Whilst out and about over the weekend I noticed a few times that my clutch made a distinctive noise whilst pulling off, like the plates were slipping or something - Is this likely and if so is it a matter of adjustment or do I need to start looking at getting new plates? :-( It didn't really hinder my time out on the bike but the noise concerns me, another way of describing the sound it is like the sound in a car when you slightly apply the brakes and come to a stop, not a shriek or scraping noise more of a harmonic note and rubbing.
Fairly common. Two usual reasons... firstly the clutch is dirty, full of dust. Strip it out and give the plates a good clean. The second reason is that the convex plate in the clutch has flattened out. This is in there to make the take up more progressive... what's happening is that all the plates are taking up drive together if it's flattened out. Worse case, the clutch is on it's way out... 8-10k miles is usual, but can be sooner if it's been given a hard time.
Thanks for the reply. I'm new to 'Ducati' and the whole dry clutch etc... But will take it apart and give it a clean I guess a good thing is that there's no oil going to come out The bike has just done 8K and I gave it a good test ride and all felt well to me. It the convex plate at the front or back of the stack of plates etc? Just want to make sure I'm looking for the right part. If the clutch is on it's way is that a major job or just new plates etc... ?
I've heard this noise occasionally on fairly new clutches too. I heard it occasionally on my old dry-clutch Monster, and I too heard it once on my 1098 at the weekend, which has just done 3700. I'm new to the bike and a bit rusty, so I was slipping the clutch just a bit too much, i.e. not engaged enough to be properly 'slipping', just binding slightly and resonating. ...in my case, I just need to learn to control my bike better, it's not a cause for concern about the bike.
Cheers Snips I figured I that might be riding the clutch a bit too much in traffic, although if you don't the bike tends to judder lots in 2nd gear if you are not going fast enough for it, but then if I leave it in first its revving pretty high and I look like a plumb going down the road. I actually came to a stop at a set of traffic lights on Saturday and when they changed I gave it some power to pull off whilst letting the clutch out and stalled the bike, when I got it started and pulled off the clutch made that funny binding noise. I heard it a few times later in the day but it didn't really affect the bike when moving as in no clutch slip when you give it a hand full whilst moving. I just figured the Judder was the whole V-Twin 'thang' as it was the same on the RSV. I can put up with the gearing in traffic for the fun I have when I'm out in the open No inline 4 has ever given me this buzz! Changing the plates is something I'm sure I could do myself if they are on their way, but would I need to change any other components or is it simply just the plates that I would need to change?
tbh, if you'd just stalled the bike, then you might (consciously or subconsciously) be a bit more tentative releasing the clutch the next time, which might explain why you then hit the 'not properly slipping, binding' issue. I can't comment on how tricky it is to change the clutch as it's not something that I've done myself, but I agree it does look like it should be straight-forward. There must be YouTube how-to videos... I just looked, and surprisingly, I couldn't find one that shows specifically how to replace the clutch plates.
The convex plate is at the back of the clutch pack. It's usually bright finished compared to the more "natural" finish of the flat plates. You're not looking for much of a dish, but placing it on a flat surface will show if it's flattened out.
Similar issues here. I had a thread somewhere but have not looked at the clutch yet as its been stored in the house all winter. Could I take off the clutch casing and spray a tin of brake & clutch cleaner in there without doing any harm?
The last owner only did about 1200 miles in the year that he owned it, I think he lost interest and got into big engined cars instead so the Duke had to go, but it had been standing about for a few months in his garage. I hope he didn't know there was or is a clutch issue and said nothing to me, but hey ho nout I can do about it now it's mine. I think I might strip out the plates this Friday as I have the day off and give it all a clean out with the air line and then some brake cleaner as 'timberwolf' mentioned whilst I'm there I'll check the convex plate to make sure it's still convexed. Hopefully I'll be more informed as of Friday and know if I need to go down the road of replacing the plates or not. Cheers Guys
Slight thread hijac but Nelly does it really matter which way the dished plate is installed? I ask because on my 748 I have one such plate and on my 1198 two - installed opposite way to each other - take up on the 748 is quite harsh
9/10 using a single dished plate is enough, if it's in good condition. Stock position is after the first friction has been inserted with concave facing out wards. Using two plates usually happens with older sintered plates. These can be very harsh on take up. I can't think using two would be needed on the newer "organic" type material. Using two and it still being harsh may point to other issues. Wear in the slave cylinder causing the piston to drag on the bore, needle bearing wear in the gearbox shaft, shaft wear or if the alternator case has been off, a build up sealant ain't the hole the pushrod goes through...
