International Dealer News 163 Oc/Nov 2021 IDN163 Oct/Nov 2021 | Page 22

INDUSTRY EXTRA

ARTEdaCORSA

Though not a recent technology , and once considered the preserve of dry clutches and big twins , slipper clutches ( also known as a back-torque limiter ) are now ubiquitous in high performance wet clutch applications , largely thanks to Turin based STM ...

Coincidentally , leading Italian performance clutch specialist STM originally started out in business at just around the same time that the ill-fated NR500 was being parked in a dark corner of shame at Honda - having failed to prove that four-stroke motorcycles could mix it and win against the then dominant two strokes when it made its 1979 race debut . In fact , the NR500 featured many firsts and advanced , even experimental features - such as oval pistons , a monocoque frame , inverted telescopic forks , carbon brakes , rising rate rear suspension linkages and , which is where the STM story eventually comes into this story - a slipper clutch . STM started out as a manufacturer of components for robotics and measuring instruments , and while that gave the company an excellent foundation as a

Written by Robin Bradley
Dry conversion kit for Ducati Hypermotard 950
Valerio Gaffuri , CEO high-quality precision manufacturer , it didn ' t migrate towards the two-wheel industry until the 1990s , starting first of all with the production of special high-strength , lightweight components for bicycles . Very soon after that a prototype of the company ' s future anti-slip clutch was developed , and with two Superbike world titles achieved after it made a debut on Ducati ' s race bikes , STM ' s pathway to future success was mapped out . The concept of the slipper clutch is quite straightforward . A slipper clutch ( also known as a back-torque limiter ) has an integrated freewheel mechanism to control and reduce the effects of engine braking under deceleration . It also reduces wear and tear on the engine and transmission , thereby improving its durability . A slipper clutch
22 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2021 www . idnmag . com