Fred Armbruster, founder of Billetanium R/D, designed and produced a bulletproof hydraulic clutching system for most dirt bikes and ATV’s. Made with 7075 Aerospace aluminum, the Billetanium hydraulic clutch is a long lasting unit designed for easier clutch pull and improved clutch control.

After one ride using a hydraulic clutching system from another vendor the pull rod (part that connects the slave cylinder to the clutch release arm on the motor case) broke due to its weak design. Upon further investigation he noticed that it was only a bicycle spoke being used as a pull rod! Fred decided it was time to design the Billetanium slave cylinder. He used a CAD program to design the slave cylinder to ensure precise tolerances and long lasting quality. Fred used a stainless steel hex adapter for the pull rod, which is about 4 times as thick as the bicycle spoke design. The slave cylinder is CNC machined from 7075 aerospace aluminum with the body and internals being hard anodized.

Fred starts assembling the slave cylinder by installing the o-ringed hydraulic piston into the cylinder, then the end cap is screwed onto the slave cylinder. The end cap features a heim joint to prevent binding when the clutch is pulled in. On the top of the slave cylinder a bleeder valve is installed and on the bottom a 90 degree fitting (–3AN Fitting) which the hydraulic line is screwed in, to accept the stainless steel hydraulic hose. The rear end of the slave cylinder gets a flexible rubber cap installed to keep debris out.

After the slave cylinder is assembled Fred sets it in his “bleeder jig” and installs a Galfer braided stainless steel, teflon lined hose to the 90 degree fitting and on the other end a fully adjustable Magura master cylinder and lever is installed. Fred then pours type F automatic transmission fluid into the master cylinder and bleeds the entire system via the bleeder valve on the slave cylinder. After the system is fully bled the master cylinder cover is installed. That’s all there is to it, a very simple design with extraordinary clutch performance!

Being that the system comes completely assembled and pre-bled, installation is a snap. On a TRX250R you start by removing your plastic along with the old clutch lever and cable. Then you need to drill the stock clutch release arm hole one size bigger to 13/64th’s to be able to accept the pull rod hex adapter. Next an aluminum slave cylinder bracket needs to be installed by removing the top two front bolts from the left side case (stator cover). Line up the bracket with the holes and reuse the stock bolts to secure the bracket to the case cover.

The Billetanium system is ready to be installed. Start by feeding the slave cylinder down from the top of the steering stem (same route as the stock clutch cable) and run it down to the mounting bracket making sure the stainless steel braided hose will not bind when you turn your handlebars. At the handlebars, secure the Magura master cylinder and lever to the bars in the same position as the stock lever. The front of the slave cylinder is mounted to the already installed aluminum bracket via the heim joint with the provided nut and bolt. On the rear end of the slave cylinder you need to screw the pull rod hex adapter onto the end of the piston rod which extends out of the slave cylinder. The last step is to slip the pull rod hex adapter into the clutch release arm in the same spot where the stock cable is connected. Adjustments can be made with the nut on the hydraulic piston end between the slave cylinder and the pull rod hex adapter. Adjust the nuts until there is a slight amount of free play in the clutch release arm (appox 1/8 inch). You can also use the lever adjust knob to set the lever closer or farther from the handlebars depending on rider preference. Again a simple design and a simple installation!

How does it work? One word: AMAZING! Being so used to a cable clutching system, which requires a decent amount of pressure to pull the lever, our first impression of the Billetanium system was that it felt "mushy" since it was incredibly easy to pull. You can literally pull it with your pinky finger with virtually no effort. After getting used to it being so easy to pull we fell in love with the Billetanium system. We also noticed that the use of a hydraulic system greatly improved traction and control at the rear end. It allowed us to get a better sense of where the clutch was "grabbing" and how hard the clutch was working. It seemed to bite the clutch disks with much more force than with a cable and allowed us to get a stronger holeshot with less feathering of the clutch.

The complete ready to install system retails for $399.00. At first we thought that it was a bit over priced, but after using it for less than an hour we quickly changed our minds and decided it’s a MUST HAVE MODIFICATION! You can order the Billetanium hydraulic clutch system direct from Fred at Billetanium or from select Billetanium dealers. Call Fred today, we guarantee you'll be happy you did!