FZ1 Clutch vs Kawasaki Ninja 250R Clutch Observations

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r1guy88

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Kawasaki Ninja 250R Clutch: smooth, seamless & instant engagement, just dump the clutch lever and the power is already connected to the wheel.

FZ1: vague feel when connecting the power to the engine, slow engagement time, letting out the clutch when the revs are under 2500rpm results in a "shaky feeling", dumping the clutch at over 2500rpm will feel abrupt give the same result as pre-mentioned.

Thoughts anyone?
 
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none...except how can you even begin to compare a 250 to a liter bike....:poke:

but then I skipped the 250/400/600/750's and went for the 1000cc so I guess that I'm probably not the best candidate to comment.
 
BroHay said:
none...except how can you even begin to compare a 250 to a liter bike....:poke:

but then I skipped the 250/400/600/750's and went for the 1000cc so I guess that I'm probably not the best candidate to comment.
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I can only compare bikes that i've owned -_- lol. I take it that clutch shifting on a 4 cyl litre bike is considerably slower than a 250 or that maybe kawasaki bikes have better clutches? :confused0024:
 
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Yeah. I got to jump into the camp of "How can you compare a 250 with 20hp on a good day.... with a liter bike?" .:eek5:

Yes you can dump the clutch on a 250 and it will feel smooth. 150hp at the crank will react quite a bit different. You will need a softer more skilled touch to make it smooth between shifts.
 
Osup said:
Yeah. I got to jump into the camp of \\"How can you compare a 250 with 20hp on a good day.... with a liter bike?\\" .:eek5:

Yes you can dump the clutch on a 250 and it will feel smooth. 150hp at the crank will react quite a bit different. You will need a softer more skilled touch to make it smooth between shifts.
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Intriguing. :+1:
 
A little bit of feathering goes a long way instead of shift and whack it.....I may just have to go test ride a 250 so I can experience your delimma....

Adam
 
BroHay said:
A little bit of feathering goes a long way instead of shift and whack it.....I may just have to go test ride a 250 so I can experience your delimma....

Adam
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Not all 250's have good clutches, one example is the 07 Hyosung GT250R; the clutch on that was like :waiting: lol..
 
The 09 ninja 250r has an excellent clutch, it may just be because its a 250 and I haven't had the chance to ride a zx10r or a z1000 but my guess is they will have excellent clutches also. But clutch aside the FZ1 is a great motorcycle with the pro's significantly outweighing the con's.
 
I haven't had a "250" anything in over forty years, but you simply can't compare the bulk of a litre bike's internals with with petite internals of a bike 1/4 it's displacement. Try to imagine the ease a 50 lb. human can turn vs. a 200 lb person. The laws of physics simply take over. I've had at least a dozen litre/litre plus bikes and I'd say the FZ1 has one of the best clutches in the business especially considering the H.P. and torque it puts out. Go out and try a V-Rod or an M109R if you want to experience a clutch that's difficult to launch smoothly. You'll be re-evaluating what's smooth and what's not.
 
I came from riding cruziers around and the clutch kinda feels like my Honda Sabre did. The Sabre didn't have a shudder but it did take a bit to engage kinda gave it a nice soft feel but ya know i could still get the front tire up if i pinned the throttle and dump the clutch as fast as i could but like i said it still had a really soft engament on a take off
 
My humble opinion

I don't like the clutch operation on my 08 FZ1. I have had bikes of all sizes so it not a cc thing. The lever has way too much travel. It's a long reach for two fingers and if you adjust the cable a little loose it doesn't release with my fat fingers and gloves on the grip. Typical Yamaha, the WR/YZs are this way, the cheep fix was to use Kawasaki KX levers they fit the perch but the pivot point and cable hole are farther apart. Thinking of going to the Pazzo or ASV levers does any one know if this will solve my problem, do they have a little less travel ?
 
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yes the Pazzo's can address the reach issue --

I've got a set on the Gen I and I've been trying to dial it in to get the perfect spot and still allow proper disengagement when shifting w/o having me reach so far --

Adam
 
WarBaby said:
For what it's worth...standard Pazzo levers on my Gen II = no issues for me.
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:+1: The Pazzo is so much better than the stock clutch lever. I always felt like the reach was too far and I don't even have small hands. Plus the Pazzo looks great:

njfz1-albums-njfz1-s-bike-picture250-img-0751.jpg
 
Kawasaki seems to have mastered smooth shifts but Yamaha's powerplant is as refined as anything in the business. With a little bit of seat time you'll forget about the clutch, shifts, and possibly the Ninja.
 
NJFZ1 said:
That's the long. I don't like the way the short lever feels in my hand.
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Figured it was, but it was hard to tell on there website, but your pic gave me a size prospective, comparing it to the hand grip. I think I'll get the long also. I always cut them off on dirt bikes, but like them a little longer on street bikes. Thanks for the pic and opinion!
 
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