alexlowe Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 Hi, I rode my new (17) Montesa 260 RT for the first time at the weekend and really like it except that my fingers are not very good at releasing the clutch steadily. The pull is not hard at all but the spring power of the lever prevents me operating it smoothly. On my previous Beta, I removed a couple of springs from the clucth and that really helped. I know I should probably just get used to it but I thought it was worth just asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 (edited) Have you tried just altering the position of the lever on the handlebars. Are you wearing gloves, very often these can affect how you operate controls, i.e. too thick and the material deadens the feel, too grippy and the lever doesn’t slide through the fingers but sort of judders if you will. May be an alternative shape to the lever may help, some levers are able to be bent without breaking....you’re on your own with this if it snaps hard luck mate. Seriously some levers look nice and trick but are awful to use in action. I once broke a brake lever and was left with just enough to work the lever with two fingers which is what most of us do anyway, but the missing part really allowed better operation of the lever! Have you made sure that the hydraulics are in good order, the slave cylinder (the piston assembly at the clutch / engine could be sticking, or corroded. Pivots may be dry and need lubing. I’m assuming you 260 has the 2 map option, does the clutch action feel the same in either map? Hope this is helpful?I know the engine map isn’t connected to the clutch but the way the engine delivers its power may influence clutch feel. Edited August 30, 2018 by section swept Added detail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyl Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 The Mont clutch is not I believe known for being heavy - but it does take a little bit of getting used to action wise -I think as much the torque of the engine etc. I find setting very steady revs and keeping it constant and then use the clutch -not possibly the 2 stroke blipping throttle and using clutch together - if that makes sense. As you say the bike is new to you then would be worth having a few more hours on it before whipping out the spanners but if still not to your liking then tweaking the spring would be an option - either take a couple out as you suggest or possible grind shorter or look to put a spacer in to make free length longer but check clearances etc. On the early 2005 bikes the master cyl swap for a 315 was the way to go - different diameters of piston I believe - this has not been necessary since the 2006 bikes and even the switch to the Braktec ones has not been detrimental but you may gain by a different ratio that would ease the pressure. As with all mods there are drawbacks - less spring pressure can induce slip - if riding easy /sensible stuff not an issue but if doing big stuiff /big climbs/ road or moor work then maybe an issue in 5th gear . Likewise altering ration of master cyl bore to salve cyl bore ratio may give excess travel. Bit of a suck it and see unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyc21 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 The lest expensive option is trying some different oil types in the gearbox, lever adjustment, lever replacement (some levers provide different angles changing force required). There is also the expensive option like the Clake One Light clutch. This allows you to adjust your lever pull to o a very customized setting for pull. Also: The more controversial options... The Montesa is a 6 spring clutch so it is possible to remove 2 like the Beta, however if your running the ELF oil I might suggest against it as it’s known to cause slipping in 4th and 5th. If you want to do that I would suggest changing oil to something like the Maxima MTL 75 as it will produce a less slip. Somthing else that could be considered is that the spring setup on the Montesa 300 RR are a bit stiffer. You could change the springs out for a set of 4 with the updated springs and caps of a 300 to get a touch more clamping force using 4 springs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barfy Posted September 1, 2018 Report Share Posted September 1, 2018 People complain about the speed of the 4RT clutch, but I had a go on a TRRS 280 and that seemed very quick action. Anyway, I swapped my steel plates for Apico dimpled plates which make it a bit smoother. As it’s been said on here many a time the specified Elf oil seems to work best as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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