A Unicorn named Clyde
When I first started riding, lack of clutch control was the bane of my motorcycle existence. If there was one thing that could have caused me to fail my motorcycle exam it was that one elusive skill, I was the stall out queen ie. my slow maneuvering clutch skills totally sucked. But I made it through and ended up with a bike with the ultimate in soft pull clutches, the Kawasaki Versys X300. I got spoiled on that clutch.
So when I decided to sell the Versys and set off on my new bike, the Yamaha XT250 I realized that there was just one thing standing between almost perfect and Unicorn status for me and my little XT. You see the Yamaha XT250 had everything I had been looking for.
I've always gravitated to the more dirt bikey look and feel. As a new rider along with my build at 5'6 105lbs, the XT was the answer. Weighing in at 291 and with a seat height of 32.5", it meant a real chance at being able sling that bike around a bit. Even with only 20 hp It felt zippy for me.
With 11.4 " ground clearance, 52 " steering radius (hello trials like bike!) and being a frugal fuelers dream at an impressive 80 miles to the gallon I knew it fit my ADV Bike needs...except the clutch.
After about a week of slow maneuvering clutch practice in my back yard I had shooting pain from my left hand all the way up my arm to my neck. Was I just a wuss? Would my clutch hand eventually get use to it? Would I hang my head and join the ranks of the recluse clutch riders, not the ones that use a recluse to do cool stuff, the ones who have to settle for a "sort of rider" experience. Not happening.
So I started to do a little research. First off I found many options to buy that were quite expensive. After digging in a little deeper I found that you just might be able to soften your clutch with and easy $1 mod...so we went for it. This mod lightened my clutch lever by 50%!
All I can say is my Yamaha XT250 is back up to its original Unicorn status, at least for me. He has earned the name of my would be ultimate partner in crime...Clyde.
Check out this two part video, its an easy breezy clutch mod with a little family mayhem to boot. Let us know how it turns out for you!