clutch job

[mason79]

i know i know i should read the tech tips, blah, blah, blah.

i did, i need help.

my clutch is slippin more and more must be my great tune job,

and the added weight of fairings and trunk and junk in the trunks.

i want to go into it once and in one day, i don't mind buying parts i don't need to replace, than to open her up and take measurments to find out i need parts and hafta wait a week or more to get them, making a 1 day job into a 2 week job.

i read about the washers

i read about tc's xtra plate

i read about maximans breakin the star plate, hope that don't happen.

bottom line

when i buy new springs, should they be heavy duty, or can stock rates do the trick?

can i go with oem type friction plates rather than barnett brand?

and for good measure will i need to add a steel plate even tho i did the above?

what are the chances of the steelplates being bad? the po took great care with this bike...

i ain't gonna make my own gasket, i think the material out there is kinda thick, won't that negate the effect of an additional plate?

best place to buy this stuff?

please again thanks in advance for your expert input guys and gal.

[81xsproject]

My opinion; go for broke!
I screwed around with mine several times before I got it solid.

-HD springs
-Extra steel
-New frictions
-Lightly sand old steels and check for warpage.
-Bike oil only afterward

just my opinion

[Snow]

Opinions are like arseholes, and I have some real stinkers

Go OEM, barnetts have a tendency to be a tad warped, which gets annoying when stopping or trying to adjust the clutch.

What I did:
New friction plates (OEM)
New steel plates (OEM)
New springs (Vesrah, OEM, or whatever was available)
New OEM clutch cable (aftermarket stretch quickly)
New clutch cover gasket sprayed with Pam.

Make sure to soak the friction plates in oil for awhile before installing - I hear at least an hour is good.

No need for extra steel with all new plates, even with 1196cc.

[pggg]

Stiff springs are better but normal ones if that's all there is, steel plates won't be worn, friction plates maybe, 3mm's the limit, depends on how thrashed the clutch, but new friction plates are grippier. Just springs and plates at the most, normal gaskets don't affect the lever travel, extra steel plate and new springs makes it heavy duty, means the lever too ha ha,

[trbig]

A 30-45 minute job... Lean the bike on the sidestand, take the cover off and the star plate. Just remove your clutch cable. You don't have to remove the clutch arm when you remove the cover... it will come off with it. Put the extra steel in the middle and slap it back together, installing the springs also. No need to even drain your oil. Just make dang sure you have the clutch basket pushed on completely! You will have to manouver it a bit. Mine was slipping pretty bad and this fixed it so far with several thousand hard miles ridden including wheelies and even a braked burnout. This route also worked well for Hobbyman's bike. You will need to re-adjust the clutch since the extra steel will make it a bit thicker.

If you find that that doesn't work, then spend more money on the new friction plates. You should be able to take it right back apart without hurting the gasket and the new springs will still be fine.

It's a pretty easy job and the star plate will be fine as long as you don't try to run it all the way in with one or two screws. Just be easy and keep going in a circle tightening it about a turn on each of the 6 screws.

And that is MY 2 cents!

Tod

[Snow]

The steels may not be *worn*, but they will probably be *glazed* and possibly warped.

[mason79]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Snow
[
Go OEM, barnetts have a tendency to be a tad warped, which gets annoying when stopping or trying to adjust the clutch.

QUOTE]
why in the heck would a brand like barnett not qc their products and risk tarnishing their reputation as the premier clutch supplier for powersports, i tdon't make sense, are you sure they are warped?

i have in the past had positive esperiences with them...

[TopCatGr58]

Clutching at options!

Hey Mason,

I was out riding my bike past couple of days!

I broke my first starplate doing my first clutch job and it wasn't due to tightening only one or two, but the towers in the opposing pressure plate got positioned on the lip that sticks down around the inside edge of the plate, and just as things were tightening down, the offedge pressure caused it to fracture!

