Rev-Loc Automatic Clutch

Rev-Loc Automatic Clutch

CW EVALUATION

Clutchwork made easy

ONCE IN A WHILE, WE STUMBLE UPON a product that defies convention, that breaks the rules, that somehow pulls off the impossible. Rev-Loc’s Automatic Clutch does all those things-and more.

Available for a growing range of twoand four-stroke dirtbikes, the Rev-Loc uses a standard clutch pack (stock friction/metal plates) and a modified basket that accepts a unique pressure plate containing a complex collection of ramping ball bearings. Centrifugal force does the rest. The unit sells for $995 (plus a $300 core charge), and depending on the set-up, you can still use your bike’s handle-bar-mounted lever to disengage or lock up the clutch.

We tried the Rev-Loc on a Honda XR400. Installation was straightforward, akin to swapping out a clutch basket. At first, riding the bike was strange because the Rev-Loc does all the work for you. In fact, take-up is so smooth a beginner could hop on and ride away. Underway, roll off the throttle in any gear, then goose it or baby it, the clutch doesn’t care. The bike keeps chugging along. You can’t stall it, no matter how hard you try.

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Rev-Loc 2763 Blake St. Denver, CO 80205 303/292-1366 www.revloc.com Price $995 A Better than you at clutchmanship A Drops right into the cases A Great for Beginners and Pros owns V Pricey v Can~t see it v Gotta get used to it

It’s best to ride a Rev-Loc-equipped bike as if it were outfitted with a conventional clutch, keeping the transmission in the proper gear for the situation. That said, rolling into a corner a gear high and getting on the gas a bit earlier sure made for quick exits! You’d think the extra slippage would cause premature wear. Not so: After 1000 miles, the Rev-Loc still looked good, no worse than a stock clutch with the same time on it. If your left hand needs something to do, Rev-Loc has a lever-actuated rear brake ($160). This may help overcome the clutch’s downhill freewheel effect; ordinarily, you’d use engine braking to help slow you down.

There is some weirdness. If you’re lugging along at low rpm in top gear, for example, the clutch will slip until engine revs come up. Also, if you’re at full throttle while climbing a hill, you’ll need to blip the throttle in order to bang a downshift. You can disengage the clutch manually, but only at a lower rpm, as the force at higher revs is too powerful for your hand to counteract. The Rev-Loc only presents a real disadvantage on insanely steep hills, where the bike is at the brink of flipping over. At that point, releasing the throttle (to slip the clutch and stop the bike from flipping over) isn’t natural-or an option.

Overall, the Rev-Loc works so well you could race motocross with it (hey, no more left arm pump!) and any trailbike would benefit from it. You can still pop the clutch manually to lift the front wheel, so there really isn’t a drawback in terms of everyday riding. If there were an award for off-road product of the year, the Rev-Loc would win hands-down.

Or should that be hands-off!