Need a new clutch

Hi all,
Can anyone give me a link or tell me how to make the homemade spring compression tool so I can replace my clutch plates? I did a quick search but could not find it.
Thanks, Scott

1/2" fine bolt and 2 nuts, 4" pipe cap drilled on center to clear 1/2" bolt. What's wrong with the clutch action?

I used a 3 inch dia. PVC pipe collar and a piece of 3/16 thick steel bar with a 1/2 inch hole drilled in it for the release bolt.

Well I finally got the bike running good. I knew the clutch was slipping before but with it running better it really slips. I adjusted it to what the books says, turn adjuster screw in til lever stops wiggling and 1/2 to 1 turn out. That way the clutch drags too much and there is no more adjustment at the cable, cant take up any more slack. If I get a moving start it I can get it into gear without stalling and it hooks up good. Adjust the free play out of the adjuster screw and I have less slack at the cable but she slips in second gear pretty easy. Every time I get one thing fixed there is something else. I am getting there though, hopefully she will be rideble for Vintage days at MId Ohio.

Sounds like what I'm in the middle of. In my case the hub is junk, indents from the friction plate teeth hang the discs up and won't release properly and real ABRUPT engagement. If you adjust up enough to get good disengaement , no free play and slippage. Feed $100.00 bills into the air cleaner till it farts pennies out the mufflers and all will be good :lol:

Read Dyno Daves articles on clutch stack heigth. Took me 3 or 4 reads to finally figure it all out but pretty simple once you do.

I also made one from a cut down ABS pipe cap, was not able to find a long bolt (or rod) in fine thread though so had to settle for a 1.5" one IIRC. To make it work right had to use the relatively thin locknut from the clutch adjustment screw. My clutch starts to slip after a year or so, I take it apart and clean the plates w/ brake cleaner and it is good for quite awhile. The tool I made looks like this...

ScottMDMC said:

Well I finally got the bike running good. I knew the clutch was slipping before but with it running better it really slips. I adjusted it to what the books says, turn adjuster screw in til lever stops wiggling and 1/2 to 1 turn out. That way the clutch drags too much and there is no more adjustment at the cable, cant take up any more slack. If I get a moving start it I can get it into gear without stalling and it hooks up good. Adjust the free play out of the adjuster screw and I have less slack at the cable but she slips in second gear pretty easy. Every time I get one thing fixed there is something else. I am getting there though, hopefully she will be rideble for Vintage days at MId Ohio.

Click to expand...

You may just have the gear oil leakage causing drag AND slippage. Like MikeG said, read all this: http://atlanticgreen.com/ndnsclutch.htm

And this:
http://atlanticgreen.com/clutchpak.htm

Sounds like you've got quite an issue - if it's slipping and dragging then I would suspect the application of hard cash may be necessary :cry:

Notched splines are a known issue, but checking the plates for flatness against a pane of glass may be a good idea.
Properly set up I reckon the Commando clutch is the best bar none - including Tridents, so 'in theory' it should be easy to find the problem.

I put an oil seal clutch nut on mine to keep the gear oil at bay - lots of people take the plates out regularly to clean them.
I read somewhere that Mick Hemmings recommends backing off no more than 1/4 turn on the adjuster, but I can't see that impacting much on the issues you're having.

Hope you find the cure!

I am hoping it is just a fried clutch. This is my project that I picked up last fall. It sat for a good time in a crappy garage, if you could call it that. I have been working on it all winter and feel that most of the systems are ready to get it plated and road ready. The clutch issue seems to be just another stumble to get it running. The big primary gasket is leaking pretty bad so I have to get in there anyway. Thanks all for the tool advice, The 1/2" bolt is what I was worried about.

Not everybody has a burned out 4-inch hole saw laying around, but if you do...they make a great compression tool. I just ground the last of the points off the saw and wrapped the edge with tape.

BTW - I had some trouble finding a fine thread 1/2 bolt with enough thread for what I needed, so I took a coarse thread bolt with lots of thread, cut off the head and cut fine threads on the first half inch or so of the shaft. It also comes in handy for removing swingarm spindles.

Russ

Today, for the first time, I had the clutch both dragging and slipping. Neutral was tricky to find, it would creep a bit at stops with the lever fulling pulled in and would slip a bit here and there while under way. I have a new clutch sitting on the bench, but I seem to be missing the desire to pull it apart right now. I'd rather be riding!