Toutsuite Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Had a very enjoyable ride this evening, having fitted new clutch friction plates and springs (both EBC aftermarket). Was a hell of a job doing it myself (the really difficult part was removing the front exhaust - took me about 3 hours using those special fluted sockets that bite into rusted nuts and bolts); and I installed the pressure plate incorrectly so had to go in again this morning but all is well now! A few points: at 41K miles a worn clutch is to be expected, depending on how previous owners rode. The old friction plates were worn almost down to the metal. The metal clutch plates between the friction plates seemed ok. Checked them for thickness and they were all well within tolerance. The new stiffer springs make a big difference at the lever! Although previously generally well behaved in shifting gears and finding neutral, when the engine got quite hot due to getting stuck in traffic, finding neutral became problematic (or sometimes impossible). Got in a bit of central London traffic today, no such issues whatsoever. Found neutral every time! Which is just as well because as mentioned above, that lever is a lot stiffer now! No more slippage! I also noticed that beyond the obvious slipping when really giving it the beans in 3rd, 4th and 5th, it's much quicker off the mark at traffic lights now, which means the old plates were not doing their job properly across the rev range, and at different loads. I could feel it, especially more recently, but couldn't quite put my finger on it. And I certainly could feel the difference today, wow! All the available engine torque and hp going to the rear wheel! The Silver Lady is back to her best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted August 26, 2013 Moderator Share Posted August 26, 2013 great news mate, get some coppaslip on those exhaust bolts eh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhat250 Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Yeh" well done toutsie" its a learning curve , but thats how you gain experience,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo666 Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 nothing to do with the clutch well done on that bty but rather the exhaust bolts why dont folks use the same method i use when i renew the exhaust i renewed the studs then i remove them every so often and recoppaslip them that way they never sieze up just my 2c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted August 26, 2013 Author Share Posted August 26, 2013 Cheers, guys, feel reet proud of meself! And yes, I'll get some copaslip pronto, thanks for the advice. Those nuts and studs on the front have probably not been removed since the bike was built 11 years ago! Both were destroyed in the act of removing them: I had to go down a size or two on easy-out sockets by the time I got them out, they were that stripped! The second one was so rust fused onto the stud it actually took the stud out with it. Saved me the bother of getting it out. The other stud would not budge though. So one new stud and two new bolts were used to put the front exhaust back in. The other thing was when I finally got the pipe off, I couldn't for the life of me find the old copper gasket in there. It was totally gone. So popped in a new gasket. Now this is a famously fiddly bit to do as the ruddy thing won't stay in there while you're faffing about trying to get the pipe back in the outlet. Solution? A tiny bit of wire wool on one side of the gasket, helps jam it in place while you get the pipe back in. Job's a good'n! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noise Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Well done Tout! where bouts you get the stiffer springs too? With regards to the studs (just my 2p) i remove mine and replace them with stainless steel alen head bolts, making sure they are the same lenth etc as the studs bit of copaslip and the right torque setting jobs and bobby and its a billion times easier to get the front off between the frame etc as you aint gotta come out past the studs before you can pull it out, just pull it out past the cylinder and your free! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neversaydie Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Whenever I do ant maintenance, I always say to myself that I might be the next chap to take this off/change this etc, so I always try to make sure its gonna do that. Forward planning really Well done with the clutch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 Well done Tout! where bouts you get the stiffer springs too? With regards to the studs (just my 2p) i remove mine and replace them with stainless steel alen head bolts, making sure they are the same lenth etc as the studs bit of copaslip and the right torque setting jobs and bobby and its a billion times easier to get the front off between the frame etc as you aint gotta come out past the studs before you can pull it out, just pull it out past the cylinder and your free! Wemoto, and the friction plates as well. I thought about using bolts of the same length, but you actually can remove the pipe if you remove the right forward control assembly (i.e. the footbreak and peg). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted August 27, 2013 Moderator Share Posted August 27, 2013 Cheers, guys, feel reet proud of meself! And yes, I'll get some copaslip pronto, thanks for the advice. Those nuts and studs on the front have probably not been removed since the bike was built 11 years ago! Both were destroyed in the act of removing them: I had to go down a size or two on easy-out sockets by the time I got them out, they were that stripped! The second one was so rust fused onto the stud it actually took the stud out with it. Saved me the bother of getting it out. The other stud would not budge though. So one new stud and two new bolts were used to put the front exhaust back in. The other thing was when I finally got the pipe off, I couldn't for the life of me find the old copper gasket in there. It was totally gone. So popped in a new gasket. Now this is a famously fiddly bit to do as the ruddy thing won't stay in there while you're faffing about trying to get the pipe back in the outlet. Solution? A tiny bit of wire wool on one side of the gasket, helps jam it in place while you get the pipe back in. Job's a good'n! Just use grease to stick it in. It will melt away soon as the engine runs. So wont affect things when you give em a nip once their warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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