How do you know when your clutch is nearing the end of its life? Besides the usual slipping is there something thats a bit further ahead of the slipping clutch?

 

Good honest question.

Sometimes, you can hear the clutch basket chattering. This chatter is because of the clutch plates wearing down the spacing between the outer ears on the clutch basket. Although this really isn't a complete symptom of wearing plates, it's an indicator that the plates aren't sliding true in the basket.

Another indicator is that you would have had ot adjust out your perch (round **** located left clipon). There are two adjustments that can be made. Either at the perch or at the clutch. If you have not done either, then you can check for smell. Under hard acceleration you may notice (or feel) it slipping. Also, depending on the gear, you can watch your rpm guage and see if it increases with out additional rotating of the throttle tube.

Next you have to ask which gear do you think you feel it slipping in or is it all of them. Does it not pull as hard (under acceleration). I know some may say that it would slip in any gear, and I agree, but that's what I'm trying to explain.

Bottom line and sure fire way to diagnose is to pull the cover, remove the plates and measure them. At this time, it would give you the option to file the ears of the basket down to smooth. It would also allow you to accurately diagnose if the friction plates are burnt or worn. Depending on where the spacer is (if even you have one) you can sometimes swap the outer plates with the inner plates and go from there.

 

the f3's are unusually loud anyways with clutch chattering...not sure why but all of em do it when in neutral with the clutch disengaged. i would look at slipping and when you cannot adjust it anymore

 

I should have mentioned i ride an F2. I'm just wondering because i would hate to get to the point where i HAVE to change the clutch before i ride again. Its going to be rainy up here in pittsburgh for a few days so i'll probably pull the bike in the shed and go to work. I have maybe 30% of the clutch lever adjustment out...and the adjustment at the clutch itself is at maybe 40% towards the front of the bike(from what i remember when i changed the clutch cable). I do have some chattering sometimes when in nuetral...pulling the clutch stops this as others have stated. I'm used to working on cars...and the clutch going is easy to figure out on them...reverse is the first sign but seeing as our bikes don't have reverse lol.

 

^^^Reverse was the only thing I could do reliably in my Stang right before I replaced the first clutch, lol.

Just something to keep in mind... the perch adjustment is for minor adjustments while the one on the clutch cover is a major adjustment.

You want to set the lower to just have SOME slack in the cable before engaging. Then you fine tune it up top. Don't remember the exact numbers, but it should have SOME freeplay in the lever - something like 1/8' or something... don't remember.

Some people like their clutch to disengage at the end of the lever travel, some people like it to disengage at the beginning ofthe leverstravel.

I like mine midway. That's how I roll...

 

I set my free play as per the service manual...i had to readjust to riding the bike because of where it used to let out lol. My truck's clutch is on its way out...takes a few seconds for it to spin the flywheels speed down enough to go into reverse without grinding lol

 

It sounds to me like your chatter is normal if you have that much adjustment left in your clutch. Does it slip at all? If when in neutral with the clutch disengaged, is the noise loud? or is it like a mellow rumble kind of. (i really dont know how to explainit).

 

More along the lines of that mellow rumble...nothing that makes you go "ew....wtf is that noise". And i thought i had slipping once...but it was from me forgetting to pull the clutch on an upshift...didn't get it quite in gear...lol stupid me