9 plate clutch, what the?

[jimfj]

Hello all,
82 GS1100G. All Stock (maybe)

I came across this thread a awhile back

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=149729&highlight=clutch+drag

It described what is going on with my bike to a tee. I finally got around to pulling the cover and found the same thing is true with my bike. 9 fiber plates instead of 8. I don't know what a stock setup looks like because I haven't ever pulled one out until tonight. My nine plates are not copper colored like the ones in the thread. They are more of a greenish brown. They all look to be in good shape.

This may be a really stupid question but could I just leave one of the fiber plates out and move on or will I frag the whole thing? I really hate the monster clutch effort and it is using stock springs. I can't imagine what the Barnett springs would be like with the 9 plate set up.

Any help or comments are appreciated.

Jim

[chef1366]

Barnett is 10 and nine is stock.

[TheCafeKid]

Barnett is 10 and nine is stock.

83 1100E's also had an added plate I believe stock.

[jimfj]

So 9 is stock on an 1100G? Not saying you guys are wrong but i looked at the parts diagram at Bike Bandit and it shows 8 fiber plates??????? The 82 1100E shows the 9 plates.

If thats the case does anyone have any ideas as to why its dragging and why the clutch effort is so high?

My 850 was no where near this hard to shift cold and the lever effort was much lighter.

Jim

[chef1366]

Does the cable move freely when removed from the clutch cover?
Are you sure the springs are stock?

[jimfj]

Cable is new and lubed. Yes it moves very nicely with out being hooked up. I have a set of Barnet Springs and when you compare the two the Barnet are much harder to compress. These also have a little red paint on them, just like what came out of my 850. The Barnet have no paint whatso ever. I replaced three of the stock springs on the 850 because they were worn out and the clutch was starting to slip at about 5K under harder accleration.

[blowerbike]

So 9 is stock on an 1100G? Not saying you guys are wrong but i looked at the parts diagram at Bike Bandit and it shows 8 fiber plates??????? The 82 1100E shows the 9 plates.

If thats the case does anyone have any ideas as to why its dragging and why the clutch effort is so high?

My 850 was no where near this hard to shift cold and the lever effort was much lighter.

Jim

chill...
your bike has the same basket as the 80-83 1100 16 valvers...
9 fibers/8 steels/9 steels if you count the one held in with piano wire.
same as 80-82 1100E 84-86 1150.
83 1100E/ES had a POS clutch pack that used steel backing on the fibers that chewed the basket(10 fibers 9 steels).

[chef1366]

My Barnett springs are green but they are HD.
I have a bucket of stock springs. I'll spec out six good ones if you want them.

[jimfj]

So looks like we're back to square one. I appreciate the offer of the springs but I have some and I believe that what is in there is stock.

I will try to take some pictures and let everyone have a look. Maybe something will catch someones eye as to what the problem might be.

[jimfj]

I'm bringing this back into the forefront because I now have an idea of what was going on.

I replaced my aftermarket plates with a used set of stock plates. They all were well with in the tolerance needed and speced by the manual.

The result is exactly what I was looking for. No dragging of the clutch in any way. The wheel does not spin at all even when cold and the bike is on the centerstand in first with the cluch engaged. It also feels as though the pull on the handle is lightened somewhat although that just may be me.

We still have snow and ice on the ground here but I did manage to get it up and down the street a couple of times to see if there is any slippage and I didn't feel any. I have not in any way given it the full throttle test yet.

I'm glad it turned out the way it has and hopefully this may help someone else in the future.

Jim

[Steve]

... I did manage to get it up and down the street a couple of times to see if there is any slippage and I didn't feel any. I have not in any way given it the full throttle test yet.

Clutch slippage will be noticed most in the higher gears, and at high throttle openings. You can get a decent idea in your garage, though. Roll the bike up against a wall or something that won't move. Put the bike in third or fourth gear, give it some gas and let out the clutch. It should kill the engine. If it slips at all, you will know it very quickly.

.

[Nessism]

Roll the bike up against a wall or something that won't move. Put the bike in third or fourth gear, give it some gas and let out the clutch. It should kill the engine. If it slips at all, you will know it very quickly.

.

Steve makes a point here but I wouldn't do this to my bike for fear of breaking something in the drivetrain.

[salty_monk]

The springs you have could be EBC. They look the same as stock until you count the number of coils, they have one or two less coils (depending on your stock spring) & are significantly stiffer.

Also to note - my 781000E had significantly stronger springs as stock than my 801000G.

You might try replacing half of the spring you have in there now with 3 from your 850 if still have the old stock ones (or get 3 stock ones from Chef).

Dan

[jimfj]

I didn't replace the springs. Left the stock ones in there. They match up exactly with the stock springs I took out of my 850 when it was slipping. I should note that they weren't as compressed as the 850's, just the same number of coils.

I will give it some in depth testing once the roads are dry and the sand is gone. Our streets go through hell during the winter and its just not safe to mess around until things get cleaned up. I'm just happy to report the drag is gone.

Any of you drag guys need a nearly new set of plates that I know won't slip at full throttle?????

This was a learning expirience and a great excuse to use my new HF buffer. I now have a very shiny clutch cover

Jim

[chef1366]

I'm building a 1327 motor. I may need those fibers.