83 1100e clutch is an 82 1100e & overhaul gaskets

[Guest]

I picked up a new unopened Barnett clutch disc set (fibers only) for a song that was made for an 83 1100e. I have an 82 1100e. If I understand it correctly the 83 has more discs in the set. Does any one know what it takes to install all the 83 clutch discs in an 82 basket.

Also where can I get the best deal on good gaskets for a complete tear down and reassemble on an 82 1100e. I need to get all the seals, and O rings too. I don't mind paying extra for good parts, I just hate to pay extra and get something that is more expensive, but not better.

[blowerbike]

I picked up a new unopened Barnett clutch disc set (fibers only) for a song that was made for an 83 1100e. I have an 82 1100e. If I understand it correctly the 83 has more discs in the set. Does any one know what it takes to install all the 83 clutch discs in an 82 basket.

Also where can I get the best deal on good gaskets for a complete tear down and reassemble on an 82 1100e. I need to get all the seals, and O rings too. I don't mind paying extra for good parts, I just hate to pay extra and get something that is more expensive, but not better.

sorry to hear about the barnett clutch purchase.
if you own a cut off wheel tool...
you might as well take it to the inside of your basket where the plates ride.
not trying to be a smart a$$ but..
it produces the same results as installing the barnett fibers into your basket

[chef1366]

Yup the 83 stock clutch pack and the Barnett do tear up the clutch basket. They put such deep grooves in it it prevents the pack from sliding smoothly.
On the gasket kits I cruise Ebay (try to only use Suzuki gaskets) and mrcycles.com.
Good luck

[Texasgs]

Yup the 83 stock clutch pack and the Barnett do tear up the clutch basket. They put such deep grooves in it it prevents the pack from sliding smoothly.
On the gasket kits I cruise Ebay (try to only use Suzuki gaskets) and mrcycles.com.
Good luck

So I wonder if it is the pounding that the hot rod bikes get that people put these in, or if it is something about the discs themselves trash the basket. This is a stock bike with only a header added. Also what about the fit, do they go right in.

[Baatfam]

So I wonder if it is the pounding that the hot rod bikes get that people put these in, or if it is something about the discs themselves trash the basket. This is a stock bike with only a header added. Also what about the fit, do they go right in.

It's the discs...they are thinner and so have less surface area where the tabs meet the basket.
And not to mention, they really aren't needed. I know lots of guys, including myself, that have run stock discs in drag bikes.

Do you have a problem with your clutch? Odds are, if you're slipping, it is the springs.

[Texasgs]

re

I wonder if some little strips of 6AL4V Titanium in the basket for the discs rub on would help the basket. I got the whole new setup for $29, so I can probably come out OK if I need to sell it. OK so the discs are thinner, but is it a direct bolt in. It seems like I read something about some type of change needed for the 83 pack in an 82.

[Baatfam]

I guess I have to go back to the question of why you want to put new discs in?
What was the problem that started it all? Why did you spend the $29?

Stock is the way to go in my opinion...

[Texasgs]

re

Occasional clutch slippage under load,mostly higher gears,and lower RPMS. So I see a Barnett setup new in the pack for $29, didnt think it would a bad move. But that might not turn out be be such a good deal.

[blowerbike]

the extra plate 83 only clutch worked great but destroyed the baskets.
the barnett's are to aggressive and also destroy the baskets.
in 1984 on the 1150's suzuki went back to the 80-82 clutch style because of this problem.

[desertguy]

The extra plate aftermarkets (other than Barnett) do have the extra plate and are thinner, however, the tabs are thicker and much less sharp than Barnett. Therefore it is much less likely to damage the basket.

[Texasgs]

clutch

I took some time to compare the barnett discs to some old stock ones I had on the shelf. The barnett's base metal on the friction discs measures .051", and the stock discs measure .053". So yes they are thinner but I expected to see a bigger difference. So if you look at it from an engineering stand point that is 4% less contact area for 9 discs. Not much less but less. Now add the extra plate the barnett pack offers and that adds slightly more than 11% more contact area, so take away 4%, and add 11% and you have about 7% more contact area on the basket where the basket wears, when you use the barnett pack. That doesn't address the sharpness of the metal, but if that is a factor it wouldn't be to hard to resolve, de-burr to the rescue. The friction material is thinner too.


Now all that doesn't address the compound on the discs, it might be overly aggressive. I know I can control aggression to a large degree with the clutch lever, but the compound on the discs can be a big factor.

