If you pack this area, grease can work it's way past the bearings enough to contaminate the clutch pads. I saw this problem here in a clutch thread somewhere...
You don't "pack" anything near the clutch with grease. Ya notice I used words like "dab" and "a drop or three". And I did go on to say TOO MUCH will only spin out on the pads.
The big clutch gear and the small bevel gear are, again, metal to metal. A "dab" of grease will quite the clutch gears and enhance it's life.
The very small clutch bearings are, and I say again, Metal to metal. Can you think of any other bearing you would not recommend at least a little lube on? Running a dry bearing in any situation is never done if you want it to last any time at all. And again, This will also quite clutch operation.
I've been doing it this way for years. I've had an engine or two wear out but I've never had a clutch go south on me except for pads after a few years. I service my engine, (re-grease everything,) about every other month. If you ride more then me then you might want to do this once a month.
I learned all of this from the old timers with 8 or 10 years of forum time when I was a newbie. Most of them will tell you to get a syringe to pump "a little" grease into the small clutch bearings. (AGAIN, ONLY A LITTLE grease.) and I've never had a problem with lube on the pads.
Gears and bearings need lube, No one can say I'm wrong about that. Ask ANYONE with a mechanical engineering degree.
fatdaddy.
P.S. After I said all this, watch my clutch explode today,LOL.