Hard locking the rear with a botched downshift is scary stuff, and a high side in the making. The C14 has saved my butt on overly aggressive clutch dumps. A little chirp is nothing if it prevents the rear wheel from sliding.

Doesn't negate the rear wheel sliding...  minimizes it.  Big difference.  Minor nit.

If you ride a bike with a slipper like a bike that does not have a slipper, you won't notice it.

Then why have one?

If I may?  Which oil are you using?  I aint no high falutin Rossi mech, but oils do play heavy in the clutch area.

Using Rotella.

One of the reasons I asked the original question is that magazine articles that I read about bikes with slippers make it sound like you don't have to bother with rev matching at all while downshifting. Not having ridden a bike with a slipper and not noticing a difference with my C14 made me wonder if this a feature that breaks in with time. It doesn't sound like it.

Thanks for the replies.

2008 C14 Design Factoid...there's a bit about the slipper...

http://www.kawasaki.com/Content/pdfs/products/concours_QandA.pdf

So you don't have to read the whole thing, I cut and paste:


Q & A with Karl Edmondson, Kawasaki Product Manager
"The C14 owes part of its silky and
linear power to its maintenance free and
clean (no chain oil splatter) shaft drive - a
must for any self-respecting sport touring
machine. Kawasaki engineers went one
step further and fitted the shaft drive
system with a back torque limiting
(slipper) clutch, something normally
found only on race and sport machines.
This absorbs shocks when shifting down
gears and minimizes rear wheel hop,
resulting in smoother corner entries while
also helping to protect drive train parts.
Wrapping up the smooth delivery are the dampers installed in the clutch and front
bevel gear areas. Because this drive train transmits on/off throttle operation more
directly to the rear tire than a chain drive, these dampers prevent load alteration
behavior (lash) when riding the bike."

Kawasaki engineers went one
step further and fitted the shaft drive
system with a back torque limiting
(slipper) clutch, something normally
found only on race and sport machines.

   ... and c-10 connies from 1986 on, and on full touring voyager XII's from 93 on, and zr7's and... So not such a big new deal, eh? Steve

Then why have one?

My point was the slipper only acts like a slipper if you ride the bike in such a manner that it works as designed.  If you carefully rev match on downshifts, or aren't riding aggressively, it won't slip.  Not that that's a bad thing.

My supermoto has a very good quality slipper.  If you pussy foot around on the bike, you won't know it has a slipper.

Barry

One of the reasons I asked the original question is that magazine articles that I read about bikes with slippers make it sound like you don't have to bother with rev matching at all while downshifting. Not having ridden a bike with a slipper and not noticing a difference with my C14 made me wonder if this a feature that breaks in with time. It doesn't sound like it.

Thanks for the replies.

Slipper clutches were designed for the race track. Guys who race change gear mid-turn and failing to match engine and wheel speed in a high speed turn while leaned way over is a recipe for disaster. The slipper, when properly adjusted, allows for some "wiggle room" in throttle position without causing rear wheel lock and the often resulting high-side when the RPM's sync and the rear wheel starts turning again.  The slipper is not designed to slip when you downshift three gears and dump the clutch--though it is certainly possible to adjust it to do that I'm not sure what the trade off would be and if it would be worth it. You'd certainly lose a lot of engine braking back-torque and I personally wouldn't want that.

Barry, do you look at a slipper as a piece that gets used daily, or is it just for an emergency bail out?
I recall my only other shaft drive bike..and I swore never again.....but it was a 79 Yamaha xs 11. It stuck in my mind so deeply I walked away from the c14 when I saw it had a shaft. The salesman had to say ..."Hey, wait  a minute...its not what you are thinking. Hi,s father was the one who picked me up off the ground many years ago, btu I'll get to that.

Obviously the xs11 was no c 14 (or c10 for that matter) on a c scale it might have rated a negative 03.  If you were driving down the road at 30 mph, and chopped the throttle suddenly,  the rear tire would chirp. Sounded , and felt, like you locked your rear brake for a split second.  You could adjust to this, and had to, but it sucked.

The rear suspension also extended when you hit the throttle.  Topped out is the best description. Rather violently. Couple this with a small bump on the road and the rear tire was airborne.

So when Kawasaki added a slipper and made the shaft drive connect with linkages and such, they made the bike more fun and way more safe. Especially comparing the c14 hp at 130 and the Yamaha at 85, or so. I highsided that 11 in a straight line, for crying out loud, one afternoon when the bumpy road and rear topping out met in a very dangerous meeting. 

My supermoto has a very good quality slipper.  If you pussy foot around on the bike, you won't know it has a slipper.

Barry

We are all adult men here, we don't pussy foot on the bike or anything for that matter! 

....ok honey, I will get off the computer and do the garbage now!

We are all adult men here, we don't pussy foot on the bike or anything for that matter! 

....ok honey, I will get off the computer and do the garbage now!

 

Spoken like a REAL (married) man!

Barry, do you look at a slipper as a piece that gets used daily, or is it just for an emergency bail out?

On my supermoto, I ride the snot out of it, and go down 3-4 gears at one time for corners.  When I started racing it I had no slipper.  Going to a slipper was like night and day.

On the C14...  I have TRIED to determine that I was getting the C14 slipper to work, still can't tell.  But it's a 650lb+ bike, and the slipper on the C14 may be VERY different than the slipper on my supermoto.

And for the rest of you, maybe I'm communicating poorly.  I'm not advocating pussyfooting around.  If you do, you don't need a slipper.  I'm saying unless you are riding aggressively you won't know you have a slipper cause you aren't riding the bike hard enough AND probably don't need a slipper.

Is it like ABS?  In my opinion no.  You can toss the bike away with a slipper.  It may help, it won't save you.  Not even close.

YMMV,
Barry

I never felt the slipper clutch work until i started running Penzoil motorcycle oil. Tranny shifted much better also. I dont know whats in it but it works. I run the bike pretty hard and have grown to rely on the slipper.

I run the bike pretty hard and have grown to rely on the slipper.

Please remember that when you next test ride a bike that does NOT have a slipper clutch. 

Works great for me so far!

I never felt the slipper clutch work until i started running Penzoil motorcycle oil. Tranny shifted much better also. I dont know whats in it but it works. I run the bike pretty hard and have grown to rely on the slipper.

My slipper has worked about the same with all the various oils i've dumped in mine.