A motorcycle clutch has a serious job to do. It is responsible for attaching and detaching the engine from the rear wheel, which allows you to start, shift and stop. That s why it is good to know if you can change the clutch by yourself and is it possible for you to fix it.
So how do you fix a motorcycle clutch? Drain the oil and remove the clutch cover. Take off the pressure plate along with friction plates. You need to stack friction plates in the correct order, so you know how to return them. Once you have replaced friction plates, change the pressure plate and reassemble the clutch.
Stay with us as we will show you how to replace the clutch in a step-by-step guide and other helpful stuff like cause and prevention of clutch malfunction.
Table of Contents
How to Replace a Clutch?
Although replacing a clutch is not a very complicated process, it takes a lot of time to do so. You need some workspace and tools that can be found in most garages, but if you don’t feel confident enough to replace it on your own, any mechanic should be capable of replacing it for you. Learn How Motorcycle Clutch Works by clicking on this link.
Step 1: Preparation Process and Oil Draining
Prepare the tools you need like a ratchet, a torque wrench, a set of sockets, a big flathead screwdriver, Allen keys, a gasket scraper, and a micrometer. Use your shop manual for your bike since torque specifications are written in it, and it is useful when you start assembling it in order. You need to drain the oil before you begin any work.
Step 2: Remove the Clutch Cover
Take off the clutch cover. Put the clutch cover aside along with your gasket. Some motorcycles need to take off other components such as oil filter cover. Use a flathead screwdriver for the clutch cover removal. Take the drain pan and collect the oil leaking from the wet clutch or the engine casing.
Step 3: Clean the Fiber Plates
Clean the replacement fiber plates and soak them in engine oil for around one hour. After taking off the side clutch cover, the oil from the transmission will start leaking, so make sure you have something to collect it with. Use a cleaner to get rid of the gasket mounting surface, and consider using a gasket sealer too.
Step 4: Remove the Pressure Plate
You can see the inside of your clutch, which consists of a pressure plate, friction plates, a throw-out bearing, and the clutch basket. The pressure plate bolts hold the clutch springs in place. Disconnect the springs and pressure plate bolts. The pressure plate and springs should come out of the clutch basket.
Step 5: Stack the Friction Plates
Separate the friction plates, stack them in the same order you took them off.
Tip: Keep the old plates even if you change the fiber plates since they can be your guideline for placing the new ones.
CAUTION: The lifespan of your clutch can be significantly decreased if you install the plates incorrectly because they can create excessive clutch slip.
Take an old shirt or a towel and put the old clutch plate assembly down. Inspect the basket’s outer and inner hubs and look for any worn-out signs while dissembling the clutch. You should change a new clutch basket if you find any notches in the clutch basket splines. This doesn’t happen often, but you wouldn’t like to place new plates on an improper basket if it does.
Look for signs of scoring, wear, and any other signs of excessive friction on the metal plates, take the micrometer and make sure that the plates are the proper width as written in the manual.
Step 6: Change the Friction Plates
Change the friction plates if there are any worn-out signs, and change the clutch springs with the fiber plates. Look for a clutch cover and loosen all the bolts in a crisscross way. It is recommended that you take out the bolts clockwise to know where you pulled which bolt.
Tip: Place the bolts on the sticky side of a strip of tape in line so you are confident you placed them in the order in which you took them off.
Step 7: Replace the Pressure Plate
Alignment marks can be found on the pressure plate and clutch basket of some plates, and if that is your case, make sure to place them back in the correct order. You should see the friction plates and throw-out bearing at the center of the clutch basket after removing the pressure plate.
The bearing puts force on the pressure plate and presses the clutch springs allowing the clutch to disengage. If the throw-out bearing accidentally falls off, search for the alignment tags and place it back the same way you found it. The throw-out bearing will remain at the same spot on most of the bikes but pay attention just in case it doesn’t.
Step 8: Place the Pressure Plate
Place the first thick pressure plate and alternate pressure plates and steel. Put the pressure plate and ensure that the throw-out bearing is in place. Look for warping, and if you notice any sign of friction or heat on metal plates, change the entire set.
Step 9: Reinstall the Clutch
Use your torque specifications written in your owner’s manual for installing the new springs and tightening the pressure plate bolts. Be careful not to over-tighten them since these bolts are scanty, and you could strip the hub.
