I've decided this is not for me, it sounds like a bag of rusty nails My question, do all OE open clutch covers fit or are they 749/999 specific? Oh, and I'll probably have a real nice open cover for sale soon, it sounds ace Thanks, Bluey.
Pretty sure all dry clutch Ducatis are compatible with each other regarding clutch covers. There's a simple cure for the bag of rusty nails sound, called the quiet clutch mod. Usual way is to simply drop an extra friction plate in first, underneath the rest of the stack. This damps/stops the oscillation of the stack, which eliminates the racket and drastically cuts wear too. Simply re-ordering the stack, with a friction plate in first, works as well. Wait for the outcry from those who consider the racket of a clutch assembly beating itself to bits as music. Btw, I see you're in Somerset. If you're at the Devon end, you can bring the bike to me if you like. I have some spare friction plates and have become a dab hand at re-assembling clutch stacks... I'm in Exeter.
I know, flame suit is hung next to me ready I tried it and its just too loud. I may find a cover and modify it for a little bit of cling clang. Fully open is too much.
Do quiet clutch mod and its clatter free and makes bike seem smoother to ride on/off throttle, but makes nice tambourine sound with lever in.
Mine is just nice. It jangles when you pull the lever in but is otherwise fairly quiet. The cover couldn't be more open.
Yep. Can be totally shot, steel or alloy. Put it in 1st then 2mm plain, friction x 7 with plain last. One plain is probably 1.5 and slightly dished, use a straight edge to determine dish and have dish side pointing outwards. Fit that plate 2nd or 3rd plain in. Stack wants to end up with about 3mm of hub exposed before pressure plate goes on.
Probably best to have an alloy plate, especially if the basket is alloy. Steel could cut into the basket and create a step. I've actually radiused the tabs on my alloy one to prevent that.
It will actually work without an extra friction plate. You can just put the plates in with a friction plate first, then alternate with a plain plate last. A mate did that and it works perfectly well.
+1 for the quite clutch mod. Could've possibly been the best thing I've done to mine. I kept the standard clutch cover on though and just removed the rubber gasket to prevent dust build up. Remember to refit the small spacers that are located in the bolt holes of the rubber gasket if you do this as without these the clutch cover will fail on the clutch springs. Simply and very effective mod. Highly recommend although haters are gonna hate.....
Although I can appreciate the benefits of a quieter clutch,i think the rattle from an open one is all part of the Ducati ownership experience...I love it when I stop at traffic lights and see people looking at me in horror at the racket the bike is making!...I once had one worried old guy genuinely ask me if the bike would get me home!...i think i'll leave mine as it is.
The chatter from a new Ducati clutch assembly is perfectly acceptable and I can understand why people might welcome it as part of the Ducsti character. However, that chatter is the sound of direct metal to metal contact and that causes wear. As the wear continues, it accelerates as the clearances widen until you get to the point where you need to replace not just the plates but a severely notched basket as well, long before the friction surfaces have worn out. @Derek on here has been running the quiet clutch mod on his bikes for years and gets tens of thousands of miles out of his clutches. I believe he only needs to change when the friction surfaces wear. It would be interesting to know if he needs to change the basket as well at that point.
I hear what you're saying but they would be wearing away whether the clutch is open or closed as it came from the factory wouldn't they?.. the standard closed cover just masks the music...I haven't messed with my clutch, just removed the closed cover and put a new fancy pressure plate on. I wish I could hear this as well as see it.....
I think the chatter of standard setup causes extra wear on plates as well as basket/friction plate tangs getting hammered. I read somewhere the qc jobby puts more stress on basket bearing but haven't heard of any problems by doing it. Open cover keeps clutch cooler and lets dust out.
I have friction plates. However, I've come to believe it may well be better to simply re-order the existing plates in your stack. Adding a plate is likely to increase the stack height, if only marginally. A red herring led me to reduce my stack height drastically by discarding all of the doubled up plain plates in the stack. This had the surprising benefit of reducing the pull necessary on the clutch lever, due to reduced pre-load on the springs. As the lever was then single finger light, I have stuck with that arrangement and now have a quiet and super-light clutch that works perfectly without a trace of drag or slip.
