Magura Hydraulic Clutch Kit

I just installed a Magura Hydraulic clutch kit on my 2003 YZ450F. The Magura "Jack" kit I purchased from Motosport is pretty nicely setup with everything you need to do the job for about $199.00. First of all make sure to get the right kit. They sell 2 different ones. Kit #0120529 is the right kit and #0120490-20 is the WRONG kit. The tubing is too short in the wrong kit and it won’t reach to the clutch arm.The Magura perch comes with a hot start lever integrated into it and connects right up to the stock cable with no issues. I had a Works Connection perch originally with the hot start cable end and it had a plastic cover on the end tab that I had to remove to fit into the new one.You have 4 parts at the engine end to deal with: The actuator cylinder, the clutch retaining bracket, the actuator rod retainer and the clutch arm. Installing the actuator cylinder at the clutch arm is just a little difficult in that you have to get the tubing routed away from the exhaust and keep it there. Get it into the retaining bracket and then get the rod retainer for the arm installed all in one step...

Read this and practice this a few times before cranking everything down... Oh yea and the retainer didn’t quite fit onto the rod so I had to file it down a bit with a jewelers file until it did.
Read all the directions supplied by Magura closely. This is what I did:

1. Take off your front number plate, right side plastic shroud, plastic air flow vent for the radiator and loosen the right radiator from the frame. You do not need to remove the tank.

2. Remove your old perch, disconnect the clutch cable and hot start cable.

3. Disconnect the clutch cable from the clutch arm at the engine by using a long screw driver to operate the clutch arm and release the cable end from its seat. Then remove the cable from the retaining bracket.

4. Now you can remove the cable from the bike, make sure that the cable is out of the mount near the carburetor. Pull the cable from the engine end and watch as it goes through the holders and other cables along the frame that it doesn’t get caught on anything.

5. To install the new perch; fit the hot start cable to the new lever with it removed and then re-mount it. Mount the perch on the handlebar and adjust to fit your hand. DO NOT Disconnect the line from the actuator cylinder, but run it through the forks behind the number plate area and down to where it will go along the right frame side. The cylinder will actually fit through the frame brackets if you just loosen the banjo bolt slightly and adjust the tubing so it’s straight and then re-tighten. (You don’t want to get any air in the line or you will have to bleed it afterwards) Fit the tubing behind the radiator and run the actuator cylinder down into the area of the clutch arm.

6. Get the actuator cylinder into place near the retaining bracket, this is where you will have to adjust the tubing by loosening the banjo bolt again and getting it straightened out so the banjo bolt/bleeder valve faces upwards and the rod is facing the clutch arm. Retighten the banjo bolt.

7. Pull the rod out of the actuator cylinder as far as it will come and see if it lines up with the bracket and the arm. Loosen the retaining bracket and insert the actuator cylinder into the retaining bracket. Attach the rod retainer that comes with the kit onto the rod end. Leave everything loose at this point.

8. Using the long screwdriver operate the arm to move it into place to fit the rod end into place at the clutch arm. Be very careful not to BEND THE ROD or the cylinder will leak. The retainer should drop into the arm and then release the arm slowly and let the actuator cylinder fall into place. Check your ‘play’ at this point per instructions. Retighten the retaining bracket.

9. Follow the instructions to have at least 2-4mm play in the retainer.

10. Reassemble all of the plastics, radiators and numbers plate parts you removed, check again where that tubing is routed and then check the clutch with the wheel off the ground on first startup. If it doesn’t disengage then you’ll have to bleed any air out of it.
Once on mine worked nicely, it’s pre-filled with fluid from the factory so if you don’t break any connections and lose fluid you will not have to bleed anything. It’s self adjusting so no need to make any adjustments. It uses mineral oil not DOT fluid so it will not absorb moisture. No need to change any fluids annually. That’s it!

Round #4 Racing At E-Street

Round #4 of the E-Street Winter Series was hosted at their home track February 3-4, 2007 and it was a good showing with the Bay and Sierra OTHG having had their Round #2 Races here also. I missed that race but was going to be ready to run this one. This would be my first time out at E-Street for any event or practice. So it was going to be a learning session for me overall again.

E-Street MX Racetrack is located in Marysville, California and ran by ex-pro racer Scott Davis. He is well known in the area for his impeccable track preparation and design and people come from all around to enjoy what has become best known as "Estreet". The track is sandy loam which gets most of its content from the Yuba River which runs right through the area. "It is a great track" as testified by many pro-riders and amateurs alike that come out and ride here.

This being my first time at Estreet I was asked quite a few times by other people if I thought it was a hard track? And although I don’t think of it as a 'hard' track I do think it is pretty technical and you have to do allot of thinking about what you are doing out there. The sandy soil also adds a certain technical aspect to your riding demeanor and thought process. In the turns (that are ever changing) this is really apparent.

Saturday morning practice was really nice, not many riders at first and the track was prepped great. Thanks to Hoss at FactoryPhoto.com for the photos. He takes some great shots.

During my first "Checkout lap" I ran into the berm at the front jump near the main grandstand cutting too close to the inside edge. No big deal just scrubbed it and got back going and it was all good. Then again in a later practice I hit the berm again... this time was allot harder. I dont remember the exact HIT!, but was quickly made aware of it as I bounced off the berm and felt a searing pain in my knee. My head hit the ground pretty good and I was clearing my vision as people were coming around to help me out.

It started when I came around the first turn leading to the double and single jump right in front of the grandstands and a kid went down head first and his bike was upended rolling over him; I almost ran over him as I passed by so I waved at the flagger and was pointing backwards when I went over the jump... I went into a verticle standup position and when the bike hit the ground I must have hit the throttle and it launched me into that berm on the righthand side..... AGAIN!

Roseville Pete said all he saw was my bike doing a cartwheel in midair with nobody on it!!!! My knee was barely working but I walked it off. I went out for my next practice but I couldnt really make anything work, both my legs, my back and my arms were hurting. I packed it in and went home.

The knee was puffed into a grapefruit by then and so I iced it up. The Next morning.... Race-Day, wasnt much better. Needless to say I didnt make it back to the track to run my motos on this weekend. My left knee, right ankle, right thigh, right ribcage were all not feeling in top form.
Overall I like E-Street, there’s allot of jumps maybe 15 total but a mixture of tabletops and doubles and a couple that some could maybe triple...(?) Not me. But for me with all the jumps it makes it allot more work then something like Carnegie was. I don’t have allot of experience on tracks in recent years and I have probably forgotten more about riding techniques than I can remember at this point in my life. I had a real hard time with the slushy right hand turn down by the river before the whoops, too much sand; I just couldn’t find the right throttle, gear or speed thru there. That was probably my worst turn on the whole track. Most everywhere else I could manage to keep the front wheel under control and keep it coming around.

This place is a work out most definitely!.... I see some physical training in my future and probably some lessons from you guys that know better.