clutch

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headtrama

headtrama

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Jul 8, 2010
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Getting my bike ready for the race this Saturday I had the clutch cover off to lube the gear . I was looking at the pressure plate and couldn't help noticing how cheaply made it is . I scrounged up a hunk of aluminum and went to work on my lathe . This is what I came up with , I am happy with how it came out and it seems to work well and is a little lighter the the stock one. I will see how it works this Saturday .
 
Greg58

Greg58

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May 1, 2011
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Man I wish I had access to a lathe at home to make parts, there are so many improvements one can do to these engines.
 
Cavi Mike

Cavi Mike

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"Cheaply made?" Obviously you've never seen a real clutch. There's no benefit from making them out of a solid chunk vs. a piece of stamped steel. The one thing you never want to do is make the friction surface out of aluminum. If it doesn't seize from the galling, you can bet it will rip your pads to shreds and leave you with a completely useless clutch after a few good slips.
 
N

nightcruiser

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I would have to say, a friction surface made of aluminum doesn't seem like a great idea, it's a very soft metal....
 
headtrama

headtrama

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Jul 8, 2010
886
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Cavi Mike said:
"Cheaply made?" Obviously you've never seen a real clutch. There's no benefit from making them out of a solid chunk vs. a piece of stamped steel. The one thing you never want to do is make the friction surface out of aluminum. If it doesn't seize from the galling, you can bet it will rip your pads to shreds and leave you with a completely useless clutch after a few good slips.
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Really have you looked at a real motorcycle clutch , The last disc on a motorcycle clutch hits the aluminum pressure plate .The whole basket on a motorcycle clutch is aluminum . These clutches are not even close to being like a motorcycle clutch . You need to pedal these bikes to get them going the clutch is engaged or not engaged .My question to you is what is going to seize and gall . and whats it going to seize to , don't over think something as simple as these china motors . If I offended you by using the word cheap in my post maybe you shouldn't be so sensitive .

I am not trying to sell these to anybody I made this for me and it was a experiment for me . It was my R and D and so far it has worked great and my bike has hit its best top speed with it on . I have to laugh at how quick you were to put someones idea down . I am done now and you are free to worry about proper seat angel and ED again .
 
N

nightcruiser

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headtrama said:
Why does it have to be hard when its hitting a rubber clutch pad .
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There is going to be pressure as well as friction, aluminum isn't very well suited for either of those duties. Also, there are other contact points that are not made of rubber where there may be abnormal wear due to the softness of the aluminum. I know all of my clutch plates have had some streaks of wear in them, and if it's wearing steel.....
That said, give it a try and let us know how it goes. I would keep an eye on it though....
 
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headtrama

headtrama

Member
Jul 8, 2010
886
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california
nightcruiser said:
There is going to be pressure as well as friction, aluminum isn't very well suited for either of those duties. Also, there are other contact points that are not made of rubber where there may be abnormal wear due to the softness of the aluminum. I know all of my clutch plates have had some streaks of wear in them, and if it's wearing steel.....
That said, give it a try and let us know how it goes. I would keep an eye on it though....
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I agree with you , The aluminum is a softer material and will keep a eye on it for ware .There is not a lot of pressure on these clutches anyway .There is one spring holding the pressure plate to the pads when engaged I did make it a little thicker in some areas that I thought might be a issue . These clutches are really just popper clutches.They were never ment to be used like a real motorcycle clutch .

I have hundreds of miles on some of these motors and never noticed any ware on the steel pressure plate . Maybe I am just not hard on my clutches . The bike I made this part for is purpose built as a race bike . its not a everyday bike I ride around on . I might make a steel one for my everyday bike and see what one shows ware first . But then again I am kinda over these china motors .
 
headtrama

headtrama

Member
Jul 8, 2010
886
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california
Greg58 said:
Seeing what you can do on a lathe you should make a high compression head, if you haven't already.
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I don't have the patience to do something like that . I am a instant gratification kinda dude . Plus you can get a good head pretty cheap from some of the vendors on here .
 
N

nightcruiser

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Since the clutch assembly is pressed together, you are now pressing a steel ring onto an aluminum base (to hold the big bevel gear and bearings on the base)... I would worry a bit about the aluminum giving and allowing the assembly to come apart or loosen as well...
 