Your next step is to reinstall the clutch cover, and because you have placed them in a clockwise line on a piece of tape and marked the first bolt, you are familiar with the exact spot of each of the cover bolts and where they need to be screwed in.
How to Fix a Faulty Clutch:
As written in the owner’s manual, a classic cable-oriented clutch lever needs to have enough free play. As for hydraulic clutch levers, you should bleed the system if your motorcycle is lurching when placed in gear. Change the clutch plates if the problem happens because of a slipping clutch.
If you want to learn How to Change Motorcycle Oil, click on this link.
What Causes a Malfunctioned Clutch?
Clutch plates can get seized together and stop you from shifting gears. Shortage of oil and lubrication can result in clutch plate warp, overheat which results in seizing the clutch.
A motorcycle clutch is built of clutch plates, mostly five or six. These plates are pulled together as soon as you release the clutch lever. The plates don’t spin when squeezed together, and pulling the clutch lever disengages the clutch.
While the clutch disengages, the plates release and have free rotation. They can spin at a different speed while the transmission releases the engine. Because of this free spin, you can shift gears, and when you release the clutch, it seals the transmission and engine. If you have shifted before letting your clutch lever, you placed it into a lower or higher gear.
How to Recognize if Your Clutch Is Slipping?
The first sign which can signal you that your clutch is defective is the sound of high revs because a failing clutch revs higher than it would normally do. The high revs indicate that the clutch plate needs more time to engage with the speed and flywheel’s speed.
Soon you will see that your gas mileage is decreasing. The engine puts more effort at higher RPMs, which consume more fuel. If the clutch lever gets stuck, it is another sign that your clutch is defective.
Filth sediments in the clutch can cause the discs to stick together or apart, which indicates the sticking lever. It can get stuck in both disengaged and engaged positions, and the reason for that could be a clutch cable in bad condition. This also indicates a faulty clutch.
Hard shifting is another bad sign of a defective clutch. Dry and chunky feeling followed by a clunking metal noise along with bike jerk when you shift the gears all point to hard shifting. Other than that, faulty clutch springs can also be the reason, and if they don’t function correctly, the plates may jam, and when that happens, it is hard to split them apart.
If you want to learn How to Change Motorcycle Oil Filter, click on this link.
What Could Be the Cause of That?
Worn out plates that don’t disengage adequately to engage another gear. There must be enough space between plates, so the teeth don’t clash. If plates don’t separate as much as needed, they grind together. The loud clunking sound and the dry chinky resistance can be felt in the lever caused by grinding. The abovementioned reasons could indicate a bad clutch cable or damaged clutch springs.
If you can’t put your motorcycle in gear, you can be sure that you are dealing with a bad clutch. Once you start your motorcycle positioned in neutral and want to shift the gear, you see that the bike doesn’t shift it while the foot-shifter is bobbing up and down without any resistance; you can certainly conclude that it is a faulty clutch in question.
How to Inspect a Clutch
Inspect the cable and clutch release lever to see the right amount of free play. Take the factory repair manual and look for the minimum length of the clutch springs and the minimum width of the clutch plates. If you measure below the minimum written in the manual, the clutch plates need to be replaced.
Watch this great video about replacing your motorcycle clutch:
How to Prevent Clutch Issues:
The clutch is one of the frequently used motorcycle parts and, because of that, is exposed to a lot of friction, action, and heat, leading to wear and tear. You can increase the clutch health following several steps of its maintenance.
1. Replace the Crankcase Fluid
Some motorcycles use a special kind of oil designed for the clutch (crankcase oil), heavier than most other oils. The crankcase oil doesn’t need to be frequently changed as motor oil, but it would be smart to change it every year if you ride regularly.
2. Check Your Fluids Regularly
On the side of your engine coat, you can find a small fill cap that you should untwist, stick your finger in, and inspect the fluid level. Take a look at the fluid and see if there are any metal shavings in; this indicates a heavy sign of friction-based wear and tear.
Conclusion
Your clutch is responsible for your gear shifting, and proper care will ensure that it lasts very long. Inspect your clutch from time to time and change your oil regularly because this is the best way to protect your clutch.