Thanks again old rider. I cleaned up a few old plates tonight ready for fitting but the tabs are very very close to the outside edge of basket ring so with heat I think these would be worse.(the newfren plates have more shadow tabs) Put stack together with quiet mod and 3.5mm showing on centre drum. Managed to bleed system and it's lots better. Still very tight changing gear. She's got fully sythn 10/40 castrol racing in her could this affect the box? When I got home after a ride with everything hot in neutral with clutch pulled the cover plate span quite well by hand..still going to do master as I've ordered it Any other advise great fully received...and thanks again for advise so far
Oil won't be an issue. It's not how deep or shallow the tabs are, it's how wide they are. Presumably the clutch was ok before and you were able to find neutral then. I still think you should try a few of the old plates st the top, even if it's only 2 or 3. As I said, the clutch is very easy to experiment with and you can run the bike up to working temp static in the garage with the clutch cover and fairing off and then see if you can still find neutral. Well done though, you're getting there.
The aftermarket basket is very close to top edge of tabs (it has a steel ring around it). Unfortunately I don't know what she was like as it's sat for 12 years. I've dressed the old plates with a file. I will definitely take your advice and try the old plates though. Wierdly the first few shifts in garage spot on...then drags.
Not that weird. Getting worse as the motor warms up is symptomatic of this problem. No real need to dress the old plates but one thing I have done is to file the tabs of the first friction plate to roughly follow the profile of the bottom of the basket slots. This prevents the potential problem of the tabs cutting into the bottom of the slots and creating a step. Such a step could cause inconsistent clutch operation as the tabs suddenly drop into it as drive is taken up.
Wow, did you put old plates at the top? If so, how many? As said, this is something you can experiment with and test in your garage. E.g. When you get the motor hot, do the friction plates come out easily? That is the acid test for if it's the friction plate tabs expanding and binding on the slots that's causing the problem. If they come out easily with a hot motor, it's not the friction plates. If they bind and won't come out, it is.
Some progress. Removed everything and it looks like frictions have been catching inner edges of after market basket. So there's the drag...and noticed master driping where rod goes in. Cleaned/chamfered basket and 1000 times better. Will replace master and cross fingers. Thanks again old rider
Replaced master cylinder. Getting bit more travel now. Gearbox is still so stiff! Even put old knackered basket back in with new clutch kit (cleaned up all grooves with a file). No way these plates could be sticking in basket. With clutch pulled in neutral very easy to spin cover so feels as if disengaging well...I could be wrong. Anyone have any ideas ....any help gratefully received as this is driving me nuts!
The acid test remains the same. Remove the clutch cover and warm the motor up to running temp, then see if the plates will come easily out of the basket. If they do, its not the plates sticking that is causing your problem. If however, they stick in the basket when the motor is warm, then it is. You should only have 2 or 3 mm of free play in the lever at the beginning of the stroke. You need some free play to avoid slip but only a minimal amount. If you have too much, you won't move the pressure plate enough to free the plates. Have you tried the cable-tie to hold the clutch lever to the bar overnight trick?? This is controversial to say the least but might give you an idea as to whether there is air in the system. It does allegedly work but most people say it's only temporary. If you try it and it works, you'll know at least know it's air in the system that's the problem. Good luck...
Nothing to do with heat. Changed back to all the old friction plates and she's perfect! Must have a few warped Newfren plates... took some figuring but cheers for all the advice. ....oh and don't buy newfren clutches!
Really pleased that you've sorted it but I still think heat had its part to play here. You reported that when you first started the bike up, the clutch felt fine but deteriorated as you rode it. Imho, this was because the Newfren friction plate tabs were a fairly tight fit in the new basket slots and as they heated and expanded that fit became too tight and they started to bind, stopping the plates from separating properly. The old plates have tabs that have been hammered in the old basket slots from all the oscillating that the standard clutch pack does, so they will be a lot looser in the slots than the Newren plates, allowing them to remain free in the slots as the motor warms up. I actually have a Frankenstein mixture of plates in my clutch. At the bottom, I have some Newfren and some pattern Suzuki plates and at the top, some of the old knackered plates the bike came with. It all works perfectly though. It's light, it doesn't slip, it doesn't drag and it doesn't grab.