N

nightcruiser

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Hey, I just noticed that what you made was the pressure plate, for some reason (I think maybe the look of your part) I was thinking it was the clutch base you made of aluminum instead of the pressure plate. You can obviously ignore my last post about pressing the assembly together....
 
Dan

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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That is some dang pretty work HeadTrama.

I have a lath and can't make an ash tray yet, snork.
 
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Cavi Mike

Cavi Mike

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Dec 17, 2011
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headtrama said:
Really have you looked at a real motorcycle clutch , The last disc on a motorcycle clutch hits the aluminum pressure plate .The whole basket on a motorcycle clutch is aluminum . These clutches are not even close to being like a motorcycle clutch . You need to pedal these bikes to get them going the clutch is engaged or not engaged .My question to you is what is going to seize and gall . and whats it going to seize to , don't over think something as simple as these china motors . If I offended you by using the word cheap in my post maybe you shouldn't be so sensitive .

I am not trying to sell these to anybody I made this for me and it was a experiment for me . It was my R and D and so far it has worked great and my bike has hit its best top speed with it on . I have to laugh at how quick you were to put someones idea down . I am done now and you are free to worry about proper seat angel and ED again .
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The last disc does not "hit" the basket, it is simply against it and it spins with it. The disc is the last friction surface, not the basket. What the basket is made out of is of no importance to the clutch, it is the friction materials that are important. There isn't a single clutch on the planet with an aluminum friction surface.

Also, obviously there was barely any "ware" on your steel plate, it's not supposed to wear. The organic pads are the wear-n-tear item, not the pressure plate. Well, they were, anyways.

And I will put your idea down, it's a bad idea because it's just going to ruin your pads and that disc. I hope no one else wastes their time on this terrible idea.

I'm also sorry you don't care about preventing ED due to poor saddle adjustment. Some of us prefer to keep our genitalia functioning properly.
 
headtrama

headtrama

Member
Jul 8, 2010
886
2
16
california
Cavi Mike said:
The last disc does not "hit" the basket, it is simply against it and it spins with it. The disc is the last friction surface, not the basket. What the basket is made out of is of no importance to the clutch, it is the friction materials that are important. There isn't a single clutch on the planet with an aluminum friction surface.

Also, obviously there was barely any "ware" on your steel plate, it's not supposed to wear. The organic pads are the wear-n-tear item, not the pressure plate. Well, they were, anyways.

And I will put your idea down, it's a bad idea because it's just going to ruin your pads and that disc. I hope no one else wastes their time on this terrible idea.

I'm also sorry you don't care about preventing ED due to poor saddle adjustment. Some of us prefer to keep our genitalia functioning properly.
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Your first mistake is comparing these clutches to a motorcycle clutch (different animal ) The whole clutch pack on a motorcycle is sandwiched between two aluminum surfaces. The first clutch fiber hits the clutch drum that is made out of aluminum then there is a steel plate between each fiber .The last fiber hits the aluminum pressure plate that clamps the clutch plates together when the leaver is released then locks the clutch to the basket causing the basket to spin giving you forward motion . It is really a simple operation that you are making way more complicated then it needs to be .When you say there isn't a clutch out there with a aluminum friction surface you are wrong . The first and last contact point of a motorcycle clutch is against aluminum .

The organic pads in these china motors that you speak of are nothing more then the sidewall out of a old tire . They are rubber and will ware out way before the steel or in my case aluminum pressure plate I made . If you still think its a bad idea you should call all the motorcycle manufactures in the morning and tell them that there clutches aren't going to work because aluminum is a bad idea and will ruin the clutch even though they have been doing it this way for over 40 years .

I will be testing this pressure plate out this weekend . I am pretty confident it will work just fine . I have been testing it out for the last two days without any problems. If it fails it fails it didn't cost me anything no biggie . apparently your afraid to try anything different that's no way to live .I am not trying to reinvent the wheel here just improve it a little .

Get yourself a cloud 9 seat with the big slit in the middle to rest your mangina in and be done with the E.D. worry . All my parts are still functioning after 35 plus years of bikes and motorcycles so I have no need to worry about it . Okay my work is done here , you have yourself a splendid day ......
 
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