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In need of new clutch soon , Any suggestions

Discussion in 'XJ Modifications' started by ElkHavenSeca, Apr 1, 2013.

  1. ElkHavenSeca

    ElkHavenSeca Active Member

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    have been working with clutch adjustments for last week when riding . It appears that it may be wearing out , as under hard throttle (like passing ) it will begin to slip . Any suggestions as to brand ,i see ebc makes one and every one likes the brakes they make
    The first seca i owned back in 81 was more for racing as i did that a lot at the portland speedway .the barnett clutch was hard to use and even harder on the transmission . I had put a heavier spring set with copper drive plates in it which were great for riding the PIR track . Not so great for street use .
    if i just take it easy on bike now rolling through corners in 4 th or 5 th gear i have no problems with clutch adjusted right . If i go to really stand on it from a light or a heavy twist of throttle to pass it wants to slip.
    I am hoping to go stock replacement as the theme of this bike is stock , and i am suprised how much i really like the way it rides and sounds stock .Can i get away with just replacing the 8 friction plates and not drive plates or springs ??
    i am using castrol 20/50 motorcycle oil so i am sure its not slipping from wrong oil . any suggestions would be great
     
  2. 82750xj

    82750xj New Member

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    I would suggest replacing everything. The cost isn't that much and the piece of mind knowing everything is new is nice. Just replaced mine with all Barnett.
     
  3. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

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    the steel plates are probably fine, the friction plates might be good too but i'd bet the springs are weak.
    get some friction plates and stock strength springs from chacal, you'll be good for another 30 years
     
  4. ElkHavenSeca

    ElkHavenSeca Active Member

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    Thank you
     
  5. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    This time of year, ... if you shop-around ... you can find a Barnett Complete Clutch Kit ( Frictions, Drivers, Springs and Bolts ) for $159 ~ $189.00.
     
  6. Foolber

    Foolber Member

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    i put a barnett carbon fiber kit in mine
     
  7. adrian1

    adrian1 Active Member

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    Just make 100% sure your cable is not sticking anywhere down the line ie fully releasing the clutch. Don't ask me how I know!
     
  8. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Solid advice.

    The steels are only going to remain fine if you don't let it do a lot of slipping before you fix it.

    The friction plates are 30-year old miniature brake pads that live in oil. Those do need to be replaced; as do the springs. For peace of mind I'd replace the bolts and washers too.

    And if you want that "like new" feel, get a new OEM clutch cable too.
     
  9. ElkHavenSeca

    ElkHavenSeca Active Member

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    Got a cable and gasket a while back . the old cable did have some routing issues that i thought i fixed when i had tank off rebuilding carbs so i left old cable on . will check to see if it is binding up , but i dont think so . could be why the P O had the clutch adjusted the way he did . one more suprise for me .......well i might as well go through everything I guess .

    thank you
     
  10. ElkHavenSeca

    ElkHavenSeca Active Member

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    Will this require any special tools to do , Its been 30 years since i have been in a seca 750 clutch ?
     
  11. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Just a torque wrench that goes down to 7.2 ft/lb, an "inch pound" wrench helps immensely.

    Clutch "how to" http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=29541.html

    Note that your clutch is quite a bit less complex than the ones covered in the article; you have no "clutch boss spring" with a special friction plate or tabbed plain plates to worry about.

    Otherwise the concept and procedures are the same.
     
  12. ElkHavenSeca

    ElkHavenSeca Active Member

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    Thank you fitz
     
  13. mtnbikecrazy55

    mtnbikecrazy55 Active Member

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    Fitz's Write-up is great - the clutch is super simple to do -

    - no need to drain the oil if you put the bike on the side stand

    - I scraped the old gasket material off both the cover and mating surface, and then used a bead of black RTV sealant to seal it back up, and it's never leaked.

    - New bolts are a nice peace of mind thing, check your local yammie dealer, they were only 1.75 each at mine which is where i got em from.

    - your plain plates are more than likely okay, you'll be able to tell when you pull it apart. Just clean them up with green scotchbrite pads just cause.

    - Soak your new friction pates in clean oil before installing, i just threw them in a bowl when i started the process.

    - USE A TORQUE WRENCH. On both the spring bolts and the cover bolts. Snapping off a spring bolt happens way more than it ought to and then you'll be shopping for a new basket. bad day.

    I got the EBC cork friction disc kit and EBC springs, and am more than satisfied. Has a whole new bite now :D

    Powersports superstore has killer prices:

    http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/EBC ... 092727.htm

    http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/EBC ... 104837.htm
     
  14. Foolber

    Foolber Member

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    you should always give a new clutch fresh oil, and soak the friction plates for around 15 min before putting them in. and i lube up the steels also.
     
  15. 750E-II_29Rbloke

    750E-II_29Rbloke Active Member

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    Good point, if you're not changing the sump oil there's not much point using fresh oil to soak the new plates. (I usually leave them overnight, or at least an hour, if I can)

    Also, snapping the spring bolts does happen way too much from what I've read, and it's worth fitting new OEM or upgraded ones for this reason. It's not the end of the world if one does snap though, a lot of times the snapped part will back out of the basket easily enough.
     
  16. rd337

    rd337 Member

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    I'm looking to do my clutch as well. i ride HARD, and i ride A LOT. put in 10000km in the past 6 months through winter. I like to do road trips, spirited rides, as well as my main mode of transportation. I am hoping to take her to the track once or twice this summer as well.
    I've got a new but aftermarket cable, properly adjusted, i do find the clutch rather heavy..... I live in the heart of vancouver..... so traffic for 30 minutes, then windy roads where I'm shifting between 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th gear for an hour.... then 30 minutes ride back home in traffic....... my hand gets tired.... And I'm not sure how bad it'd be to shift without clutching....

    Which clutch should I go with? kevlar? cork? oem? aftermarket? what are the differences?

    thanks!!
     
  17. Foolber

    Foolber Member

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    i do carbon fiber, lasts a lifetime, grabs like a som biotch, and the aluminum plates are super lightweight.

    The differences are the material and affects the life, grab and feel of the clutch greatly in my opinion. i have always used Barnett clutch kits, they have very stiff springs btw, but if you want i hear you can put half new springs and half old springs if it is to stiff for ya.
     
  18. rd337

    rd337 Member

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    I don't even know if I have oem springs or if the previous owner replaced them.....
     
  19. rd337

    rd337 Member

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    Word of advice to EVERYONE who plans on doing the clutch.
    DO NOT RE-USE the spring bolts.

    I took mine apart to measure up the specs (to my surprise everything was good except for plain plates.... guessing PO replaced friction plates and springs).

    When I was reinstalling, I thought I just need to make a trip to the parts store tomorrow then it's coming apart again for new plain plates so I'll reuse the bolts for now.

    I started torquing her and was a little worried as my torque wrench wasn't clicking when I was expecting her to. So I though, maybe my torque wrench is having a bad day so grabbed my ratchet and went at it by hand. I've been working on cars for 7 years now and know what a 10mm bolt should feel like and also snapped enough bolts to know how they feel that 1/8th of a turn before it snaps. Sure enough I turned the bolt just a bit and felt it wanting to snap. I gently backed the bolts out and you can SEE a section of the bolt has stretched and was just about to snap!

    Some people say you can reuse them once or twice as long as you're careful and use a torque wrench.

    Don't. Just don't. Don't even THINK about it.
     

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