|
THE
BROCK DAVIDSON
"BDE HAYABUSA CLUTCH CUSHION
SYSTEM"
By Dan Lenc "Lenc Brothers Racing"
 Ok
tough guy (or tough girl). So you went out and bought a shiny
new Hayabusa. It looks great, goes fast as all hell, and is
everything you ever wanted in a sport bike. The question is,
how are you going to ride it? If
your plans include taking it down to your local drag strip,
you're going to have to consider some clutch modifications to
make the quickest laps you can. Everyone knows the stock Hayabusa
clutch is adequate for everyday street riding, but try for an
aggressive drag launch and Dr. Jeckyl becomes Mr. Hyde. The
clutch chatters, grabs, spins the tire, and before you know
it, some kid on a 600 just beat you to the timing lights. To
avoid this extreme embarrassment, you decide that you must have
a clutch mod on your new ride. But with so many choices out
there, which one is right? Hopefully we can give you some insight
as well as help out your thought process.
On to that in a
minute. First, a little background on our test vehicle. Our
race bike is the perfect machine to push a Hayabusa clutch to
the limit. It's the 2001 Lenc Brothers Racing Suzuki Hayabusa,
built for the 60" Pro Sportbike class at Maryland International
Raceway and Rockingham Dragway. It has a 1397cc motor, and a
progressive nitrous system on board so it should have enough
horsepower to really test the clutch system. With a 60" maximum
wheelbase limit, it gives test rider Jeffrey Lenc all he can
handle at the drag strip.
After experimenting
with a few different clutch mods, and even a lock-up clutch
with mixed results, we sought out some professional help. It
came in the form of Brock Davidson of Brock Davidson Enterprises.
Brock is well-known and respected in the drag race scene and
was the first Streetbike Shootout rider ever to break the seven
second barrier. What you may not know is that his company is
at the forefront of developing trick aftermarket parts for Suzuki
Hayabusas and other late model sport bikes. One of his most
popular creations is the "BDE Hayabusa Clutch Cushion System"
and is the hot ticket for those of you who wish to flog your
'Busa at the track. This kit, which consists of the BDE Clutch
Mod and BDE Clutch Cushion Kit improves performance in a few
critical areas, which we will attempt to show you.
When considering
a clutch mod the question most often asked is; How easy is it
to install? While the kit looks slightly intimidating at first,
it pretty much comes down to this: If you currently change your
own clutches, you should be able to handle the installation
of the BDE kit on your own. If someone else does the work on
your bike, then its probably best to have them do this modification
for you.
 The
kit installs fairly easily if you are familiar with your wrench
set. We're not going to go into details here, because Brock's
directions are very thorough. The Complete Kit consists of the
BDE Clutch Mod (A modified Genuine Suzuki part) an Aerospace
technology red cushion ring, BDE "Load Control" clutch springs,
various spacers, and a six-position billet Lever Cam for the clutch lever.
The
cam lever knob replaces the stock knob, and allows the clutch
"engagement" point to be adjusted. This is particularly useful
since the hydraulic clutch cannot normally be adjusted adequately
to compensate for drag style clutch wear. With six points of
adjustment, rider Jeff Lenc found it to be the best part of
the kit. "I'm very picky about my clutch lever feel, and this
cam kit really lets me fine tune where the clutch grabs," Lenc
stated.
Notice
in the photograph the "Clutch Mod", used in conjunction with
the Clutch Cushion Kit. In talking to Brock, he was very adamant
that his kit can be installed on a true "stock clutch" and work
just fine in street applications. The piece shown is
Brock's "clutch mod" featuring a very clean weld holding the
two pieces together. This part is required if you're going to
install the Cushion Kit in your bike. It does require sending
your core stock piece in to BDE after the assembly of your new,
unit to receive a core refund check or credit on your account.
Now for the rest
of the kit. The BDE kit really shines because it offers flexibility.
The complete kit comes with everything you need. (If you run
an MTC lock-up unit, BDE part number S13-CCK-MTC is required.)
Since our test bike employs an MTC multi-stage lock-up clutch
with a billet inner hub we decided to stay with it and add the
BDE component parts. This would seem to be the way to go with
nitrous(or turbo) installed on a high horsepower bike, but Brock
says he already has some very fast customers who have Hayabusas
with no lock-up clutch. After putting the BDE kit in, they have
gotten twenty to thirty runs out of a clutch, even when spraying
nitrous! Indeed our test vehicle went almost forty runs without
burning one clutch plate. All this with over three hundred horsepower
on tap via the progressive nitrous system.
This is all fine
and good, but what do the numbers say? With 330' times in the
4.0 range before installing the BDE kit, rider Jeffrey Lenc
knew there was some room for improvement. After installing the
BDE kit, 330' times dropped into the 3.9 range. With ET's in
the 8.70's and speeds between 165 and 170 miles per hour, the
clutch has held up well to repeated beatings. "The overall feel
of the clutch is the key to this kit," says Lenc. "Between the
adjustable cam lever, and the increased stiffness and smoothness,
it really makes the clutch act and feel like a cable clutch."
One word of warning
however, don't be disappointed if your times at the track don't
drop as soon as you install this kit. The increased stiffness
may take a little getting used to, and until you find that sweet
spot on your clutch lever, you may actually see worse times
at the strip. Stay with it, and you will be rewarded, because
once you get used to the set-up you will see marked improvements
in your time slips. The other big thing you will notice is
that while your elapsed times will improve they will also be far
more consistent.
When you're ready
to step up and get serious about your Hayabusa's clutch performance,
it's easy to see there's only one solution, the BDE Clutch Cushion
Kit system. For street or strip this clutch kit has it all -
flexibility, ease of installation, compatibility with any stock
or lock-up system, and affordability. At $199.95 (part number
S13-CCK) the price won't stress your wallet. Additionally, the
"Clutch Mod" costs $139.95 (part number S13-CM) with the core
returned ($219.00 if you don't send the core back) and is well
worth the extra dollars to really have a complete "clutch system"
installed in your ride. Please note, the Clutch Mod can be installed
independently but the Clutch Cushion Kit requires installation
of the Clutch Mod.
BDE
Clutch Cushion Kit
Price: $199.95 (part#
S13-CCK)
Clutch
Mod with
core returned
Price: $139.95 (part # S13-CM-WC)
Clutch
Mod without core returned
Price: $219.00 (part # S13-CM-WOC)
Ask Brock for special system pricing by purchasing the
Cushion Kit and Clutch Mod together
For more information, or to order the BDE clutch kit, contact
Brock Davidson at 937-427-9187. You can also e-mail sales@brockracing.com,
check out Brock's website at www.brockracing.com
or reach Lenc Bros. Racing at 201-491-4018 or e-mail dvlracer9595@aol.com.
See you at the races!
|
