Tuning/trick Bits

[dan williams]

Hi Neil,

I left the bolts out. They're in my toolbox next to my jet kit. I ordered an '08 but it won't be in for a month so I can't tell you if they have the same issues as my 05. Only way to know is to pull out the clutch pack and look at the tabs on the fiber plates. If they have the rough finish polish them, clean them and put them back and it's a world of difference. Don't just remove two springs without polishing the tabs. That would be a colossal mistake. My theory is the heavier springs are a stop gap fix for the poor bearing surfaces on the fiber plate tabs. If I'm correct then just removing the springs without polishing the tabs will cause clutch slippage.

I've been riding for two years now with four springs and the clutch shows no slippage yet. I thought I felt some yesterday but it was a patch of ice. I'm about 220lbs and ride the clutch constantly It is soooooo good now and my clutch finger doesn't get tired after four hours of riding unlike the the stock clutch. There is one thing that you may find with the clutch and that is the oil is particularly important to the engagement characteristics. A lot of guys will tell you to use automatic transmission fluid. I tried that once in a Beta and the clutch was so grabby it was almost impossible to ride. I use Spectro Golden-Gear oil now and I love the clutch on my '05. After you get a few hours on the bike for break in you might want to change out the gear oil. Sorry to say that if it is the gear oil making your clutch grabby it will take a few oil changes to purge the gearbox of the bad oil.

It's too bad you're not in my neighborhood. I'd have that clutch pack out of your bike and you lovin' that machine in no time. Let me know how it goes and If I can be of any help.

Dan

[neil king]

Hi Neil,

I left the bolts out. They're in my toolbox next to my jet kit. I ordered an '08 but it won't be in for a month so I can't tell you if they have the same issues as my 05. Only way to know is to pull out the clutch pack and look at the tabs on the fiber plates. If they have the rough finish polish them, clean them and put them back and it's a world of difference. Don't just remove two springs without polishing the tabs. That would be a colossal mistake. My theory is the heavier springs are a stop gap fix for the poor bearing surfaces on the fiber plate tabs. If I'm correct then just removing the springs without polishing the tabs will cause clutch slippage.

I've been riding for two years now with four springs and the clutch shows no slippage yet. I thought I felt some yesterday but it was a patch of ice. I'm about 220lbs and ride the clutch constantly It is soooooo good now and my clutch finger doesn't get tired after four hours of riding unlike the the stock clutch. There is one thing that you may find with the clutch and that is the oil is particularly important to the engagement characteristics. A lot of guys will tell you to use automatic transmission fluid. I tried that once in a Beta and the clutch was so grabby it was almost impossible to ride. I use Spectro Golden-Gear oil now and I love the clutch on my '05. After you get a few hours on the bike for break in you might want to change out the gear oil. Sorry to say that if it is the gear oil making your clutch grabby it will take a few oil changes to purge the gearbox of the bad oil.

It's too bad you're not in my neighborhood. I'd have that clutch pack out of your bike and you lovin' that machine in no time. Let me know how it goes and If I can be of any help.

Dan

Dan, my bike started knocking so loud I took it to the Dealer to get repaired. Did you dress both sides of the tab or just the side that gets pushed on under load? I took mine apart on sunday and dressed just one side and cleaned out the glue between the friction pads, but it was making so much noise it was making me sick. The dealer has assured me that it is going to me made right.

Neil

[dan williams]

Ohhh the knocking ain't right. I think that's more then the clutch but I'm sure the dealer will straighten it out.

I polished both sides of the tabs. They get jammed into the basket one way under power and the other way when decelerating and I want them to slide easily in both situations. Besides I wasn't too picky about putting them back in the way they came out. Just to be sure we're on the same page here I'm talking about the sides of the tabs where they fit into the slots on the basket. I was looking into making a sort of UBER-clutch for the Beta with nickel plating the basket fingers and coating the tabs with some lubricant like teflon but I sort of ran out of interest once the polishing trick worked. I might still investigate it in the future.