Ah! UpNorth. I didn't realise you were a member. I think Sev has answered your question about OEM gaps. With regard to the quiet clutch, I think Shaazam has totally misunderstood how it works. The stack height isn't changed, at least not significantly, and the alignment of the plates with the notches isn't either. The big difference is that with the OEM setup when the clutch is engaged the plates are clamped between the pressure plate and the lip at the bottom of the drum, whereas with the quiet clutch the plates are clamped between the pressure plate and friction plate resting on the bottom of the basket so that the additional friction plate acts as a sort of friction damper minimising movement between the stack and the basket. Hence cutting down the noise ( and wear on the tabs, basket and drum). It does mean that the clutch spring pressure will be putting an axial loan on the bearings of the gearbox shaft and the basket bearing but this is fairly insignificant.
When I bought my 999, the dealer I got it from said he'd give it a quick MOT. Well he was ages. When I got it home, I think I realised why, the front brake switch wasn't working and he must have spent ages on it and then eventually given up. I couldn't work out what was wrong either as it was quite different to the one on the SS I p/exed for it. I asked for ideas on Ducati UpNorth and guess who pinpointed the problem to a connector on the frame behind the r/h clip on??? I was so grateful for that. Yes, Sev suggested the small gap is to cut down on emissions, which is understandable of course. However, what I don't understand is why a small gap would give better emissions than a large one. If a large gap gives a better, more efficient burn, why does that not also give better emissions?? :/ My understanding of the quiet clutch is the same as your explanation, except that some clutches seem to be able to take one or even two extra friction plates under the existing stack before exceeding the desirable stack height. My own took just the one extra friction plate.
To be honest I have no idea why the manufacturer specifies the gap at 0.6mm nor if it has any effect on emissions. As you say, you'd expect a more efficient burn to be cleaner, but then the mixture that produces most power isn't the cleanest either. If it runs well with a bigger gap and is less likely to foul then I'm not too troubled about it. :Happy:
Hi.I have been running Champion QA55V surface discharge plugs in my 916sps for yrs now.Road use only and engine running standard pistons not hi comp.No problems with them and even starts fine in cold winter temps.I had been told it maybe more difficult but have not noticed anything negative. On a positive note after fitting the QA55V plugs to my bike I noticed a much crisper throttle response and even the tick over seemed better.I only change them at 6000 mls intervals ie same as standard plugs. No fouling or anything else.But as soon as you fit them, start the bike and rev it up you will notice the difference ie improvement.