I tell you what I am wondering is: lets say someone hops up his gs1100 and takes it to the track quite a bit, and maybe pounds it a lot on the street. Now because he has installed a hot clutch, he can really give it hell, much more so than he would a stock setup. So after trying to imitate the devils own jack hammer pounding the down town streets of hell, with this bike for 6 months or so, and he tears it down. WOW the clutch basket is history with grooves all in it, created by the clutch discs. Is it the fact that the barnett discs were the cause with their 7% more contact on the basket to spread the load, or it it the constant trashing that caused the damage.

What I am thinking is do the baskets get pounded because of the barnett discs, or was the basket on its way to the scrap heap any way, because when you run any clutch pack really hard, any discs can dig into the basket. Like I said I am just thinking out loud here.


I have already been offered $80 for the new pack, and spring kit I bought for $29, so I wish I had bought more. I just dont know if I want to use it. By the way this isn't for a race bike, but on occasion I will run it hard, sometimes real hard. I just like to upgrade things and make it tougher, and improve power when I can. I was hoping the barnett setup would make it tougher, right now I don't know if I want to use the pack.

[blowerbike]

what material is the barnett backing made from?
steel or aluminum?
EVERY barnett backing i have encountered is steel...steel destroys the clutch basket.
OEM plates are aluminum backed and the plate rolls over instead of the basket getting chopped up.
an OEM clutch fiber can withstand up to 500HP.
apples and oranges.
i have only raced GS's for over 20 years in one form or another.
i like talking hopped up GS's even if i was never the fastest i could still blow them up as good as the big boys could.

[BadBillyB]

Every one is politely trying to tell you the Barnett plates are crap....The OEM Suzuki plates are the best plates you can buy, period.....They out perform any aftermarket plate out there. Especially the Barnetts. I have seen the friction material ripped from the backing plate in moderate HP applications....Get rid of them...If your plates are in spec, buy new springs. That will fix your slipping.....Billy

[Texasgs]

re

Every one is politely trying to tell you the Barnett plates are crap....The OEM Suzuki plates are the best plates you can buy, period.....They out perform any aftermarket plate out there. Especially the Barnetts. I have seen the friction material ripped from the backing plate in moderate HP applications....Get rid of them...If your plates are in spec, buy new springs. That will fix your slipping.....Billy

Yeah I hear you, but I know Barnett didnt stay in business so long because they made crap. They have been in business since the 50's and making crap didn't keep the doors open. Now I realize that they are not perfect, and some of their products might have problems, I want to understand the problems. I lot of times I can take a problem into my machine shop, and come out with a solution. I do a lot of engineering, so that might make me overly analytical compared to the average person, but being analytical has helped me solve thousands of problems in life, especially with high performance mods. What I wanted to know is what problems, people were having, and I got a lot of feedback. Telling me a clutch pack is crap, is Greek to me. Either they have a problem or not, or they might be plagued with problems. I am not trying to disrespect any ones opinion, I just wanted to know the specific problems. Thanks to those who have been helpful I got a lot of input, I appreciate your experience and time.

[Turtleface]

Yeah I hear you, but I know Barnett didnt stay in business so long because they made crap. They have been in business since the 50's and making crap didn't keep the doors open. Now I realize that they are not perfect, and some of their products might have problems, I want to understand the problems. I lot of times I can take a problem into my machine shop, and come out with a solution. I do a lot of engineering, so that might make me overly analytical compared to the average person, but being analytical has helped me solve thousands of problems in life, especially with high performance mods. What I wanted to know is what problems, people were having, and I got a lot of feedback. Telling me a clutch pack is crap, is Greek to me. Either they have a problem or not, or they might be plagued with problems. I am not trying to disrespect any ones opinion, I just wanted to know the specific problems. Thanks to those who have been helpful I got a lot of input, I appreciate your experience and time.

It's not a matter of opinion. A Barnett clutch pack WILL lead to a severely grooved clutch basket. A lot of the guys that "need" a Barnett pack end up blowing up the basket before they groove it, or they have a stack of spares laying around. You might be able to engineer a solution, but it will end up costing many times the price of just buying OEM plates, and there's a good chance it won't last anyways. OEM clutch packs stand up to 200 HP drag bikes that run on a smaller slick, and will last when treated right.

FYI: The original problem you had was slipping at higher rpms? That's usually an indication that you just need new pressure plate springs. Sell/trade the Barnett set for some Barnett pressure plate springs, and see if that doesn't clear up your problem.