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Grabby, sticky clutch?....Do this:

14K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  El Diablo 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Grabby, sticky clutch? Notchy shifting?....Do this:

Here you go guys, work currently in progress, pics coming as I take them:
My clutch doesn't like to disengage(engage, for you sticklers about how a clutch works(when the clutch is engaged, no power is applied to the transmission, when disengaged power is sent to the trans. input shaft)) when I pull the lever to the bar in first gear. It's not a big deal as if I just blip the throttle is disengages, but it's a little bit bothersome. I assumed the friction plates were prolly installed dry at the factory, and upon disassembly I found that I was correct. Here goes:
1. remove lower fairing and disconnect clutch cable from lever and actuator(both ends). *If you leave the bike on the sidestand, there's no need to drain the oil for this. If you choose to do it with the bike on a wheel stand, drain the oil or you'll have a mess on the floor.
2. remove all the bolts(10 of them, 8mm heads) from the clutch cover and pull the cover off. This is what you'll see:







2. Next you need to remove the clutch center hub and springs(already removed in the second pic) using a 5mm allen wrench. Don't worry, the bolts are longer than the springs uncompressed length, so they won't jump out at you. pull the bolts, washers and springs, then pull the center plate like this:



3. After the cover is removed we need to remove all the plates, or clutch stack. Make a mental note or take a pic to show yourself that the first and last steel plates are different than the others and that the top fiber plate is different than the others. Do not reinstall the plates differently than they came out.(This really only applies to the bottom steel, top steel, and top friction plates, the rest are identical and interchangeable.
Here are the steel plates and cover with springs:


Here you can see some of the scoring/heat discoloration on the plates and that some of them were seized together:


Not really a big deal yet, and we'll have her fixed in just a bit.

4. Now that we have the clutch stack removed, we need to seperate the steel and friction plates into 2 piles(best to seperate them but leave them in the same order they came out). Now put the friction plates in a bucket of oil one at a time so they are all submerged and saturated with oil like this:



5. This step is completely up to you, but I'm anal and like things clean. Take the steel plates inside to the kitchen sink(make sure the wife is out of the house) and clean them with warm soapy water and a bit of steel wool or an SOS pad to get the friction plate material/oil/assembly lube off them. You're not trying to sand them dowy, or scuff them up, just clean them. once you go through all the plates dry them completely with a rag or paper towel. They should look something like this:



(Please note the proper bottle of kidney cleaning fluid is in use in the kitchen as well as the garage :)
You should let the clutch plates sit in the oil for a few hours or overnight.
6. Reassembly is the reverse process, just make sure you put good coat of oil on both sides of every plate(friction and steel) as you reinstall them, and don't forget that the clutch pushrod(black thing in the center of the clutch hub goes in before the clutch hub and hold down springs.

Enjoy.
 
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#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
Here is what you'll have when all the plates are reinstalled:



Just don't forget that the last friction plate installed gets installed one slot counter(anti?)clockwise from all the others like so:



Also, when you're putting the clutch hub back on, ti will only go all the way into the clutch basket if you have it aligned properly. It should slide all the way down and rest against the top friction plate. If it doesn't, take it out and rotate it one bolt hole and try again. there are only 2 ways it will seat all the way down, and those 2 places are 180 degrees away from each other. The hub has tabs on the inside that have to align with the back torque limiter spring tabs in the bottom of the basket:




This is (hopefully) what it looks like when you're finished reassembling the clutch basket. Please note, you should have NO spare parts!

Now generally I'm pretty fond of having spare parts after an operation because it means the bike is getting lighter, however, when the operation includes engine internals, spare parts are not usually a good thing! Enjoy guys.
 
#3 ·
Clutch fix results

Well, my intention with this was to get the clutch to release immediately when I pulled the lever, instead of hanging up momentarily before it disconnected the power at low(walking) speeds. An unexpected side benefit is an improvement in shifting. I've heard some guys say the 10 has a great transmission, that it's smooth and easy to shift. I've also heard guys complain about missed shifts and the tranny being notchy, and taking a lot of effort to make gear changes. Until this evening I would have had to agree with the latter. My bike shifted like shit. I never missed gears, but it took a lot of effort, and felt like shit. After tinkering with the clutch however, I have seen about a 1,000% improvement in shift engagement and feel. NOW I know what you guys were talking about when you said it shifts great. I've only put about 150 miles on it since I tore into the clutch, but DAMN! what an improvement. I can't beleive I waited 6k miles to do this. I'm enamored with the tranny now. All I can say is infuckingcredible!
Anybody with a bike that shifts hard, or feels notchy should really seriously consider looking into the clutch pack. It really is easy, requires exactly 4 tools to complete, and takes about 45 mins. to do the dis/reassembly, not counting the time you let the plates sit in fresh oil. All you need for tools is an 8mm socket, 4mm allen, 5mm allen and a 12mm wrench. it really is easy. If you need help or want to ask fany questions, feel free to post or PM me.
I remember the guy who spent his clutch in one day at the drag strip, and I'd be willing to bet, when the mechanic pulled his unit apart, it looked just like mine, only worse, and the culprit was prolly the same as me, dry plates.

Best bang for the buck mod? it was a 16t countershaft, but now I'm going to say fixing the clutch stack, all it cost me was 2 cans of Pepsi, a few ounces of Jim Beam, and a half quart of oil I already had.
 
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