Mines ordered through blackdogs can't wait !!! Kurt I would appreciate a heads up when your going to start shipping them Cheers Jeff .
Great write ups guys. Just one question tho - whats the difference between the EXP and the "CoreExp Clutch Kit" as being pre offered by KTMTWINS? Is it the external adjustment slave as I cant seem to pick any other obvious differences?
It's the same basic thing. There is only 1 EXP system available for the KTM 950/990. The pic shown on KTM Twins is not the KTM LC8 kit. The KTM LC8 kit will include the NEW Rekluse slave unit. The other CORE EXP kits have an adjuster on the Pressure plate. BOTH use the NEW 2.0 disk system. The CORE systems often have more parts included. (Clutch cover, center hub, steels, what ever is required for that bike)
Hey guys. The picture on the Twins site was the base picture used on Rekluse's site for a bit but just now noticed that they have taken it down for confusion's sake I suppose. We will get more info on that kit as well as a updated picture or pictures when it finally gets released and we can get our dirty little hands on a kit. Looking forward to getting that in one of the LC8's here and taking it out to the hills in Northern Cali.
Hi Guys (and Gals) Rekluse asked us to test fit the new EXP auto-clutch on our KTM 990 Adventure. Already having a z-Start Pro on my Super Enduro, I was anxious to see the new design. I admittedly did not install the z-Start Pro in my 950SE, as I simply ran out of time before leaving for a trip and my local shop has installed hundreds of them, so I dropped it off knowing it was in good hands. Onto this install - most of which was performed my Mrs Black Dog (it is HER bike afterall...) The new EXP clutch promised to be very simple to install with an external adjuster built into the provided clutch slave cylinder. As I understand it, there are several significant advantages of the new EXP clutch as compared to the z-Start Pro: 1. Ease of installation 2. Ease of adjustment both with external adjustment of the clutch plates and engagement adjustment of EXP disc using provided springs. 3. Improved feel of the clutch 4. Ability to quickly adjust clutch using external adjuster to allow for bump starting 5. Ability to quickly adjust clutch using external adjuster to allow for standard manual clutch 6. Less expensive purchase price 7. Inclusion of clutch slave cylinder, saving $180 on aftermarket replacement. Before beginning installation, we confirmed we had the correct type of mineral oil on hand for the clutch fluid. Step one is soaking the EXP disk assembly in engine oil for at least 5 minutes. Installation began with putting the bike on the lift and securing it on the side stand with additional tie down straps to hold it in place. Placing an oil pan beneath the clutch cover took care of the small amount of oil that dripped out of the bike during installation. The top two clutch plates are reused, while the next five are replaced with the EXP disk assembly. Inserting the EXP disk assembly, and the top friction and drive plate, then installing the clutch cover, ensuring the gasket was in good shape only took a few minutes. Next came the replacement of the stock clutch slave cylinder with the Rekluse unit. The spacer needs to be moved from the stock unit to the Rekluse unit. It is pretty much a straight swap over just be sure to clean the area around the stock unit before removing it to be sure no debris gets introduced to the system. The Rekluse product even includes a large syringe and tube to make bleeding the clutch easier. One of the black dogs supervising Be sure to check the engine oil level. We found that break in was critical in getting the clutch to work properly. A bit tough to do given the 15 feet of garage space I had to work with. Our initial test did determine that we needed to swap out 3 of the red springs in the EXP disk assembly with the blue springs, to provide a higher engagement setting. This is a 15 minute job thanks to the very slick design of the spring assembly. Overall the instructions were excellent. We found a few minor corrections and improvements to suggest to Rekluse before they were published for consumers. Giving the break in procedure some more thought, I backed the bike onto the ice in our driveway, where I could smoothly rev the bike up to 5000 RPMs the number of recommended times to break in the clutch. The chatter went away quickly and we were left with an auto clutch that engaged very smoothly and consistently, while maintaining excellent clutch feel. (Sorry, no photos of burn outs on the ice...) All back assembled and ready to go... If the weather holds up I may try to trailer the bike to town where the streets are clear to take it for a proper test ride, but all indications are that the EXP system is an improvement over the z-Start Pro with numerous beneficial features. I am guessing I will be swapping out the z-Start in my Super Enduro for one of these units as soon as the production models become available. If you are interested in pre-ordering an EXP auto clutch for your 950 or 990, you can do so here: http://www.blackdogadvbikes.com/bla...exp-auto-clutch-for-ktm-950-990/275-2095.html I hope that helps. If anyone has questions, please let me know. Thanks for your continued support Kurt
So now that Martha is the resident Rekluse installation expert can you haver her put one in the SE for me?
