Dry Type Clutch:
This clutch has its plate outside the engine casing. This means it is in direct contact with the atmosphere and there is no lubrication provided to it. This is the reason why it is a bit larger in size to increase the surface area of the friction plate for optimal air cooling as it does heat due to the friction of the plate. Also the dry clutch plate is pretty easy to reach and clean but it takes efforts to make sure it is free from dirt and grime. The clutch plate is in a free flowing manner and does not have any oil hindrance and hence is said to provide a performance edge over the wet counterpart, but that point is debatable when it comes to non-performance engines.
Wet Type Clutch:
This type of clutch is located inside the engine casing and as the name suggests, it is in constant contact with the engine oil which acts as a lubricant for this clutch type. Since it is on the inside and has no contact with the atmosphere, the cooling function is taken care of by the oil itself and it even makes sure it is clean and so the servicing hassles of the clutch are pretty much NIL. Apart from that the wet type clutch is quite cheaper in terms of production and maintenance costs and does not make the engine seem bulky. The oil hindrance does result in the drop of performance a bit, but then again like before, it does not matter as much in non-performance engines.
So finally coming to the point of which one is better, the answer for me here is pretty much simple. Having ridden both the Benellis with a dry clutch and loads of others running a wet clutch, the Wet Type Clutch is the better of the two and the reasons for it are very simple. For starters wet clutches are easy to fit inside the engine and hence it reduces the bulky nature of the engine as they can be made compact. Having the clutch assembly inside the engine casing makes it easier to manage the clutch as there are no maintenance hassles which are with the Ducati and Benelli bikes. It takes cleaning the Clutch plate every 400-500 kms depending on the condition in which you are riding, which is pretty much as much as your chain.
Secondly wet type clutches are really quite and you hardly even hear the clicking sounds sometimes, but the dry type clutches are very loud and you constantly keep hearing them whizzing in your ears making the sweet sound of your bike seem a lot rattled. In case of operation, the wet type clutches being dipped in oil do not get affected much by the ambient temperature outside. They are well maintained inside by the engine oil while the dry type clutch get heated up very quickly and winters should not be an issue, but summers could be torrid for them.
If these all reasons were not enough, then how about the cost factor? Dry clutches cost a lot, the reason they are only fitted on certain high end premium performance machines while wet type clutches are on all the rest of the bikes. Yes it is true that if the dry type is mass produced, even the cost of it will come down, but there is a good reason why over 98% of the bikes come equipped with a wet type clutch. The reasons are as mentioned above.
So if given a chance to choose, a gun to my head, I will always prefer going for the wet type clutch since I do not want to spend a bomb on it and also keep spending time maintaining it as well. People might have their preferences but 9/10 can really not be wrong after all. Ride hard, ride safe and stay tuned to Safexbikes.com for everything on two wheels.