Clutch cooling?

[Talmadge_W]

This past weekend I had the pleasure of getting stuck in true stop & go traffic for about four miles. Only made it out of 1st gear twice for maybe 3 mins. total. Thanks to synthetic oil and a rare Texas cold spell (only in the mid 70's!) the engine temp stayed reassuringly low so I chose to spend my time wondering how long before the clutch turned to lava from the slipping and melted through the bottom of the case.

Can anyone out there comment on the design mechanism for keeping a dry clutch cool? I had a look through the service DVD but didn't see and obvious way for heat to transfer.

Talmadge
'08 R1200 GS

[MPMARTY]

I just don't slip it much and if stuck in traffic I tend to space out my moves so I go further and then wait a bit longer for the traffic to move ahead of me. It is also legal here to lane split and I do that a bit too.

[rbertalotto]

And don't forget that nuclear catalytic converter sitting just below the transmission........Amazing amount of heat in stop and go driving. I removed mine just for this reason.

[cookie]

And don't forget that nuclear catalytic converter sitting just below the transmission........Amazing amount of heat in stop and go driving. I removed mine just for this reason.

When you removed the converter did you notice any difference in power, fuel economy, temp? Isn't there a catalyst monitor which would turn on the check engine light? I know aftermarket exhaust systems don't include cats if you get the complete bolt on. Aren't you afraid you will harm the environment, watch out for the clean air police. California has toyed with the idea of a smog check for motorcycles, I think it failed this round but the discussion will be back, there is money to be made for the state.

[rbertalotto]

zero change in performance and I also added an aftermarket muffler. My bike is a 2004 R1150RS.

My temp gauge doesn't move now in traffic jams. Where it used to move up a bar.

No emission issues where I live .

On my web site:

http://www.rvbprecision.com/motorcycles/bmw-r1150rs-custom-exhaust-system.html

[Ludell]

Can anyone out there comment on the design mechanism for keeping a dry clutch cool?

Clutch discs will dump their heat to the flywheel and pressure plate once engaged, which is why it is wise in stop-and-go to wait for long enough gaps to fully engage as previously posted. Every car and truck I have ever owned with a manual transmission, which was most of them, vented the clutch housing to the outside air so you could smell the disc getting hot. I don't know about BMW boxers because I am still waiting for my R12R. Did you smell anything?

[Talmadge_W]

No hot odor or any other signs of problems really. Just a question that had never come up before so I got curious. Living in an urban jungle where motoring at a walking pace on the Interstate isn't uncommon I thought I'd ask.

Talmadge

[mistercindy]

Two solutions:

Ride on the shoulder in 2nd gear and ~20 MPH.
Use my 12GS for its intended purpose and ride over the grass and curb to the access lanes.

:D

[henzilla]

No hot odor or any other signs of problems really. Just a question that had never come up before so I got curious. Living in an urban jungle where motoring at a walking pace on the Interstate isn't uncommon I thought I'd ask.

Talmadge

I lived in that particular jungle of Houston many years and mapped out routes that kept me OFF the Interstates...especially when any weather/sporting/rush hour event gridlocked the Interstates. There are lots of paralelling main roads and some not so known ones as well. I made better time and did not worry about being run over or overheating me or the bike. Sometimes the A-B freeway fastest way is not the fastest way. One route from Hobby airport area to downtown only had me crossing a freeway twice and I always beat my sis-in law that drove her car from the same area on IH-45 and worked in my building.

Also, even though most MSF courses tell you to keep the bike in gear, I would roll , put in neutral to disengage the clutch, and as mentioned wait until a bigger gap to move 20 feet. It didn't happen often for the reason I mentioned above at the top of this post. When I lived in Austin, I rarely if ever had to Interstate it.