Hi all - I have 2 questions. 1) Which aftermarket clutch kit has anyone found to be decent quality (a search revealed the discussion around GS550 plates - does anyone have an update regarding how well they fit and how well they work/last)? Instinctively I'd rather fit something designed for the Duc specifically, just not at a genuine Ducati price. 2) Some kits have the plates with the friction material plus the plain steel plates - some just the friction plates. If they don't look worn, is there any reason to replace the steel plates too? Cheers, Paul G
Hi Paul, what is the problem with the clutch on your bike? If it is excessively heavy, you could try an Oberon/Factory Racing type slave cylinder (or just change your butcher) a cheaper option may be to fit a 'dog leg' type clutch lever, or even just bleeding it, if your clutch is worn out (slipping) then I would suggest either buying genuine Ducati parts or decent pattern parts (e.g. Barnett) Hope this helps
Thanks Mark - nothing heavy about this clutch, it's super light (all original) - but it bites almost at the end of the lever release and occasionally in 5th, accelerating hard it slips for 1-2 seconds. So I am thinking it's worn out - or close to it - I would not look for any improvements in function, it's in fact really nice to use.
How many miles has it done? It may benefit from bleeding, cheapest easiest option, alternatively find out the tolerance for the clutch plates & strip yours & measure them. Cheers - Mark
Steels rarely need replacing and friction plates rarely need replacing due to wear of the friction surfaces. It's usually due to wear of the tabs giving excess clearance between them and the basket slots. This makes for a noisy clutch but won't make it slip. Does your 620 have a wet clutch like my old 750 SS?? If so, what oil are you using and do you have mayonnaise in your oil level sight glass?? Modern car oils have friction modifiers in them that will make a wet clutch slip, so a bike-specific oil is essential. Mayonnaise in the clutch housing used to make my clutch slip badly. I had to get the oil good and hot, then leave the oil filler cap on the petrol filler cap to let the steam escape. Why leave it on the petrol filler cap? So you don't ride away without it in place! If it is mayonnaise, the problem should improve as the weather warms up and if you do longer journeys. The other thing to check is free play at the clutch lever. If you don't have a couple of mm free play, the full pressure of the springs won't be holding the stack together. This might also explain why the bite is at the very end of the travel.
Thanks, I really appreciate these thoughts - I will investigate and report back. If it saves me buying new clutch plates, I'll be very happy. Oh, and to address the technical question, yes it does have the wet clutch. In fact a previous bike was an Elefant 750 and that had the same clutch... and that also slipped when pushed hard!
The guy I bought mine from had a new set of Ducati Performance sintered plates he’d ordered to solve the problem. I installed them and it didn’t...
