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

Sell the bike and buy a new one with a good clutch.

 

I am a certified Suzuki and Yamaha technician, and neither Suzuki or Yamaha say that soaking is necessary. I agree that it can't hurt, because it's a wet clutch, so the plates will end up getting oily, but it isn't going to help either. The oil level on most motorcycles is just below the bottom of the clutch basket, so the plates don't ever actually soak unless the bike is on it's side (Let's not do that!). Because or the high RPM's of the clutch basket (sometimes exceeding 14,000) any oil that gets to the clutch basket gets flung off anyway. This myth of soaking the clutch plates before installation probably came from the fact that assembling a completely dry clutch can cause the fibers to seize to the steel plates. It is for this reason that every steel plate should be covered with engine oil (both sides!) during installation. Soaking the fibers is both time consuming and unneccesary. Do you think factory certified technicians, who get paid comission, are wasting time soaking clutch plates for an hour? Just coat the steel plates and get on with it.

Now here's the thing with EBC clutch fibers. Most are made of kevlar, which is different than the organic compound used on OEM plates. Kevlar based fibers should not be soaked before installation, and when the bike is started, the clutch should be slipped a few times to spin off any excess oil. It is the excess oil that causes the fibers and steels to stick together with this type of fiber plate. That's why the bike doesn't want to roll with the clutch lever pulled when the engine isn't running. This is also why kevlar based fibers are preferred by some over OEM style (less slip, more stick), and also explains the "grabbiness". Gotta give a little to get a little. You just have to decide for yourself if you want to make a little sacrifice for some gain in grab and clutch life. Finally do NOT use full synthetic oil with kevlar type clutch fibers.

What's the lesson here? Coat your steel plates with oil and get on with it.

-Marc

 

One more thing. In a circle of motorcycle mechanics, most agree on one thing: Barnett = poop

 

Too late now, but why not use a full synthetic oil with kevlar plates?

 

When did mechanics become technicians?

 

What! Just because they established their reputation by finding "another" use for linoleum flooring "seconds"?

They do have the advantage of being.........cheaper than OEM!

 

Full synthetic oil is great for your engine partly because of it's ability to adhere to moving parts and it's friction reducing qualities. These are the same reasons why it doesn't work well with kevlar plates. You need to slip the clutch a few times to get kevlar plates in a condition suitable for hard riding (racing). This spins off excess oil from the clutch plates. Full synthetic oil sticks very well to the kevlar, so slipping the clutch doesn't help much, and since it's so slippery, it is not suitable for use with kevlar friction plates.

On another note, I called EBC today, and they suggest their heavy duty friction plates, which are made with a similar friction material as OEM (cork), be soaked for 20 minutes in engine oil. The reason for this is to prevent seizure to the steel plates during initial break in, as I reported earlier. Again, as long as you coat both sides of the steel plates with oil, there will be no problem. This is EBC's disclaimer to prevent do-it-yourselfers from ruining a new set of friction plates.

-Marc

 

soaking plates

Im sure most clutch plates a similer. Well in the transmission world we would soak the clutches because they swell some and that way you can get your clutchpack clearance right. if their to tight it will burn up,to loose and its a sloppie shift. I would soak um myself.

 

Barry makes an interesting point. I had never considered that, but I have also never seen it make a difference either.

-Marc