Clutch (Again). Bit of Advice Please
 

well i got all the plates out and managed to clean them up without any major mishaps and it seems to have made quite a bit of difference. it's still slipping a little bit when i test it by doing a high gear "roll-on", but in the lower gears it seems reasonably ok.

however, when i had the plates out, it was clear that the friction plates are not much longer for this world - they're all very low and one was almost down to the metal.

is replacing the plates something i can do myself - ie: is it just a case of opening the packet and slotting the plates in in the correct order, or is there more to it than that? is there any set-up required due to the change in thickness of the new plates compared to the old ones?

if it's something i can do myself, i will do.... where is the best place to buy plates and are there any upgrades (i've read that aluminium "steels" were a good upgrade)?

thanks as always :D

yes, its as easy as you just said, call Nelly, he will advise the best clutch plates, apparently there is a sensible cost upgrade, just can't remember the correct plate set ..... if you get them from Nelly he'll send them out in the correct order of plain / friction plates so you can just slot the pack straight in ....

www.cornerspeed.co.uk

Where abouts in the country are you mate? You never know, some kind soul may come round and lend an expert hand if you're in their area, all for the price of a cuppa or two. Me in wilts/hants border. :saint:

You want a set of ST4S alloy friction plates.

Be aware though that even when they are new they don't have as much material on them as you might expect! I got quite a supprise when i opened up my first set!

Its worth going over the steel plates with fine glass paper if you didn't already do that.

i'm in "that lundun" worst luck. what a place to own a ducati - no wonder my clutch is on it's way out! :mad:

where in London Zhed ??? i'm in SE .. there are a fair few of us about ...

are the st4 plates better (grippier) or just lighter? do you get alloy "steels" as well, or have i read the interweb wrong (i think i saw that last bit on sigma's website)

i gave the steels a bit of a rub with 120(i think) paper, but that looked a bit extreme so i just went at them with a scotchbrite pad and some elbow grease. i also cleaned up the friction plates with brake cleaner and a cloth. it seems to have done the trick .................for now

thanks :)

[Edited on 3-4-2006 by zhed44]

way, way north - just south of friern barnet/arnos grove area.

it's lovely of you to offer, but if it's as simple as everyone is saying, then given that i managed to get the olds plates out and in again not only without breaking or losing anything, but also with a marked improvement, then even i should be able to manage on my todd! :lol:

The alloy plates are a lot quieter and they don't bash the basket as much as steel ones. I haven't found any downsides apart from them costing a couple of quid more that steel ones. There probably is some power advantage becasue they are lighter but i doubt you'd notice.
I think my last set came with all the steel driven plates as well.

one other thing i'd like to pick your brains on please - what's the easiest way to fish the last few plates out? i had a "one screwdriver in each hand, tongue poking out of the corner of my mouth" thing going on, but it was pretty damn fiddly.

oh, one more thing please:

i want to replace the nasty old springs and collars at the same time. it seems a shame to spoil the looks of the gold pressure plate that was fitted by a previous owner. there are some nice looking spring/collar sets on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ducati-dry-Clu...cmdZV iewItem

i've bought dzus clips and stickers etc from these guys before, and their service was excellent, but obviously, with these being a mechanical moving part, i'd like to know if they're up to spec before buying.

any thoughts?

buy the springs and caps from Nelly, he has them on the shelf ....

best way to get the plates out is a couple of those magnetic telscopic pen thingies (technical term that) ...

open out a large split pin and bend the end slightly to make a right angle, hook them out with that

Ditto, or thin gauge welding rod, anything that'll create a strong pair of hooks. Good luck :)

thanks for all the advice once again.

was out on the 748 again today and the benefits of the strip and clean have already worn off - i was half way past a car when it started to slip - so i was riding alongside them, more or less at the same pace with the engine wailing away, all about 2 feet from their side window! i felt quite sorry for the driver as they must have wondered why this black clad, black visored nutcase on a black motorcycle with open pipes was riding in formation with them absolutely revving the nuts off his bike!

anyway - ST4s clutch and spring kit on order from nelly.

thanks again for all your help. :D

[Edited on 4-4-2006 by zhed44]

Got the new clutch pack fitted today.

As is always the case with me, it didn't go without a hitch though.

After I had finished, I went to test it - mmmmmm, that's odd, it'll go into gear, but not back into neutral even though the light is showing, then the clutch lever went really stiff, then I couldn't budge the gear lever. Mmmmmmm. :puzzled:

So - I thought I'd better whip the cover off and have a look what was going on - only to have the answer dawn on me as I saw the scraped tops of my lovely new red spring caps and the track they had worn on the inside of the cover. How come?

As I was finishing up (the first time round) I noticed that the clutch cover gasket was a bit knackered, so I thought "I won't bother with that in case any straggly bits get caught up in the springs" - as a result, there wasn't enough clearance between the springs and the inside face of the cover :rolleye: Has now been refitted.

Anyway - is all working well now.

Thanks to Cornerspeed for the fast delivery and the idiot proof instructions, and thanks also for the advice and tips from you guys - the magnetic picker-upper-thingy was a masterstroke - I had the old plates out in 10 seconds rather than 10 minutes.

Final question: I found that there was only 1 thick plate instead of 2 in the bottom of the old clutch pack - why would this be? I have fitted 2 this time. Also, the bottom of the basket had what at first I thought was a weld repair, but on closer examination seems to be a thin streak of molten, solidified metal. Surely someone hasn't melted a clutch plate at some point in this bike's chequered past?

Thanks again

[Edited on 9-4-2006 by zhed44]