[bikenutmart]

Hi, Wondered if anyone has any ideas, the clutch on my 59 350 clipper is slipping quite badly, cant even really kick it over.
The clutch plates (3) look new, with plenty of meat on them, the springs feel fine, ive adjusted the pushrod to just touching the pressure plate, then backed off a half turn, and the cable is adjusted to give a little free play at the lever, the clutch does seem quite heavy, not sure if this is normal? Im using ATF in the chaincase, the engine no. is 1066. Any suggestions gratefully recieved Martin.

[grumbern]

New clutch plates, or old ones? If they're old, they're probably done for.

[uhu]

no damage on basket or clutch centre?

[grumbern]

You could also fit the 3-plate clutch with four of the 5-plate.

[Bilgemaster]

If it had sat for a long while with the wrong grade oil those fiber clutch plates could just be oil-logged and/or glazed I suppose, or the springs just a bit tired. I'd wager on the former as being more likely. For all you know a previous owner may have poured old Fish 'n Chips oil in there, but without the requisite brown sauce and vinegar to give it some "bite".

Accordingly, you can either replace the fiber clutch plates or the whole pack, and maybe the springs besides, which shouldn't cost a fortune from our Forum hosts, or, you could first try the time honored "Kitty Litter Cure", as described here: https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php?topic=26923.msg308813#msg308813.

That kitty litter would be my first move, followed by a very light roughing up of the fiber plates with some very fine sandpaper, steel wool or even a fresh 3M style pot scrubber pad, also really lubing up that clutch cable and ensuring its kink-free run. A hanging-sticky-contorted cable can cause all sorts of wacky clutch symptoms.

[Karl Fenn]

I had a triumph 650 like that, stood it up for a year and every time l kicked it over the clutch slipped, only way l dealt with it was a rebuild of clutch new plates springs, not that expensive the parts are cheap it did the trick.

[Karl Fenn]

Of course one thing to consider you can't tell if the springs are good by feel you have to measure them they could be decades old.