If you enjoy traveling down that gravel road or giving it your all on some of the hardest trails around, the Rekluse EXP can be you "Secret Weapon" when it comes to smooth and consistant clutch control. Pic by john beck Boulder strewn slides like this become much more manageable when you worry less about miss-using the clutch and going over the edge. See new sights that only smaller bikes could get to before. We just got finished putting the final tests in on the 990 units and they should be ready to start shipping soon. I've got over 7,000 miles on there slave unit and it's a perfect match for this system. Don't let that next unknown stop you. GO Explore! Not only have a I tested it in some of the roughest terrain, but also some of the worst places you would ever want to be stranded. Lonliest Road in the US. HWY 50 Nevada. Now go find some dirt....
Email sent. And to ask what everyone else is thinking (sorry for the hijack) but what are the 2wd frames available for purchase?
Great write ups guys! I have some questions and till now could not get satisfying answers. I'd like to put a Rekluse clutch into my 450 EXC but am not sure which one to buy. My mates use the Z-star pro and are happy. I assumed that the EXP must be better as its newer and costs a lot more (USD 1300 over here). I asked the boyz and they say its designed to keep the clutch lever. And this is exactly what I do not want as the clutch lever will be removed and I plan to brake the rear wheel with the left hand. KTM offers a left hand brake cylinder kit exactly for those who dont use the clutch anymore... Can I use the EXP completely without clutch lever or is it better to go for the Z-start pro (which KTM recommends. Well, its even available through them´and that might be the reason..) PS. I do the slow and hard trails steep up and down, so no MX racing, just pure and hard enduro with tricky sections...
One question: Is the EXP potentially as hard on clutch basket fingers as the Z-Start Pro? I would like to retain the stock basket if at all possible.
Thanks. The z-start pro and EXP use almost none of the same parts. What year is your bike? The 450 setup is differant than the 950/990 setup. You get a new outer preasure plate. That's where the price increase comes from over the LC8 unit. I don't see why the EXP could not be used with clutch lever removed once properly setup. I don't use it all when going slow, just blip and shift. You learn it fast. I use my clutch lever more for aggressive riding when down shifting several gears at once. What ever you could do with a standard tranny "Power Shifting" you can do with the Rekluse. I'm going to dig into this a bit more and see what I can find out for you.
No, Both systems work fine with the OEM basket for 90% of the riders out there, when you start riding hard that's when the Finger tips started to give me issues with the Z-start. - That was fixed with a Billet basket. The design of the EXP put the Rekluse unit further down in the fiber pack. The Z-start pro, put a lot of the drive pressure on the basket tips. We still find many riders start to get grooves in an OEM basket around 40-60,000 miles depending on there riding style and terrain they use there bike it. These grooves start to hang up the clutch system giving them inconsistent performance. That's the reason I'm still pushing to make more Billet baskets. The EXP system is about a 1-1.5 hr install time, much faster than the Z-start pro.
Many thanks cjracer My 450 EXC is a 2010 model, the one which has two seperated oil circuits for engine and gearbox. I read the Rekluse EXP installation guide and the clutch lever seems to be necessary to check the initial setup, but once the clutch is properly adjusted it should be possible to remove the clutch master cylinder and replace it buy a brake master cylinder for the rear brake. Thanks again, Steve
I guess I forgot the get back to the question on the removal of the clutch lever setup with the NEW EXP system vs the Z start Pro.... If you go with the EXP you need the Clutch lever installed to setup up free gain - Stack spacing so it slips properly. Once this is setup, I guess you could remove it, but it's not recommended. If you go with the Z-start Pro, you can remove the clutch lever, as the spacing is setup internally with the steel disk thicknesses. Sorry for not saying that in my earlier post.