Hi folks, I’m replacing the clutch on my ‘96 Monster. I had a replacement clutch assembly that seems like it’s from another bike, albeit the plates fit the basket. Can anyone point me in the direction of an exploded diagram which shows how many plates there should be, what the order of the plates is, and ideally the plate thickness, and overall clutch stack thickness. The set that was in the bike had a thick bottom plate, plus 8 additional friction plates. First of all I need to check if that’s correct (the clutch was dragging, so it’s entirely possible it had an incorrect set or stack fitted, or it was simply worn out), then see if I can adapt the new plates (assuming they’re the correct thickness). Thanks in advance! Nik
It's all about stack height. Monsters of that era should be 41mm total( I googled that ) The 916 etc are 38mm ( I know that ). So start with a steel plate, then friction and so on until you get to 41, or as close to as you can. Less is better than more, otherwise the clutch might drag. Obviously finish the stack with a steel plate. Steels are 1.5 mm or 2mm. If you have both types you can mix and match to adjust. You don't have to use all the friction plates. 7 is plenty. My 916 has 7 and that has probably more torque than your monster. Some people measure the total stack together. I personally don't like that. I measure each plate in 3 places, get a average for that plate, and add them up. Takes out discrepancies if some of the plates are a little warped. If each of the 15 plates is warped by just 0.1 mm you'd have a potential error of 1.5mm when you measure them all together.
Thank you for your reply, that’s really helpful. This is how the stack looked before I took it out. Note the thick plate at the “top” of the stack (ie first plate to come out): The clutch stack seems roughly at the right height, as there’s a circlip which fits into the basket. If I recall, it’s around 34.5mm. The new plates are 2.6mm, but the old ones are only about 1.4! I’ll see if I can find a flat surface to check for any warp on the metal plates. Thanks for your advice! Nik
In I wouldn't worry about warp. I was just trying to explain that even a slight warp can suggest more stack height than there is in reality when one measures all the plates together rather that individual.
I’m now mainly curious about the thick outer plate, but I think I might try assembling it with that and the new plates to what appears to be an appropriate height.
Just found this on eBay (listing for a clutch set for my bike model), which would appear to confirm the stack and plate thicknesses: This shows the thick outer plate I mentioned, so it would seem to confirm the stack order and combination.
Ok so I’ve more or less got to the bottom of this. The new discs I have look to be for a later ‘98 onwards 600, where the clutch cover got deeper (I think it switched to the more typical external slave cylinder on the opposite side of the engine to the clutch). Old friction discs (the original ones from my bike) are 2.5mm, the new discs are 3.5mm, and in between metal discs are 1.5. So a pair of “old” friction disc and metal disc is 4mm. A pair of new disc plus metal disc is 5mm. Total stack height for my bike (going by the diagram in my previous post) is 35.5. Take away the thick top disc (3.5mm), and that leaves 32mm total. 32 divided by 4 equals 8, so eight pairs of “old” friction disc plus metal inbetween plate. New disc plus metal plate is 5, which can’t be divided evenly into my overall stack height of 32. So the combinations are 5 new discs plus 2 old, giving an overall stack height of 33mm (1mm over), or 4 new and 3 old, giving the correct 32mm height. So my options are: 1.Buy a replacement set of correct thickness clutch plates and stop faffing about 2. Use 4 x new plates and 3 old 3. Use 5 new and 2 old (for a taller stack) Options 2 & 3 appeal for saving money, if doing so actually works. I don’t know if going 1mm over on the stack matters. The old discs measure at around 2.4mm, so have only worn 0.1mm. For the sake of a new clutch cover gasket (£5.99) I’m tempted to try one of the new/old combos. Any collective wisdom? Thanks! Nik
Well that turned into a puzzle didn’t it Nik! if I could remember who I bought it off all those years ago I’d complain!!
