Do you have to "soak" clutch plates before installing?

I'm putting a new EBC clutch in an '04 zx6r. I've heard you are supposed to soak the plates in oil before installation. Would it not just be enough to thoroughly wipe each one with oil? If you do need to totally soak them, how long should you do it for? And does it matter if you use a synthetic oil?? Thanks!

 

That is the way i was taught for atleast 1 hr.

 

I have been told, that you do not have to. I would not try it.
Soak them in non-synthetic oil, for at least 15 minutes.

 

WARNING: I am not a mechanic...

I hadn't ever heard that...I've changed maybe 6 or 7 clutches over the time I've been riding bikes, and I've never soaked the plates, and never had a problem.

What is it supposed to accomplish?

 

Hope you have good luck with the EBCs. I put a set in my TL-S and it is very, very grabby. In fact, when the bike sits for any time, you can't pull in the clutch and wheel the thing in gear, you have to put it in neutral. Once the motor is warm, you can. I'm running full synthetic oil (as I did with the stockers for 20,000+ miles with no problems).

Any of you mechanics out there have this happen? A buddy had a set in his R6 racebike and it does the same thing...

 

Not sure about the EBCs, I tried putting a set of Ferrodo's in a F4, could not get them to work. I measured the thickness of the fibers. they were .35mm thicker than OEM spec. Add that times 7 and there you go, way to thick.
Did you soak the EBCs?

 

How was the clutch life? It's supposed to help bed them in. I do it, others don't, maybe someone else will chime in.

 

I didn't really keep track, and since I just started racing, only one of those was a race bike (this year I did the 400 clutch). That said, I've never replaced a clutch twice on the same bike. That includes 20,000 miles on an XL600R that I rode in the woods often, and a CB700SC that I did the clutch (I'm guessing here) at about 35,000 miles...gave the bike away at over 100k.

No matter...if it's even possible that soaking them helps life, I'll start doing it from now on...it certainly doesn't seem that it would hurt anything, so why not?

 

I had a Kawasaki zx900 and replaced the clutch with O.M.E. plates and my manual said to coat them with oil if I remember correctly. Don't recall it saying anything about soaking them.

 

Wet clutches are designed to be wet, so coating them makes sense. I've never bothered soaking. Nor can I subscribe to the synthetic oil phobia, since if they're going to run in synthetic oil it doesn't make much sense to soak them in dino juice. Probably better to avoid friction modified car oils, but that's another whole religious war

 

I think we will definitely be soaking them. My mechanic has the same clutch in his bike with over 35k miles and race time and he has no problem. He said it will burn up the plates if you don't soak them. That sounds bad to me so better to be safe! Thanks everyone for your help.....

 

soaking them definitely cannot hurt:up:

 

The soaking procedure will be completed in the time it takes to sacrifice the chicken and light the candles carefully arranged in a pentagram around the bike. Alternatively the soaking will be completed in the time it takes for air bubbles in the master cylinder to purge themselves through the bleed hole which has been closed off by zip tying the lever back.

 

Rich, I think I might have forgot to tell you guys to make sure the VP can was fully closed

 

If I get really used to the vapors you'll be able to double my price by Nelson!

 

I soak them for @5 mins you just need to get them wet...it is not like they hold alot of oil

 

Words from Barnett:
Soak them for 5 or 10 minutes, any longer will do no good, being they can only absorb so much

A try cluch is not a good idea , being it can burn up easy and fast.

 

The project is done now. We soaked them for probably 20 minutes and it works fantastic. Not grabby at all... and for the record, the plates were soaked in Amsoil

 

Did they mention what size screwdriver should be used to pry their plates apart after winter storage?:wow:

 

No, and ive worked on bikes that have been stored for multiple years with no clutch problems.


Barnett guys also told me the oil you use won't make it slip....thats right from the horses mouth.

Amsoil is good stuff Barnett tech uses Mobile full synthetic in his bikes he rides.

He also told me the kevlar pads will soon be a thing of the past with the new RQ material going to be phased in totally. I put a RQ clutch in a GSXR750 that would not run on the kevlar pads without slipping (burned three sets of fibers figuring it out). So the RQ stuff looks good.

Any concerns call up Barnett, real nice guys to talk to and helpfull.