Hi guys, please can I get some more advise quickly? Build is going well, and the bike is finally looking like a bike again!!! I do have an issue with finding neutral whilst the engine is running, with no issues whilst the engine is off. When I try to go up from first gear it jumps straight past neutral and into second! And the reverse happens when trying to come down from second! I haven’t had a chance to re-bleed the clutch yet, so this will be the first on my list to try. I’ve also replaced the neutral switch (single wire type). Is there a possibility that I’ve wound it into the gearbox too far or not far enough which could be causing this issue? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Thanks for your quick response, I hadn't thought about that; I had noticed previously that, on a paddock stand, the rear wheel was hard to rotate whilst in gear and clutch applied. I've changed the pressure plate, springs and clutch hub. All the friction/plane plates and basket are the same as before the build. I'm pretty confident that all the plates have been relocated in the correct order; but now that you mention it I'll whip them out again and have a second look. If all the plates are in the correct order, is there much else that be causing the clutch to drag? Thanks again
The order probably won't affect drag much. New plates in old baskets often cause drag with unworn, sharp tabs catching in notchy slots. Watch the stack as you you operate the clutch to make sure it's moving smoothly, evenly and enough Play with the clutch without fully reassembling everything every time.
Also, make sure you have a couple of mm of play in your clutch lever but no more than that. If you haven't disturbed the clutch fluid and the clutch was fine before, it's unlikely to be air in the fluid that's suddenly causing a problem but bleeding won't hurt, unless you introduce more air of course...
You only need approximately 2 mm of movement at the pressure plate to disengage the clutch which is worth checking if you ever think the slave and master aren't working efficiently. Just a longshot, have you got the original steel clutch cover on and if so have you also got the rubber spacer still fitted? If the cover is fitted without the spacer, then it will rub on the spring caps causing the binding symptoms that you are describing. EDIT Sorry old rider, our posts overlapped re: 2 mm
Make sure the stack height isn't too high. You can get away with a low stack height much better than a high one. There needs to be a few mm at least of spare slot when all the plates are in or the top plate can jump out of place. Also, the pressure plate needs room to move sufficiently in order for the other plates to free enough not to drag. Make sure the pressure plate locates properly on the teeth and the slotted post is aligned with the triangular arrow moulded on the pressure plate.
I've replaced the clutch line and fluid during the build, but it won't take much to crack on the nipple again (( to see if I've missed any air in there. I did gently go over the tabs on the friction plates with a file to just take away any warped edges. I had thought that this would reduce any chances of them getting caught by any scarring in the basket (maybe that wasn't such a good idea!)
I've got an open clutch cover at the moment and pretty sure it's not fouling against springs. Good thought though, thanks I'll also have a quick look tonight and see how much movement I get on the pressure plate. Thanks guys, this is great
With regards to the height of the stack, do you mean taking away a friction and plane plate inside the basket?
Could be you've sharpened the edges, so they're actually catching more. Spreading from the tabs being hammered doesn't matter, in fact it's probably a good thing because it gives a broader contact point, so the tabs will dig into the basket slots less.
The neutral switch won't affect anything but it will need careful shimming to get it to work correctly. Steve
Is the clutch lever span adjustable ? If so try it on its furthest setting to get you the most fluid movement per pull Also have it that way for bleeding so you are working the master cylinder fully
Yes, I'm a proponent/exponent of he quiet clutch mod myself. I prefer the sound of induction and exhaust to that of mechanical clatter, especially the clatter of dry metal bashing dry metal. To that end, I have a friction plate at the very bottom of my stack instead of a plain plate, which has the effect of reducing both noise and the wear that goes hand-in-hand with it. Having the friction plate at the bottom drops the stack height a little and removing one of the doubled up plains will reduce it some more. If you are one of those who hear the mechanical mayhem as Ducati characterful music, try removing a plain and a friction from the top.
Hi guys, back again! Sorry I took a 2mm plane (plain?) plate out of the stack and the clutch dragging stopped and the master cylinder felt good. However, I took the bike out and it feels like the clutch is slipping at higher revs (sets off fine). The whole clutch is standard apart from an anodised aluminium pressure plate. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
One 2mm plate less shouldn't make the clutch slip. Clutch slip usually shows up ime with high torque at relatively low revs.