If you have several 10's of K miles on your clutch, I would go ahead and replace the frictions(OEM/Vesrah, whatever) EVEN though they might measure within spec! Definitely the springs, many of the aftermarket ones are listed as HD now. I had put in new springs in 2000 when I did my rebuild, but was having slippage last year. Pulled the clutch down, springs had already gotten sprung below spec, frictions were IN spec, but wanted more grip due to power of big bore, so did the extra steel as well as new frictions and new HD springs! I don't want to have to go back in there anytime soon!

PNM still list their frictions at $5.00 ea=$40.00 for set, but their springs are almost double what JCW sells for, $16.00 vs. $8.00 respectively! Someone was offering extra steels but don't know IF they still have some, but NEW OEM available from BikeBandit for ~$8.00 IIRC. BB also sells EBC brand clutch kits for$68.77 and Spring kits for $8.99! So...you loose $ with their clutches, gain with springs, AND you can get the steel from them, all same order, saves on shipping!? They also want $15.00 for the gasket! As previously stated, teh star plate is what is displaced by the extra steel, and the center clutch throwout push rod is what is adjusted to compensate for it, so gasket thickness doesn't matter!

I have no experienc with the Barnett plates, but have heard they are either extra thick or extra grabby and folks have had difficulty getting full DISengagement....creeping when lever pulled!?YMMV!
T.C.

[mason79]

yes tc thanks for the research, you make it look easy,but for mere mortals i know it is not, i wonder if you were a retilin candidate when you were a kid, that is a compliment.

mro pm'd, and should have a steel coming

i've done em before but every bike is a little different.

thanks everyone for the help as usual, now it is less daunting,and now i have a plan!

[TopCatGr58]

Ritalen wasn't around when I was a kid!!

Thanks, it's not really research, just shopping skills!
And I don't have much of a life!
T.C.

[webbcraft2150]

I had over 65k on my full dress 80g on the OEM clutch. I bought Yamaha plates (e-bay) and springs (local dealer). ALL the orginial fibers and steels were well within Yamaha specs but I replaced them anyway since I had it apart. The springs were a different story, they were outs spec for free length and I am positive there "spring strength" was gone. I deglazed all the steels before installing with some emery cloth. I figure if the OEM stuff lasted 65k (alot of them in 1/4 increments ) then with my more sedate riding style now, they will last alot longer. ZERO clutch slip now even with two up riding, full bags, ect. I was VERY careful on reassembly to avoid hearing the "pop" of the star and followed all the tech tips. OEM fibers and springs seem to run along the same lines as fork seals, OEM works best.

[pggg]

I don't bother with renewing plates, as they always seem to be within spec even when the clutch decides to start slipping, I buy new HD springs 2 packets at a time, you know 1 set will last you for a couple of years at least, my clutch is slipping at the moment, has been for months, 3rd gear at full throttle, motor starts 'going off' I don't care really, just ease off the gas for a second or so, it's torque and horsepower combining, you can bypass the slip if you're on to it, but I'm gonna pull finger and renew the springs one day soon...

[mro]

Barnett plates

Have no "issues" with Barnett plates.
Are "grabbyer" when letting the clutch out so I ease it out just a little more than a stocker. I was able to crack a clutch basket on the hot rod (has the Barnett plates in it). Not sure if it was just it's time to go or me being a little too XSive.

All after market springs are not equal.
Got one set that were supposed to be 10% stiffer than stock. They didn't last 5,000 miles. R & R'ed with a set from BikeBandit and they are still good after over 10,000 miles.


mro

[TADracer]

Getting ready to do a clutch job now since mine started slipping. After reading all this I am more confused than ever. Seems clutches are like tires....every one different on every bike.

Think I am going back with OEM frictions and springs with the extra steel plate and leave it at that.

[mro]

Seems clutches are like tires....every one different on every bike

have used several different frictions...one set I bought (cheepest I could find) work just fine. Only clutch that "feels" different is the one with Barnett plates and it works good too. Have added the extra steel plate on every clutch job also without any problems.
Only problem I've run across has been one new set of clutch springs I got locally at a Cycle Salvage shop. They were new and worked OK for a short time then clutch started to slip. R & Red em and been good since.


mro