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.