What do you think about 0/10W engine oil for my primary chaincase to lessen clutch plates sticking ??

FWIW, many years ago I was heavily into drag racing and, along with a couple of other cars we ran a SS/FA Dodge Challenger 440 with the OEM Mopar 727 automatic transmission. We rebuilt the transmission per Mopar's "Direct Connection" racing program recommendations which included Type F fluid rather than the standard Dexron used in the OEM 727 transmission. The valve changes in the transmission made each shift essentially instant (very uncomfortable on the street) and the Type F fluid further eliminated any inherent "smoothing" of the shift that Dexron provided. The tranny - shifted with a manual-change linkage - would "bang" each shift change, regardless of throttle position. IOW, if you slowly accelerated the shift quality was exactly the same as it was with full throttle runs on the strip. Of course, most of this was due to the tranny mods but the Type F was part of the mod per Mopar.

Yeah...this has nothing really to do with Norton clutches - just reliving the old days...sorry! ;)
 
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ludwig said:
Not so. If you don't free the plates before starting, you will have a hard time shifting into 1st gear.
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I had a Triumph that the plates would lock together every night. I tried shifting it once with clutch and it took off, barely controllable. I braked hard to stall the motor and saved the bike/self.
 
If you ran the primary chaincase dry, and just had the engine breather lubricating the chain, and greased any bearings in the clutch centre, the lubrication would probably be sufficient. On my bike I use a single row primary chain with a old style Norton clutch. It all sits out in the air with a metal guard around it. I just give the primary chain a squirt of lube before racing. The primary chain lasts for a lot of races. I always wire the clip.
A lot of things are theoretical. The Triplex chain on a Commando is probably overkill for reliability. But what comes out of an engine breather is probably enough lube for a primary chain.
 
" I had a Triumph that the plates would lock together every night."

My current '76 Honda CB400F did that when I changed oil last year and switched from mineral oil to synthetic! After a week of stuck clutches every morning I drained it/switched back to mineral oil. Sticking disappeared. Go figure...
 
MexicoMike said:
" I had a Triumph that the plates would lock together every night."

My current '76 Honda CB400F did that when I changed oil last year and switched from mineral oil to synthetic! After a week of stuck clutches every morning I drained it/switched back to mineral oil. Sticking disappeared. Go figure...
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That was my first bike in High School, Loved it. New it cost $1,490
 
Today I went for first ride with 0/10W in primary. It will be months before I
can report that sticking clutch plates have been prevented
Dennis
 
"That was my first bike in High School, Loved it. New it cost $1,490"

It (CB400F) has become my daily rider because it's more FUN to ride than any of our other Motos - '73 Commando, 2015 Ducati Diavel, 2021 Africa Twin, 2014 BMW R9T, 2018 BMW R1200RS, 2021 Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe. I have really gone over to the old saying, "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow!
 
My last bike was a BMW K1300s. Off the scale best bike ever. But it's time to slow down and enjoy the city on a Norton that
goods great, sounds, great and feels great to ride!
 
No one has mentioned gearbox oil seeping along clutch rod and onto the plates. This can cause sticking etc. Book says to grease the rod to reduce gb oil contamination. But the best option is the rod seal from DynoDave, also available from AN now.
 
MexicoMike said:
"Which of the MANY types of ATF do you use?"

Dexron is in there now but I've also used type F. I started out with type F but when I did some work some years back I had some Dexron on the shelf so used that, figuring that if it didn't work well I would drain/replace with F. But the Dexron worked fine. F would grip earlier in the clutch release but both gripped solidly when the clutch was fully released. The Dexron seemed a bit smoother in stop/go traffic/lots of clutch use. OTOH, my gut feeling is that if I was racing, I'd use F.
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If you were racing....you would use a belt! :eek:
 
I used Tesco own brand 10w-40 fully synthetic for over 20 years, still do, and have had no issues. It also seems to reduce the amount of black tar like crud that builds up behind the sprag that I had with ATF.
 
The 0/10W I put in has the consistency of ATF so I suspect little difference between the two except perhaps for additives like anti foaming
Dennis
 
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