To replace or not to replace???

Hi Guys,

So Im attempting to work out why my clutch is slipping etc etc. I thought I would eliminate all probable causes, starting with checking the condition of the plates. I have opened the girl up, and taken some pics (attached). To me the friction plates (pic2) look ok, but was wondering if the grooves on the side of the friction plate (pic 1) is of concern? I've checked the tolerance of the friction plate and its just a little over the minimum requirement, so was thinking of changing these anyway.

As you can see in pic 3 there is a little surface rust on the steel plate, will this eventually wear away, or would it be best to replace these as well??

I dont know a great deal of history on this bike as I only purchased it earlier this year. All I do know is that it hasnt been registered since 2009 and has probably sat around for most of that time. Hence the surface rust.

Also, I cant find it in my manual anywhere, but can someone tell me if the clutch springs are supposed to be tensioned with a torque wrench? If so what is the required tension??

Your input will be greatly appreciated. Cheers and thanx!!

Unfortunately, I cannot answer your specific questions. However, I can offer some simple suggestions that might help. If you just got the bike and don't know the history, change the oil and use a quality MOTORCYCLE oil designed for bikes with a wet clutch. I had assumed that all the talk about modern oil and clutch slippage was so much BS until the clutch on my XJ700 started slipping badly a few days after an oil change. With only 15K miles of light use, I could not believe it needed a new clutch. After adjustment of the clutch failed to fix the problem I changed the oil to motorcycle oil and the problem disappeared in a day or so.

I torqued mine to the same as the other bolts of that size: as I recall, they are M10, which would be 22-25 ft-lbs.

plates look ok to me.

which manual are you looking in?

Haynes has it covered last time i checked!

How did you find out your clutch was partially slipping? I ask because when I got mine on the center stand put it in gear with the clutch in the wheel spins and doesn't want to stop. Of course on the road it's fine with the clutch in cause of my weight and it being on the ground. Is this the first sign of clutch slippage?

From the pics,the fibre plates look O K,but the steel plate looks as though it's been chattering.Get a piece of glass,some 1200 wet or dry sandpaper,wet with W-D 40,and sand in a circular motion[gently] until the discoloration is gone,but don't go overboard on sanding. Measure the fibre plates,and if up to specs,go ahead and run it.You may want to get new springs. Oh,the grooves are supposed to be there to channel off oil. lha

Gentlemen,
Thankyou for your replies!!

Pseudo, thanks for those settings, will use that as a guide too!!

Drewpy, Im using the Clymer Manual that came with the bike, I've looked a few times through it, just in case I was having a bad case of "Painted Eyes Syndrome", but nope, cant seem to find it in there. DOH!! I’ve just found the sticky Manuals in the Garage!! I knew they were on the site somewhere, but couldn’t find them the other day, when I went looking.

Kindest, when I first got the bike, it was terrible, I would have the lever completely released and not much would happen. Eventually it would grip, but not good enough for my expectations and certainly not good enough to get over the pits. Tried adjusting it at the lever, but had no more play left. I had already replaced the oil when I first got the bike as I didnt know what kind of oil was in it. I replaced it with 20W50 mineral oil, as I read somewhere that using anything other than mineral would definitely make the friction plates slip on older bikes.

I should say that just before I drained the oil the second time, and opened the clutch housing for closer inspection, I did take it for a quick spin, (as I had just serviced the carbys), and noticed that the clutch seemed to slip less. But I couldn’t really give it a proper test run due to the missing and back firing problem yikes: this is definitely from the mixture being way too rich, as the old carby mounts looked like swiss cheese). Im still waiting on petcock repair kit, and will need to flush the tank out as well as reclean and balance the carbs. But thats a whole different story.

Although I can not say for sure, Im guessing what has happened was the plates had dried out completely from sitting around for so long, and having it fired up a few times has allowed the plates to soak in the new oil, so maybe that is why I had less slippage on the last run. I have already ordered new friction plates, so will replace them anyway. I've checked the springs and according to the manual, 33.6mm is the limit to replace, and I still have about 2.5mm clearance on them, so probably wont change them. Thanx Iha for the tip on the steel plates!!

Hehe Talk about bad planning and doing things arse about face. This is my first attempt at anything like this, so really thanks again for all your input!!

I'll keep you posted!!
Cheers

V \m/