XJ11 spring replacement

[KA1J]

My XJ111 clutch has started slipping & following advice, I bought some barnett springs to replace the stock. I haven't replaced springs or clutch before and was shown this web page http://tinyurl.com/43husdg & it looks like pretty complete information.

For now I just want to replace the springs so I can ride this last little bit left of 2011, if I need to replace the whole clutch I can do that next spring when it gets warm again.

It looks like pretty much like all I need to do is loosen the clutch lever & lock it in place, remove the cover, undo the star plate, replace the springs, replace the star plate, torque the bolts holding the star plate and re-attach/re-adjust the clutch lever, replace the cover and it's a done deal.

If this is right, is there a detail I missed? The 6K & up slipping is becoming annoying...

Thanks!

[TopCatGr58]

If you are close to doing an oil change, then I would just suggest putting in some MMO to run in it for a few minutes...NO LOAD, NO RIDING, just idling and gentle blips to get to normal temps without loading the engine/bearings, this can help remove varnish from the frictions and steels since you won't be tearing it down to get the plates out.

Also, would suggest reviewing the CLUTCH portions of this thread/tech tip:
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5090 The Dremmel fix thread, but I tried to provide info about the delicate STAR PLATE and the pitfalls that can occur when reassembling it!

T.C.

[KA1J]

Hey there tc,

I just changed oil < 200 miles ago. Not sure what MMO is. At this time my only interest is in putting the replacement springs in to see how well they work & how much harder than stock they are to pull on. If they're a SOB to pull in, I'll probably do the clutch job in the early spring. Otherwise I'll do them probably tomorrow & hope I don't muck it up without immediate supervision...

Fortunately there's no inclination (yet) for any gear to slip, the issue is solely the clutch releasing pressure under torque.

[TopCatGr58]

I only provided the link for the clutch part, wasn't insinuating any gear problems for you, it's just that folks have to go thru the clutch to work on the gears, so I tried to include info about that as part of the gear work.

The HD springs are Not much harder to pull, however, I've not had experience with the Barnett's, but have heard they are a bit stiffer and harder than other brands of HD springs.

I've found that while you're working on the clutch, remove the cable and give it a good lubing, that will ease the pull action considerably. Also, while you have the clutch cover off, inspect the 3 throwout bearings and parts, cleaning and application of fresh bearing grease to the balls/parts can also help in making the lever action smooth and as easy as possible.

T.C.

[KA1J]

Thanks TC, I think I'll be doing that tomorrow as the fall is upon us in New England and the riding is getting challenged especially without a windshield...) The springs look to be a benign change and I will make it a point to get lube in the clutch cable.

My only real concern is dropping a ball bearing and hopefully I've learned what to do to avoid that. I'm ordering a new clutch cable just to be prepared...

[TopCatGr58]

I took apart a clutch throwout assembly earlier this year for work on making a plate for Geezer for mounting a hydraulic clutch MC, and the ball bearings, there's actually 3 of them, are sorta pressed/clamped into the triangular assembly of the throwout mechanism. The little bent over tabs that keep the ball bearings in place can sometimes get bent which can allow the balls to fall out, but otherwise they are actually held in place fairly well. Once you get the clutch crankcase cover off, you can see and inspect it, play with the lever mechanism,and see if the balls will fall out of the assembly, but you'll find that they probably won't. There is a specific position to the throwout assembly and shaft that the lever connects to, and it won't provide enough throw action if positioned wrong, so you'll want to look closely at the lever shaft and it's position before taking it apart so you'll be able to get it back together in the right position. It can be a pain to get the crankcase cover on and bolted down, just to discover that the lever and shaft got rotated to the wrong position causing you to have to take the crankcase cover back off to rotate the lever shaft!

T.C.