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Old 05-Nov-2003, 21:58
JB748 JB748 is offline
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aluminium clutch plates ?

Simple question -

Is it only JHP who make the ally clutch plates, or are there certain duke's which have them as standard

i'm replacing the plates in my 748 and want to fit the ally ones to cut down on the clutch "rattle"

whats the best one's to go for - give me your thoughts

TIA - JB748:P
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  #2  
Old 05-Nov-2003, 22:21
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Jon Jon is offline
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JB you will need the ali basket to go with it M8. Otherwise the ali plates will soon mushroom over on the tangs.

Jon
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Old 05-Nov-2003, 23:16
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nelly nelly is offline
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There are a few different ally plate packs out there.
The three I know the best are the Surflex/JHP/Ducati Performance ones, the Bucci ones and the standard ST4S ones.
The first are the most expensive, followed by the Bucci and finally the OE Ducati ones.
All are available through JHP with the latter being available from any Ducati dealer.
The first pair have carbon as the friction material, the Bucci are sintered with "carbonised" drive plates, the ST4S plates are the the same as your originals just on alloy plates.
I don't think you'd have a problem with any of them on the 748.
Jon is right that an alloy basket will help prolong their life, but the ST uses a steel basket and they seem to last OK.
My personal preference is the Bucci set. I think they are the best VFM and do offer a genuine "performance" gain in that they use 9 friction plates.
There are others out there but I have no experience of them.
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Old 05-Nov-2003, 23:25
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rockhopper rockhopper is offline
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I've done about 6000 miles on a set of JHP alloy plates in my ST4 with no problems apart from much reduced noise!
The tangs havent worn noticably despite being used with a steel basket and they were only a couple of pounds more that a steel set. They came in a Ducati box so they were probably St4 plates. Cost about £102 i think.
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  #5  
Old 06-Nov-2003, 00:00
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Nigel Booker Nigel Booker is offline
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JB,
a set of JHP alloy plates for a 996, which I assume is the same as a 748, would set you back £140.00 + delivery + VAT. Thats the price quoted to me at the end of July.
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Old 06-Nov-2003, 00:26
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DSC Member Shazaam! Shazaam! is offline
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The principal reason to use aftermarket aluminum hubs, baskets and plates is to reduce rotating mass, but steel parts are more durable and more impact resistant than aluminum, so at least one manufacturer offers a lightened steel basket as a replacement for the stock unit.

As dry clutches wear they get noisier because, every time you shift, the friction plate tabs hammer the clutch basket fingers causing the clearances between the plates and the basket to increase. The plates deform by mushrooming, the basket deforms by notching. There's very little noise until the clearances open up and the plates begin to rattle. Once this happens, it's questionable whether aluminum or steel plates are quieter.

If you mix materials such as using steel plates with an aluminum basket, the harder steel plates will notch the softer metal basket tabs more quickly, and to a deeper depth, than if a matching steel basket were used. If you use aluminum plates with a steel basket, then it's the softer plate tabs that get hammered into mushroom shapes by the harder steel basket. So the whole idea is to use the same material for plates and basket to minimize this deformation - use aluminum plates if you use an aluminum basket.

One manufacturer (STM) has tried to overcome this problem by increasing the number of tabs on each plate (and the number of basket fingers) from the stock 12 to 48 tabs. The intended effect being to distribute the engine torque load over four times the stock tab-basket area so as to reduce the impact-induced notching to the clutch basket tabs and mushrooming of the plate's tabs.

Others like Nichols Manufacturing sell an CNC-machined aluminum basket and Barnett clutch pack together where extra care has been taken to initially minimize these clearances for longer clutch life and a quieter clutch. They claim that this results in the tabs initially engaging 90% of the basket area instead of around 55% for a stock clutch with normal clearances.


Notches in a 12-Finger Clutch Basket
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Old 06-Nov-2003, 10:32
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Harv748 Harv748 is offline
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I hear what your saying Shazzam.

I've had ally plates in my 748 for about 18 months now. I changed for the very same reason...to reduce the rattle, which I know some poeple love...but it got right on my bits after a while!!

I did not change the steel basket because when I bought the plates from JHP I was told by the man himself that I could live with not changing it over to an ally one (even though I was willing to buy one from him at the time!). Also the basket can be a bitch to change if you don't have the tools.

I checked the plates over for the first time since installation the other week and yes there is a little 'mushrooming' on the tangs...but very little...certainly not a lot to worry about.

I think the situation would be far worse if you had steel plates engaing with a ally basket...it would look like shazzams picture in no time.

If you can afford it...change both. It would be quiter still, and the reduced wear which will mean it will remain quieter for longer, and last longer overall.

...and yes, it is a damn sight quieter
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Old 06-Nov-2003, 19:45
topper topper is offline
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I have been through three standard clutches now on my 996S over 18k miles since new. In all cases, the clutch basket had to be replaced along with the plates because it was badly notched.

I have just had a clutch re-build under warranty and this time a standard basket was fitted (steel), but with the alloy plates from the ST range.

Early days yet (about 1000 miles), but clutch noise has reduced a lot, even with a vented clutch cover.

It remains to be seen how long the plates and basket last. I would hope that the life of the lugs on the plates, even though they do deform, would just about match the friction life of the plates and that notching of the steel basket would be greatly reduced and that the basket would be up to receiving another set of plates. Well, I hope so anyway, because the bike will be out of warranty then!

We shall see. :-)
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  #9  
Old 11-Nov-2003, 15:49
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DSC Member Shazaam! Shazaam! is offline
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Looks Good



Another option available in late November is the $250 Barnett billet aluminum clutch basket that has stainless steel inserts covering the surfaces where the friction plate tabs impact the basket fingers. Used with aluminum plates, you'll get both the weight savings (and a quieter rattle) and a basket that resists notching. Hopefully, this means an extended clutch basket life because only the worn plates have to be replaced the next time around. So overall costs are less. The inserts are riveted-on so it may be that they can also be refurbished. It can be used with steel plates as well.

This seems like a good solution that offers an obvious advantage over more expensive competing aftermarket alloy baskets that claim that their hard anodizing (a surface treatment) reduces notching.

http://www.evoluzione.net/
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