SlipShot in Use at the Races

SlipShot is a small hydraulic damper that controls the rate at which the clutch is allowed to engage at the start of a race. Mounted down near your engine at the clutch actuation arm or on the hydraulic master cylinder, the unit is activated by a handlebar-mounted lever on the starting line after you pull in your clutch lever and click your bike into gear. When activated, the shaft inside the SlipShot unit extends and rests against the clutch actuation lever. In theory, you can hold the bike wide open and just dump the clutch lever when the gate drops, and the SlipShot will do the rest by controlling the clutch engagement.

Once the clutch is fully engaged, the shaft clicks back into a locked state and allows you to modulate the clutch lever as normal. The damper is adjustable; slower action being more effective for slippery concrete starts, and more aggressive settings for tacky dirt or the new steel starting grates at the pro level. At the highest level, the SlipShot was used by Monster Energy StarRacing/Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger, Mitchell Oldenberg and Colt Nichols in the AMA SX Series.