Hi Guys, newbie here, I have just tried to change my clutch on my ST4s, the old clutch was very noisy and 3-4 plates had no friction material left. so I have checked the plates retaining the basket and steels as they are still serviceable, once I put the new pack in, getting the bike in to gear was fine but wouldn't come out? unless i turned it off. I have just also bled the fluid which has made the leaver better but didnt make a difference on the neutral issue. I have replaced several plates with older ones which has allowed me to get neutral but its tight!. would this be normal practice? the reason I ask is from the old pack it looks like have have extra wear which to me would indicate the previous owner may have done this also? any thoughts? any suggestion? anything is welcome at this point!!
Sounds like your pack thickness is wrong, too much. With all the plates installed, you want to see about 4mm of drum extending past the final, plain, steel plate prior to the pressure plate going on.
Does the problem get worse as the motor warms up? If so, it's probably the new plates binding in the basket slots. You are doing the right thing by retaining some old plates to allow the clutch to clear but make sure they are all at the top or it won't help. There is no positive pressure to make the plates separate, so any binding will promote drag. I suggest you try and do all your testing at home, as trying to ride with severe drag is positively dangerous.
I got it up to temp yesterday and i could get it in and out fairly well with 4 old and 3 new plates, I did measure the stack and it came in at 38.5mm which I thought was where it should be? I couldn’t put any more old plates in as they were proper knackered with little to no friction material left
They don't have much friction material to start with but it's unusual to wear the friction material out before the tabs get totally knackered. Sounds like you're on the right track though. I had the same problem and intended to replace the old plates at the top with the freshly run in ones from the bottom and replace those at the bottom with the un run in ones left out after a few hundred miles. However, because I'm using the quiet clutch mod, which stops plates with knackered tabs from chattering and the clutch is working fine, I haven't got round to it. You have got the old plates at the top?
Yeah the old plates are at the top, as it was trial and error to get the neutral yesterday! I think I could work in a race team for quick clutch changes with the amount I have done yesterday!! I am due a long ish ride tomorrow Yeah the old plates ar at the top due to trial and error getting Neutral, I am doing a longish ride tomorrow so hopefully the newer plate will be bedded in nice. I am wondering if there is anything else that I may have over looked? or is this just the way with the italian mistress?
Did you use OEM or aftermarket plates? It seems pretty normal with aftermarket plates. Imho, if anything, err on the side of a low rather than high stack height but it sounds like you're spot on and should be fine. Yes, I got very slick with dismantling and reassembling too I found an electric driver for the screws and magnets for whipping out the plates really speeded things up
that's exactly what I am using! battery driver with the torque setting to medium and 2 telescopic magnets works a treat!
to be honest I did measure at first however it was with a ruler and at what seemed to be 4mm. when I started the trial and error dropping in old plate I didn't measure it. Sorry @nelly I missed your comment!! :-(
Ooh, I didn't spot Nelly's post either. Yes, it's not so much the stack height itself that matters so much as how high the stack sits in the basket. This is why I asked if the problem gets worse as the motor warms up, as that is exactly what happened with my own clutch. Nelly of course has the experience of hundreds of clutches, so lots of cap doffing due.
Just got back to measured the distance from the last plate to the edge of the basket and it was only 2.5mm!!! So I have removed a 2mm steel and replace 1 old friction plate with a new and it’s near as damn it 4mm! Guess what??? I can find neutral!!!! @nelly you are a god thank you!!!
Just out of curiousity my slave cylinder, it has a label on it CT corse?? Is this standard or aftermarket? I can’t see anything on the web which says either Thanks again everyone
