I have been trying to learn how to wheelie on my 2003 stock wolverine and people are telling me that there is a clutch on it. They say for me to put it in first but hold the gear up then rev to about half way and then drop it in to first. Is this really a clutch because i think that the only thing that it is going to do is kill my transmission.

 

yeah that's about all you will do is ruin your transmission, yes there is a clutch on it, it's an auto clutch inside the case, not a clutch assoiated with sport quads, all you should have to do is sit back futher than usual, pull up and hit the throttle, but if what you wanna do is ride wheelies, think about getting a sport quad.

 

I find it interesting on how people will respond to threads without knowing exactly what they are talking about.

The wolverine has two clutch systems in it. First is the Primary.. it is a centrifical clutch that engages based on the rpm's of the crankshaft. The primary clutch in turn drives the secondary clutch basket. If the primary clutch hub is turning, so is the secondary clutch basket. Now, when you use the foot shifter, you can feel it shift between gears. What is happening is two motions.. first off, the foot shifter moves a linkage that actuates the sencondary clutch. It operates very much like the clutch on a sport quad as if you pulled the clutch lever. This disengages the secondary clutch basket from the secondary clutch hub.. which in turn, lets the motor rev freely from the drivetrain. The second part of the motion is to actually shift the gear up or down (based upon the direction you have moved the shift lever). Mind you, you have not released the lever at this point but have taken it from its resting postion and moved it to it's extreme in one direction or the other.

Finally, when you so desire, you let the foot shifter come back to it's resting position which in turn re-engages the secondary clutch which then lets the crank drive the drivetrain. This process is actually no different than clutching a sport bike. You just have to do it smoothly and without too aweful much RPM. If you do it quickly, it will feel very jerky. Try it slowly in your driveway, with just enough throttle to make your bike move forward. Then play with the foot shifter until you get comfortable with letting the lever go back to it's normal position slowly. You will notice it's not exactly easy to feather the clutch like you can a finger lever because your ankle isn't as easy to control as your fingers.

Mickey Dunlap with Four Stroke Tech offers a mod for the Wolerine that will let you operate the secondary clutch with a lever on the handlebars. The modification is primarily to the clutch side cover which gives you a cable hookup and has the necessary hardware on the inside of the cover to actuate the secondary clutch exactly as a sport quad clutch. Super simple, but it doesn't change the clutch on the bike itself. You can do this and keep the auto clutch so you can ride it both ways, or you can remove the autoclutch and same some rotational mass.

Either way, if you use your foot gently, you will place no more wear and tear on your drivetrain than if you modified your Wolverine with Mickey's Manual Clutch option.

It pays to research.

 

What is the normal "life" of a semi-automatice clutch? I'm talking with someone that rides maybe a couple days a month with a somewhat agressive riding style. Is it something that wears out pretty quickly or will the engine usually go before the clutch?

 

That's great info 95wolvey. Does Mickey have a web page or catalog? I'd like to see what he offers for wolverine mods/accessories.

 

Chad...if you ride your wolverine like a normal semi-auto, it will last a while.

My machine was modded by Four Stroke Tech rigt from the showroom floor so the clutches never saw the stock horsepower. They spent their life with double the stock horsepower.

I didn't have any issues until last winter when two primary clutch weight springs let go. The small pieces chewed up the primary clutch pads. While I had her down, I took a look at the secondary clutch.. all looked well. How old was she when this failed, you ask..... 9 years.

I'd say, don't give the clutches a second thought. Spend your time worrying if you can get enough seat time before you have to turn her around and head back home.

Ganz..Mickey doesn't have a website.. he used to, but was too much trouble maintaining it. So, he works the old fashioned way.. phone only.

There is another user Spddemon. His signature has almost all of the Four Stroke Tech mods available for the wolverine. He is more than happy to describe them to you as am I. Just ask, we'll tell ya what we know. Between the two of us, I think we have all of FST's mods.