Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > Hello - and clutch question

[bostrom998]

Just bought a 48 tooth EVF clutch for mine as last one went on Silverstone track day and John Baines (always good to know he's round the corner when up at Silverstone) reckons they're the business and did me a deal. That was for my Bostrom. My Senna on the other hand sounds just like your clutch with a dreadful groan and horrible grabby take off, and frankly always has, so I'll get the plates changed and see how it goes.........

[aka.eric]

Tell me more!.Which jap bike plates fit - model,year etc.Where do get yours from?How much?.

[nathanTX]

OK, a couple more questions (sorry). The Barnett clutch packs that I seem to find just about everywhere use aluminum backed friction plates. The Barnett website clearly says for use with aluminum or steel baskets, so one would think it would be OK. But, I was thinking that mixing aluminum and steel would be a no-no. Wouldn't the softer aluminum tangs get banged to ***** that much faster against the harder steel basket? Does anyone have personal experience using aluminum plates with the stock steel basket and how was the longevity? I would just use the factory steel clutch pack, but it's $50 more expensive and less immediately available, not to mention of questionable durability.

Lastly, since I don't have a service manual, can someone list (or link to) the torque specs for the basket mounting bolts, the hub nut, and the pressure plate/spring keepers? TIA.

[GsxrAge]

Mine had a grabby cluch and made a groaning noise after fresh motor was fitted.

I found one of the metal plates was rusty and was up against a clean plate.
I moved them around so the friction plates were upagainst the shinny surface on the other plates. Job done all quite and it's not grabing any more.


P.s Who did shoot J.R

[bagonails]

I would change the basket, it looks worn. New plates, check the slave cylinder for weepage. If cylinder is ok refresh with new fluid and take it from there. I assume Texas is hot, it could be worth investigating in silicone fluid instead of DOT4(hydraulic fluid).

[nathanTX]

Mine was beyond grabby. We're talking major shuddering because the clutch was virtually a light switch. All on or all off with the engagement point not always the same. I assume it's because the banged up plates would stick and catch rather than smoothly disengaging. Defintely need new plates. My slave cylinder, as well as fluid I would assume, was changed at the 6000 mile service (under warranty) even though there were no signs of leakage.

Texas is hot compared to the UK, but nothing that warrants any unusual fluid choices under normal use conditions. It's not Phoenix or Las Vegas. The JR comment cracks me up. I work for a Swedish company and am the only natural-born American citizen in a company full of mostly Swedes and Brits. People come over from the home office all the time and ask about Southfork Ranch and JR. People here hardly even remember the show. It was such an over-stylized, over-stereotyped Hollywood version of reality, that no one here paid it any more attention than any other soap opera. Don't get me wrong, it was popular at the time (what, 1982?). But apparently it aired in Europe well after it did here. And of course no one here bought it as an accurate depiction of anything. For some reason, all my German and Swedish acquaintances still watch reruns and expect everyone to own a horse and an oil well. Sigh. Dallas is like any other modern metropolis. The metro area has a population of about 4 million. It has trendy artsy districts, slums, typical middle class suburbs, golf courses, shopping malls, and TONS of corporate national headquarters, including one of the largest concentrations of telecommunications (that's me) and technology companies. Not too many horses and virtually no oil wells around.

[breakout]

The alloy plates are alot lighter===They have a lower flywheel moment of inertia. The damage problem occurs because the clutch doesnt spin at a constant angular velocity; every time one of those big pistons is on the expansion stroke the crank and clutch are subject to angular acceleration ;when on the exhaust and intake strokes the crank/clutch begin to slow down again.It is this speeding up and slowing down that causes the rattle, because the clutch basket tansfers this motion to the clutch pack and because the clutch pack is loose in the basket it does this by tapping it,( the rattling noise)
It then follows if the drive plates are lighter (alloy) then it takes less tapping energy (hammering)to speed them up and slow them down ,so less destruction (damage) results.
The plates are a consumable, your clutch basket should not be, for road work use my --------i clutch plates,save the basket ,take off easier , never have to clean the clutch, enjoy riding the bike more! breakout

Originally posted by nathanTX
OK, a couple more questions (sorry). The Barnett clutch packs that I seem to find just about everywhere use aluminum backed friction plates. The Barnett website clearly says for use with aluminum or steel baskets, so one would think it would be OK. But, I was thinking that mixing aluminum and steel would be a no-no. Wouldn't the softer aluminum tangs get banged to <b>censored</b> that much faster against the harder steel basket? Does anyone have personal experience using aluminum plates with the stock steel basket and how was the longevity? I would just use the factory steel clutch pack, but it's $50 more expensive and less immediately available, not to mention of questionable durability.

Lastly, since I don't have a service manual, can someone list (or link to) the torque specs for the basket mounting bolts, the hub nut, and the pressure plate/spring keepers? TIA.

[TP]

Originally posted by nathanTX
Texas is hot compared to the UK, but nothing that warrants any unusual fluid choices under normal use conditions. It's not Phoenix or Las Vegas. The JR comment cracks me up. I work for a Swedish company and am the only natural-born American citizen in a company full of mostly Swedes and Brits. People come over from the home office all the time and ask about Southfork Ranch and JR. People here hardly even remember the show. It was such an over-stylized, over-stereotyped Hollywood version of reality, that no one here paid it any more attention than any other soap opera. Don't get me wrong, it was popular at the time (what, 1982?). But apparently it aired in Europe well after it did here. And of course no one here bought it as an accurate depiction of anything. For some reason, all my German and Swedish acquaintances still watch reruns and expect everyone to own a horse and an oil well. Sigh. Dallas is like any other modern metropolis. The metro area has a population of about 4 million. It has trendy artsy districts, slums, typical middle class suburbs, golf courses, shopping malls, and TONS of corporate national headquarters, including one of the largest concentrations of telecommunications (that's me) and technology companies. Not too many horses and virtually no oil wells around.

Really? Damn stereotypes.

I did ride a kangaroo to school and have a pet koala though.

I'm currently whoring myself (sorry, providing consultative services) to a major oil company that has a very large office in Houston.

[moto748]

nathan>


I've got one of those 48 tooth STM clutches.

Their plates are steel and their basket is alloy. I was a bit surprised by this, but there you are. There's much less movement, I would suspect, between plates and basket, so the wear should not be so bad.
Not had it in long enough to make any judgements about longevity.

Sure is quieter, though!