Inconsistent clutch behavior

[panomania]

Hey guys. On my 48 the clutches act different every time I ride the bike. Suicide set-up with 3 inch open belt. They never engage the same. Its a real problem in heavy traffic. Ive tried cleaning and sanding the fibers and all the plates look nice. Ive tried taking out 1 plate and fiber and re-adjusting. Does'nt make any difference. Tried after market presure plate and springs. (stock seems better). 5 finger and 3 finger hubs. 3 finger works better. Ive been dealing with it for years, i just figured id ask. thanks, pano

[1 star]

pano, how are the steel plates ?? I'd check them for straightness. Using a Good straight-edge
If the're "Warped" you will have a mis-behaving clutch..

[King]

Hi Pano

A few years ago my clutch was acting erratically. It felt like it was binding when disengaging and sort of jerking when engaging. On inspection I found that some of my clutch hub pins were misaligned causing the fiber plates to bind. I straightened the pins out and very slightly enlarged the holes in the fiber plates--- problem gone. Worth a check if you haven’t already done so.

King

[panomania]

cool, im gonna check both. i bidded on a set of steel plates on ebay this week, if i win the auction im gonna replace then also. thanks, pano

[john HD]

hey pano

the hub is tight on the shaft right?

i have used valve lapping compound without the key in place to lap the taper of the hub and shaft to match perfectly, then install the key and tighten as usual.

john

[kws1949]

I have a fix in my e-mail to send you. ktnscar@aol.com

[kws1949]

Try a Ram Jet Retainer they are cheap and keep drum and hub inline. I went the same b/s when I first put on my belt drive, let me know if this works.

[panomania]

Pano, You probably have your clutch fixed by now and everything youv'e been told is good but the one best thing I did on my '48 FL tank shift with short stroke rocker clutch other than the Ram-jet retainer was to bend/modify/ remove the anti-rattlers from the steel plates and ream/sand the stud holes in the faced plates. The plates must slide freely in the drum to be free to drift apart when the clutch releases.If two or more stay rubbing you get that drag and jerk at stop lights. This is why when you go to take off sometimes it sudenly grabs sooner than you expected and bogs the engine.

[panomania]

that is exactly whats going on, and i will definatly try that! thanks, pano

[fourthgear]

Panomania
There is a few other things to check out on your clutch,how is the throw out bearing and transfer rod ? are there groves in the guide pins on the cluch hub and how about the steel plate guides in the clutch drum , if any groves it will effect the clutch plate operation. The early mod. through out bearings are pretty stout ,but do go bad ,is there any mushrooming on the transfer rod ends. Good luck.