heath_AU
Junior Member
Hi All
Well on the weekend while doing a oil/filter change i decided it was also time to put some fresh new clutch plates in. (My baby has 135,000km up and most of them have been hard on the clutch)
So i tracked down a good deal on a EBC Street Racer Kevlar friction plates and heavy duty springs online (around $130 AUD) and went about installing them.
Its actually a much easier job than i was expecting, Very accessible due to the high location which is ideal.
Wanted to offer some tips to anyone thinking of doing it.
Firstly - make sure you have a new gasket (and maybe even some sealant too) ready to seal it up at the end.
Dont worry about the clutch holder the manual says to use. All you need to do is have one foot on the rear brake while you loosen/tighten the clutch spring bolts. Works a treat.
Oh and fortunately my steel plates were still like new so i was able to use these again - probably thanks to regular oil changes and correct clutch adjustment and usage.
2 main points to watch for -
1. DONT try and remove the plates with your fingers. The steel plates can be EXTREMELY sharp and i cut the f*^& out of my finger trying to fish one of the last ones out. A magnetised flat screwdriver works like magic
2. When installing the clutch cover at the very end, DONT put the gasket or sealant on first. Practice putting it on as you must have the index marks on the clutch lever and the clutch cover aligned when the freeplay is taken up (or it "stops" when you twist it against the spring) WHILE IT IS MOUNTED FLUSH.
(see attached image to see how it looks AFTER you have mounted it flush and taken up the freeplay)
What this means is you need to estimate how far to have the lever turned around as you place the clutch cover on being careful to ensure the toothed clutch rod inside slides into the centre hole that joins to the lever outside. I did this a few times and found the perfect position was align the left (or leading) edge of the lever with the index mark and as you place it on the index marks should be lined up.
Oh and the new clutch is just amazing. I am not even exaggerating when I say this new clutch has such a better feel than the stock one did brand new,
And not sure how its possible but the heavy duty springs (EBC claim they are 15% stronger than stock) are even easier on the hand lever.
But I KNOW they are heavier springs as it was SOOO much harder to do up the bolts installing them - they felt closer to 50% heavier there - but not at the hand lever - but that said it bites beautifully but still smoothly. I could not be happier.
So I encourage you to give this job a shot. Obviously only have a go if you are confident, but be assured the job is probably a lot easier (and faster) than you may think
Til next time fellow FZ'ers
HeatH
Well on the weekend while doing a oil/filter change i decided it was also time to put some fresh new clutch plates in. (My baby has 135,000km up and most of them have been hard on the clutch)
So i tracked down a good deal on a EBC Street Racer Kevlar friction plates and heavy duty springs online (around $130 AUD) and went about installing them.
Its actually a much easier job than i was expecting, Very accessible due to the high location which is ideal.
Wanted to offer some tips to anyone thinking of doing it.
Firstly - make sure you have a new gasket (and maybe even some sealant too) ready to seal it up at the end.
Dont worry about the clutch holder the manual says to use. All you need to do is have one foot on the rear brake while you loosen/tighten the clutch spring bolts. Works a treat.
Oh and fortunately my steel plates were still like new so i was able to use these again - probably thanks to regular oil changes and correct clutch adjustment and usage.
2 main points to watch for -
1. DONT try and remove the plates with your fingers. The steel plates can be EXTREMELY sharp and i cut the f*^& out of my finger trying to fish one of the last ones out. A magnetised flat screwdriver works like magic
2. When installing the clutch cover at the very end, DONT put the gasket or sealant on first. Practice putting it on as you must have the index marks on the clutch lever and the clutch cover aligned when the freeplay is taken up (or it "stops" when you twist it against the spring) WHILE IT IS MOUNTED FLUSH.
(see attached image to see how it looks AFTER you have mounted it flush and taken up the freeplay)
What this means is you need to estimate how far to have the lever turned around as you place the clutch cover on being careful to ensure the toothed clutch rod inside slides into the centre hole that joins to the lever outside. I did this a few times and found the perfect position was align the left (or leading) edge of the lever with the index mark and as you place it on the index marks should be lined up.
Oh and the new clutch is just amazing. I am not even exaggerating when I say this new clutch has such a better feel than the stock one did brand new,
And not sure how its possible but the heavy duty springs (EBC claim they are 15% stronger than stock) are even easier on the hand lever.
But I KNOW they are heavier springs as it was SOOO much harder to do up the bolts installing them - they felt closer to 50% heavier there - but not at the hand lever - but that said it bites beautifully but still smoothly. I could not be happier.
So I encourage you to give this job a shot. Obviously only have a go if you are confident, but be assured the job is probably a lot easier (and faster) than you may think
Til next time fellow FZ'ers
HeatH
