Clutch Help!!!

[ducpainter]

I have no clue. I only know they don't work.

[codywood806]

Alright, I went out and got a caliber and measured the stack. The Barnett stack is 43.25mm. I called my closest Ducati dealer (Ducati of Santa Barbra) and confirmed with them that they too use Barnett clutches and they haven't had these issues. The gentlemen that I spoke to said that usually with these symptoms they usually see grooving in the clutch basket causing the disks to stick. Mine however, has very little grooving if anything at all. The disks slide on with no effort and do not get hung up. I am wondering if I am over thinking it and just need to give a good beating to "break it in"? I only put about 70 miles on the thing. Even after taking the stack out, wiping all excess oil off and reassembling there is still some good resistance when trying to spin the hub. One thing I did notice when reassembling the stack is that one of the friction pads had a small divot the was smooth, looking like a manufacturer defect. Is that acceptable or is that just another reason to send it back? I guess I will call the manufacturer but I don't have my hopes up on a refund as I have already installed the product

[koko64]

At a guess is that divot actually an identifying mark on a curved or convex plate that has a special location in the stack? I know the dry clutches have one of these "spring" plates that help separate the pack when the clutch is disengaged. They have a location in the stack according to the directions. Just a guess if it's not a flaw.

[koko64]

An idea is to ask the dealer guy what oil they recommend with those plates (if you're confident you weren't just given PR BS about there being no issues). I would guess dealerships would usually sell oem plates before Barnett.
That stack height will make a difference. I hope it works out.

[codywood806]

Yeah I mean it could have been BS but I did not tell them I had a Barnett unit until after I asked them which manufacturers they use for clutch replacement. I will give them another shout tomorrow to ask about the oil. The Barnett website states, "We recommend following the manufacturer's specifications on oil viscosities and quantity. Remember, the heavier the oil viscosity, the more the clutch plates tend to stick or drag when cold."


As for the divot, it is definitely manufacturer defect. It is very odd shaped and not uniform in any way.

What do you think about giving this a try?
Q: How do I clean my clutch plates?
A: Lightly scuff the friction plates with a Scotch Brite pad to remove any shine and glaze from the surface. If the friction plates are being used in a wet clutch, be sure to soak the plates in oil before re-installing. Steel drive plates can also be scuffed with Scotch Brite or bead blasted.
The friction material is VERY smooth like 600+ grit smooth. Should I try to scuff it up with some scotch brite?

At this point I'm willing to try anything because I'm sure they are going to tell me to eat my $200.

[Speeddog]

Do you blokes think it's a thermal issue with these Barnett plates, a chemical issue of their linings in oil or just a wrong stack height Barnett have settled with?

I'm not sure what the issue is, but I don't think the stack height had any effect.
I've got a low miles set for an APTC in a box, my customer fought the good fight but it never got any better, super draggy all the time.
It was shyt from the word go

Late 80's I had an XV920R (TR1), and the OEM plates were very tender, any sort of moderate slipping and they'd be really shitty.
I put a regular Barnett plate set in my LSR bike to begin with, as with the gearing I had to slip the clutch in 1st til about 60mph.
That would've murdered the stockers.
Eventually we were caning it hard enough with the Nitrous that it smoked that set, got a Kevlar set from Barnett and no problems ever.

The Ducs do pump a bit of oil to the clutch through the trans shaft, perhaps that's got something to do with it.
Dunno if the Yamaha did, it was so long ago.

[codywood806]

Update,

I scuffed everything with scotch brite and it is slightly better but still the same story... It is still not allowing me to shift out of gear once the bike is warm and I come to a stop. I am just going to ride it hard for the next couple of weeks and see if it gets any better. I will let you all know what comes of it. Thank you all for your help and suggestions so far.