hello, i have a 2003 ds with 50k on the clock (km) my mechanic told me my clutch hub and discs are worn and that my master cylinder is shot. now, about the clutch hub and discs, the clutch does not slip under any application, however there is some play between the hub and the discs, normal wear? any point in replacing the hub and discs now? i'd rather just wait until it starts slipping/ not working properly and then replace it. now about the bigger issue, my clutch lever feels very soft, and i only feel it engaging at 3/4th of the lever travel. system has been bleed properly. Symptoms: my neutral is hard to find, i often find false neutral between 5th and 6th gear. and the "friction zone" is small to non existent. i'm unsure if this is caused by the master cylinder or the worn discs? the lower master cylinder pump (the one on the engine) seems to have been replaced by the previous owner (i'm assuming so because there are new screws) my mechanic told me he thinks the issue is the master cylinder on the handlebars. and he said it would be pointless to rebuild it because the cylinder tends to deform on these bikes, so the only option is replacing the entire thing. is this correct? he suggested finding a used one since new ones are extremely expensive. However buying a used one might potentially expose me to the same issue? it's a hit or miss finding a good one i think.. i also didn't find any aftermarket option? here is a video of the issue:
I had issues with a heavy clutch on my 750ss. After doing a load of research I ended up going for a Chinesium radial master. Seals are standard sizes and after a strip down and measure I have to admit I am impressed by the quality. Total cost was well under £50 (less than a seal set for the existing one). If it dies I may go for a better one bit it’s been OK so far. I would not do this for brakes in a million years but for the clutch the risk is really only of getting stranded somewhere.
The dry clutches are difficult to get right when they are worn, which at 50k km's, if original, it will be. The 'stack height' has to be right, the steel plates have to be in a certain order, when worn they become more of a switch than a clutch, also incredibly noisy when the basket is worn as the plates shake around inside on tick over. I renewed my basket, steel and friction plates at around 30k miles with after market parts, clutch was beautifully smooth afterwards.
What part is the "steel" i thought the only wear items were plates, basket and springs My clutch isn't the original so it has been replaced, although i have no idea when
There are hundreds for sale, you just need to check bore and stroke. They don’t even need to be spot on, I adjusted the ratio on mine to give a softer pull at expense of increased lever travel.
Example here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16634115...B6V1YI8Y6h2ggvSx5TVBaEwGk=|tkp:Bk9SR66f2LjnZQ Cheaper if bought direct from China via AliExpress or similar, but there are sooooo many options.
today i think my clutch is done Weird enough after i washed the bike? now in first gear it's very hard to start and sometimes stalls, the friction zone in first gear is pretty much all gone... what should i replace? basket and clutch plates?
Ok, presume you’ve bled the system? As I said previously, the stack height of all the plates is important, too high or too low and you’ll get drag or slip. I always try to find a ‘free fix’ for things when possible but, in this case the fixes were temporary. You may google the fault and see ‘quiet clutch mod’, that’s temporary too. In the end I bought non genuine plates, steel and friction, basket and springs. Even then I had to use a one of the old plates to get the clutch plate stack height within tolerance, I can’t remember what the measurements are, they’re in the workshop manual. I’m not saying this is definitely your fault/repair, can’t diagnose a fault remotely but, it stands a good chance from what you’ve described.
i haven't bleed the system now, but i did a few weeks ago, also with the wheel off the ground and the clutch lever pulled in the plate spins free, that should show the clutch is disengaging properly right?
