Clutch basics

[Fast4fun]

What are the early signs of clutch wear? I know this is a total newby question but your patience and expertise are needed. How much racing can a clutch handle? And, how difficult are they to replace? Do you go with OEM or others?  Oh yeah, and where is the oil drain bolt? ???  Just kidding!

[EM JAY]

 I changed the basket on a friends F3, not a problem, the only thing is you may need an air gun to remove the pinned hub nut.  I ran into that problem once before and had to have a buddie bring his air gun over to remove it after my friend and I took turns busting our knuckles trying to remove it by hand.  Early signs of wear? Not sure myself either, still also kinda new.  Hope it helps a little anyway.... :-/

[Tourdot675]

Since nobody has put up an answer yet...

The most obvious way to tell when a clutch NEEDS to be changed is a slight slipping in the upper gears.  You'll probably notice it most in 5th and 6th gear just as the motor hits peak power.  You'll have a slight jump in RPM and it will seem to stay steady RPM's while you're still accelerating.

A problem that happened to me, that I thought was the clutch: Slipped as stated above, but only in second gear at high rpms and under full load.  When riding normally, didn't seem to notice it much; doing second gear roll on wheelies, instant jump in rpm then would hold for a second, then jump again.  Come to find out, shift fork was bent just enough to let it jump a tooth or two when under heavy loads.

Clutches are real easy to change, as long as you pay attention to details.  Best to have a service manual in front of you for any questions.  OEM clutch's seem to very good, and 'high-end' aftermarket will be as good and possibly a bit better.  As for 'race springs' for the clutch, if you ride on the street, definitely NOT recommended.  They make it much harder to hold the clutch in when at a stop, and don't offer much of an engagement benefit on the street.  Track use...user preference.

[H-man]

Thanks a bunch Tourdot  ;)

While I didn't post the original question, I have been looking forward to learning the answer.  You explained it very well.

H-man

[Fast4fun]

Thanks for the info, it is helpfull. One last Q... will a dying clutch rob you of power in all gears throughout the powerband?  

[jp233]

wont necessarily "rob" you of power, you just cant use all that the motor can give because its going bad. and yes it affects all gears. the motor spins up real fast too without the clutch working right, thats not great either. clutch plate replacement is an easy job,,,