clutch, prevents the rear wheel from locking. Second, at the point of coming to stop, you can already downshift, helping to get away from a potentially dangerous situation. Best is rolling the throttle-pressing the clutch - downshifting - braking -- all done simultaneously. i am actually learning how to downshift while braking in all situations. Some say that downshifting helps to brake, but this does not make sense in emergency braking as there is simply no time.

but here is the youtube video where the person says similar things.

 
#42 ·
Actually, something of that sort is written in the great book, 'Proficient Motorcycling'. The idea is first that you cut off the engine inertia; at this point, as you press the brakes, there is not much of an engine braking, but rather engine wants to pull you forwards. also pressing clutch, prevents the rear wheel from locking. Second, at the point of coming to stop, you can already downshift, helping to get away from a potentially dangerous situation. Best is rolling the throttle-pressing the clutch - downshifting - braking -- all done simultaneously. i am actually learning how to downshift while braking in all situations. Some say that downshifting helps to brake, but this does not make sense in emergency braking as there is simply no time.

but here is the youtube video where the person says similar things.

Yes, I agree with you, especially downshifting in an emergency to be in the proper gear to shoot out of trouble if you need to.
Anyone ever ride a 125cc 2 stroke DIRT BIKE in tight single track woods or hare scramble situations? Very narrow power band and light flywheel weight, in technical terrain they can stall in a heartbeat. You are always cognizant of engine rpm, gear selection, brake sliding into turns while downshifting, fanning the clutch and steering into a rocky uphill switchback...MULTI-TASKING.
Riding dirtbikes all of my life, it has been ingrained into me that if you really grab the brakes (not casual slowing) you automatically grab the clutch and immediately downshift a gear or two to compensate for the lower engine rpm. That's also why when riding in traffic I don't lug the motor, I'm always a little higher in the rpms above casual cruising so I am able to maneuver quickly if needed. I have been cut off or merged into far too many times.
 
#43 ·
I recently purchased my Versys, new, and I’m not sure if it has an assist/slipper clutch. I’ve read through lots of forums and have tried to google specs but found nothing to confirm whether it is equipped or not.
Owners manual makes no reference either.
Just curious as I’m a slightly experienced, novice rider.
Trying to refine and adjust my riding experience.
Thanks.
Just a follow up, this thread started about the slipper clutch, progressed to the point that questioning why install a slipper clutch. Well it was never a debate for me, what I would question is why Kawasaki installed it on the Ninja 650, as the motor and transmission is identical to the Versys. For those disagreeing, yes the troque curve and HP are different as the cams on intake and exhaust are different, otherwise the same. To me there never was a debate , I chose to install it and am happy. Yesterday came back from a 450KM ride, purposely dropped down 2 gears and engine braked, nice smooth , hit around 7000 RPM . FYI just in case someone says something, the rev limiter is electronic, from the ECU, I don't think it is possible , but again I don't intend to try dropping into first at 130KM/HR to see if I can exceed red line with the slipper clutch. I think I would need to be around 8000 RPM when I let the clutch out on the downshift.
 
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#44 · (Edited by Moderator)
the old clutch system works very well and is well proven. I have a regular clutch on Tiger 800, and it does not bother me a bit. the slipper clutch is just a marketing thing or something for beginners. I do appreciate a lighter clutch lever though. as I mentioned before, it is like with mobile phones. they don't know how to entice people to buy their new phones so they invent all kinds of crap.

Do you know who invented the marketing or advertising? it was the nephew of Freud, Edward Bernays. He convinced people that fluoride is good for the teeth, because some factories were afraid of being sued, so they hired him. And he convinced women that smoking is good for them; it was called torches of freedom. He was a complete a**.

So now, all the bike companies want to invent something new, like cornering ABS and whatnot, the suspension that you can control electronically. One more thing that can break down! I met a guy whose Ducati showed engine error, just after leaving the showroom! I do like to have ABS, but all the rest, no, thank you very much.
 
#45 ·
the old clutch system works very well and is well proven. I have a regular clutch on Tiger 800, and it does not bother me a bit. the slipper clutch is just a marketing thing or something for beginners. I do appreciate a lighter clutch lever though. as I mentioned before, it is like with mobile phones. they don't know how to entice people to buy their new phones so they invent all kinds of crap.

Do you know who invented the marketing or advertising? it was the nephew of Freud, Edward Bernays. He convinced people that fluoride is good for the teeth, because some factories were afraid of being sued, so they hired him. And he convinced women that smoking is good for them; it was called torches of freedom. He was a complete a**.

So now, all the bike companies want to invent something new, like cornering ABS and whatnot, the suspension that you can control electronically. One more thing that can break down! I met a guy whose Ducati showed engine error, just after leaving the showroom! I do like to have ABS, but all the rest, no, thank you very much.
Sounds like you are a expert, I find it hard to believe someone would spend time and effort to design a slipper clutch as a marketing ploy to sell motorcycles. As to a beginner, I can only speak for myself, @quexpress suggested I might really like it,since he was the first to post it on the forum. At 70 I wouldn't say I am a beginner , but @Kris you seem to know a lot, so before I had a 07 Versys, non ABS , some close calls, does my 2015 ABS 650 really need ABS braking, probably not, but like the slipper clutch, it reduces the chance of losing traction on the rear wheel while braking.

If both features were optional, say for a additional $500 , after having both , I would spend the $$$.

Same as the ECU flash, the original fuel map works fine for many, for me , the new flash makes my bike perform like a totally different bike.

My bike my money, a beginner, well I have gone down 3 times now, I have well over 200,000 KM so far on motorccycles in my lifetime ( 30% on dual sport bikes like the DRZ400s), of that , roughly 40% on Versys 650.
Something like a buddy I worked with use to say, if you aren't bleeding you aren't working, that was a comment he made when he came back from the hospital, wait, he also said there are more stitches where those came from, that was after he went off the roof of a school portable while stringing communication cable as a electrician, something like 7 stitches, and he was back at it, not quitting time yet.
 
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#46 ·
@Kris

FYI Slipper Clutches have been fitted on most high displacement four stroke road racing motorcycles since the early 1990s, Moto GPs, etc.

Many sports bikes such as Kawasaki zx10r 04+, Kawasaki zx6rr '04, Kawasaki zx6r 05+, GSXR 1000 '05+, etc., etc.

… a marketing thing for beginners LOL??? o_O
 
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#47 ·
well, I do have a slipper clutch on V650. Because I replaced it with the one I installed on Vulcan S from Ninja 650 (from the Vulcan I am selling). Ok, there are some benefits to it. But are they worth the price and all the hassle? I don't think so. And not, I am not an 'expert', (who is?) but just use common sense. What is the use of the slipper clutch anyway? Not to stress the engine if you downshift too abruptly? Who is doing it anyway? Slipper clutch will not save you from stressing the engine, it is just slightly helping. One is meant to slow the bike, or do rev-matching before going to lower gears.
 
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