Clutch Rebuild

Hey everyone. Last thing to do to my bike (1982 XJ750 Seca) is rebuild the clutch. Everything else seems all set but I can tell the clutch is definetly slipping quite a bit. My power band takes a while to kick in and it really takes away form the ride :?

So far on my list of things to buy I have primary friction discs (8), clutch boss primary drive plate, primary drive plate (7), compression springs (5), flanged compression spring bolt (5), compression spring washers (5) and a gasket for the clutch cover. Am I missing anything?

This is my first clutch rebuild, does anyone have any tips for me?

Any input is appreciated.

-Jared
'82 XJ750 Seca

 

Jared,

Please post about this project. I have a feeling I'm going to have to do the same thing.

 

Will do motor duck. Just waiting for my money to transfer to my pay pal and then ordering the parts. I'll have some pictures and stuff up within 2-3 weeks.

-Jared

 

read what kind of oil people are using, all the clutch in the world won't help the wrong oil
mark me for Mobil Delvac

 

Man im telling you use valvoline for motorcycles, it does wonders, I think you have just about everything. But head my words when i say do not over tighten the bolts that hold the clutch together, they are aluminum bolts and snap very, very easy, You just wont them snug, not very tight, its no fun trying to drill and tap the bolts out.

 

I'll have the "airhead clutch tear down and rebuild" tutorial done probably within the week. I just need to get the pics resized.

You shouldn't need to replace the clutch boss primary drive plate unless it's horribly worn or burnt blue. Replacing it requires pulling the hub itself and replacing the retaining spring for the plate; not necessary unless the clutch has been chattering excessively. If you DO decide to break down the hub, you'll need a new retaining ring too. You didn't say how many miles are on the bike...

If you're going to pull the hub, you'll also need a holding tool and a new tab washer. But like I said, there's probably no reason to pull the hub/replace the hub's plate; just clean it up.

Also, before you just blindly order the plain plates, I would tear it down and see what you actually need. Quite often the plain plates are fine and can be cleaned up with a little Scotchbrite. If they're scored, burnt or warped, then they will need to be replaced.

Other than that, the list looks good; you might want to consider a new throwout shaft oil seal if you're planning to strip and polish the cover while it's off.

 

Castrol 4T is good too; and I recommend the use of a torque wrench for everything on these bikes. Japanese aluminum is like butter compared to the aluminium my Norton is made of. I learned long ago to just use a torque wrench for everything. 7.2ft/lb is NOTHING. Torque wrench=no more snapped bolts.

 

ALL you need to buy is the Friction discs. It is Highly unlikely you damaged in any way the Steel discs [Not in that motor at least]
They can only be seriously warped or seriously discoloured to be damaged and in genuine need of replacement.
Friction discs: Minimum serviceable thickness is 3.0mm Measure yours. Springs also have a length measurement.. they rarely get damaged , but measure yours .. just in case.
Simplest is Always best G'luck.

 

Fitz is doing a tutorial?! Excellent. This should be easy.

 

ok, so this should actually be much cheaper than I figured it would be. No i haven;t pulled the clutch apart yet cause I don't want to waste any of these beautiful days having the bike pulled apart and not beaing about to get the things done

 

If we knew how many miles are on the bike and a bit of its history we could give more pointed advice. I strongly recommend clutch springs too; but you NEVER KNOW what you'll find when you're finally in there.

When I took my '81 apart for the first time I discovered the clutch hub nut was LOOSE, the tab washer had been taking a heck of a beating but held; the bolts and washers had been replaced with common hardware from Home Depot and the clutch boss spring (don't worry about that one, it's only in the 550s) was MISSING.

Spring collapse is a function of time not mileage; I'd have friction plates, springs, bolts 'n' washers and a gasket handy at the very least.