Clutch problems

[Benz]

When I replaced the basket,[slabbie 1109] I thought these problems were over.
Wrong:(..... The new/secondhand basket has less play at the mounting plate than the old one, but when I dial up a few revs and start to let the clutch engage, the damned thing grabs, and trys to either stall or lift the front wheel.
It is better behaved than the old basket, but the problem means I cannot dial up a heap of revs, and clutch-slip off the line, so at this point I cannot dragrace this beast.
There is a "graunching" sound when this happens, The clutch assembly is fairly tight, but I can move the rear plate by hand. I My question is, can I weld the rivets to the plate/basket, bypassing the need for springs altogether? Will this transfer greater loads to the gearbox, or somethin similar? I can't see why we even need the damned springs in the assembly......somebody???

[Benz]

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[03gixxerpilot]

mate i got no idea about your clutch prob, but i hope that the smiley face is an indiction that it is all well now.

They used to weld up the baskets back in the 80's, especially when the rivets got a bit loose and rattly. The springs are a 'cush drive' arrangement, but I don't think that they are really required.

[Hillsy]

I think the grabbing problem might be in your clutch plates. If the steel plates are warped they will play up like you've described. The springs in the basket are a cush drive mechanism - and are probably best left in. The springs do compress over time and will make the basket loose and rattle. The fix is to replace the springs with heady duty ones - which requires the rivets to be removed and re-welded. A machining shop should be able to do this, but if you can't find one in NT, give Serco (QLD) or Dave at Albion Motorcycles (QLD) a call. Dave did my EFE basket a few years back and it was nice and quiet after that.

[Benz]

Thanx guys,:D
I have two baskets, one will get welded up,[when the fucken welder arrives!!] while the other heads off to a machine shop somewhere.......probably in QLD, to get reconned.
My clutch steels are straight, I've had them out often enough to know, but I might pull them one more time and give them another cleanup/inspection. You never know.....
Trying to find answers to my problem , I called my bro'in-law,who has been a speedway sidecar fanatic/rider for years. He said ALL steel clutchplates should be machined, because as they are from the factory, you are only getting about 60% of the surface working at any one time, because [but not entirely] the edges of the plate are rounded. Machining them gets the outer edge into the equation, resulting in more general grip, and less slip.
Stuey claims they don't remove the dimples from the plates, just get the whole surface into the action somehow. Personally I can't see how you could machine the surface, without removing the dimples, but what would I know:)

[loosebruce]

Have a look at the inner hub sometimes the steel plates wear grooves in the alloy and can cause a plate to bind and make strange noises.
The clutch basket i pulled out of my GS1000 had the cush springs packed out with 1c peices (not by me) and you could see where they had contacted the inner case.
I'm just glad i didn't lose one in the motor cos i'd been riding with it like that for about 2 years.

[Booster]

Did the new clutch have a couple of spring washers/seat that fit over the inner hub and inside the last clutch plate.
No 11 &12 http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/300_0003/clutch/clutch.cfm?man=su&groupid=5970&parent=5910
They can make a lot of difference, if i have picked the wrong model find the right one on the fiche and see if it has them

[Stocky]

You did soak all the plates in oil before you fitted them ?

You need to make sure all the oil feed to the clutch is working too.

Give Greig a call at www.mperacingonline.com he's a guru on that sort of thing and he'll help you out as much as he can just cause he's like that.