clutch basket

[Anonymous]

while still looking for the cause of my high rpm to low mph problem, i noticed that the clutch basket (? the thing that all the disks and plates go into) doesn't seem to have gear teeth that go all the way around the back of the basket (if you're looking at the basket, i'm talking about the teeth kind of behind it, where it looks like the clutch is transferring power to the transmission). the teeth are there in a Y pattern, relative to the basket (if you think of a thick Y inscribed in a circle, the teeth are where the Y touches the circle, and no teeth in the other parts)

is this normal? if not, is there a reason someone would put in a basket like that? has anyone ever heard of something like that? could this be why my engine is revving high but i'm not moving fast? thanks again...

[Anonymous]

Re: clutch basket

while still looking for the cause of my high rpm to low mph problem, i noticed that the clutch basket (? the thing that all the disks and plates go into) doesn't seem to have gear teeth that go all the way around the back of the basket (if you're looking at the basket, i'm talking about the teeth kind of behind it, where it looks like the clutch is transferring power to the transmission). the teeth are there in a Y pattern, relative to the basket (if you think of a thick Y inscribed in a circle, the teeth are where the Y touches the circle, and no teeth in the other parts)

is this normal? if not, is there a reason someone would put in a basket like that? has anyone ever heard of something like that? could this be why my engine is revving high but i'm not moving fast? thanks again...

How about a photo of that one???????

[Anonymous]

Not exactly sure what you are talking about. The gears that transfer power from the crnak to the clutch are (stock) helical - not straight cut. There are some gears on the backside (hidden) of the clutch, but those are used to drive the oil pump. The transmission is driven from the center shaft through the clutch.

I would help with some more background on the problem.

[Anonymous]

How about a photo of that one???????

Even better.

[Anonymous]

http://houseofmotorcycles.bikebandit.com/partsbandit/showschematic.asp?dept_id=709029

i'm at work (yes, very productive day), so i can't do any better than schematic pics from bike bandit now. i'm talking about the teeth around the edge (to the left, under the arrow for 1) of the thing labeled 1 in the schematic. i'm going to double check tonight when i get home to make sure i'm telling you guys the right thing i was looking at, but i'm pretty sure that's what i saw (i took the clutch apart over the weekend and looked around to see if i could identify any problem areas, and the Y pattern of the teeth seemed odd)

if this isn't a problem, any other ideas for the rev issue (i'm getting 70mph @ 7k rpm in 5th)?

[daveo]

#1 is the helical cut drive gear that runs off the crank, all the teeth should be there, so I guess you found the problem!!! Still would like to see a pic though, when you can, that's a most unusual failure! Were there chunks of teeth lying around in there too? I would have thought you'd have mentioned it if there was. Don't even know what to say about someone who would knowingly re-assemble something like that after cleaning up what must have been a real mess :roll:

[Anonymous]

no chunks of teeth or anything... actually, it looked smooth in the areas without the teeth, which is why i thought it may be like that on purpose. but, like i said, my memory isn't the greatest, so i'll have to double check tonight to make sure what i saw is what i'm showing you guys. i'll definitely put up pics if this is case.

i think this has got to be it though... if the gear only has about 2/3s of the teeth that are supposed to be there, and i'm supposed to get around 15mph / 1k rpm, then the 10mph / 1k rpm i'm getting works out (yes, i crunch numbers for a living...)

anyhow, anyone know how i can cross reference gs part numbers? i have the microfiche for my bike ('82 850g), but i know that that gear is no longer made for my bike, and i need to know what other models use the same gear...

[Anonymous]

If there were teeth mising you wouldnt be able to ride the bike at all

[Anonymous]

ok, my memory is fading... it wasn't the primary gear after all. i can't see what it was i was looking at without removing the plates again, and since it's raining, i'll have to wait another day to see what it was i was looking at (probably just the oil pump gear...) so the mystery of the high revving engine lingers... i do have new metal plates on the way though. maybe that'll fix the problem...

[Anonymous]

ok, my memory is fading... it wasn't the primary gear after all. i can't see what it was i was looking at without removing the plates again, and since it's raining, i'll have to wait another day to see what it was i was looking at (probably just the oil pump gear...) so the mystery of the high revving engine lingers... i do have new metal plates on the way though. maybe that'll fix the problem...

Maybe its just a slipping clutch

[Anonymous]

that's what i thought too (that the clutch was slipping)... i replaced the disks, but not the metal plates, and it seemed like it wasn't slipping anymore, but i'm still getting the high revs. i guess i'll see if the new metal plates make the difference (the old metal ones weren't warped or anything, but they were definitely thicker than stock suzuki plates... i'm hoping that that is the problem, and my gs pains will finally be over (well, for a little while, at least...)

[Anonymous]

that's what i thought too (that the clutch was slipping)... i replaced the disks, but not the metal plates, and it seemed like it wasn't slipping anymore, but i'm still getting the high revs. i guess i'll see if the new metal plates make the difference (the old metal ones weren't warped or anything, but they were definitely thicker than stock suzuki plates... i'm hoping that that is the problem, and my gs pains will finally be over (well, for a little while, at least...)

I dont see the model of your bike and exactly wht oil you are using. You can chek the metal disks with a feeler guage and a piece of window glass.

[Anonymous]

my bike is an '82 850g & i'm running castrol gtx 10w40 (regular, not motorcycle specific)... just before the last oil change, though, i put in mobile 1 (i forget which weight). but the bike has been revving high ever since i got her, so i don't think it was the mobile 1 that did the clutch in...
my neighbor, who used to work on auto transmissions, thinks my problems were b/c the disks and plates were too tight, and even though the clutch is tight at low rpms, it'll slip once it starts moving faster...

[Anonymous]

do you have a shop manual or a clymers and did you re adjust your clutch. Some of these bikes need to be adjusted on the tight side to allow easier downshifting. maybe you over did it??

WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE OTHER WRENCHES AROUND HERE. I DONT KNOW WHATS WRONG WITH THIS THING????

[Anonymous]

i've been using the clymer manual... when i put the new disks on, i torqued it to spec, though i think i torqued it towards the higher end of the range rather than the low end, so maybe that change will help.
by readjusting the clutch, do you mean the lever? i did that too... she's shifting fine, though neutral seems to be a little harder to find now. the only other thing i noticed when i put the new disks in, is that my bike seemed to have lost a little bit of it's low speed "pep" (aka, it's not as quick to accelerate at low speeds as it was before i put the new plates in... i can't tell that much of a difference at higher speeds), if that makes any sense.

thanks for your help, slopoke... very much appreciated!

oh, and a question for when i get the new metal plates... should i also replace the back metal one as well (the one that's locked into place with the piano wire clip)? if so, can i take out the clip without destroying it (i forgot to order a new one when i ordered the plates...)