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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Question about average clutch life /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1189005816 Message started by Southpaw on 09/05/07 at 08:23:36 |
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Title: Question about average clutch life Post by Southpaw on 09/05/07 at 08:23:36 I know this is a highly subjective question depending on how you drive the bike, but on average how long should a clutch on these Savages last? I'm right at 5000 miles and I've just done the "fine adjustment" the second time in the last 1500, so I'll have to make my next adjustment on the lower cable end. Not knowing how the bike was treated before, (it was an acquaintance's wife's bike and not a real accomplished rider) The bike runs fine right now, just running out of adjustment on top, and asking because I've never seen the topic come up. Any information would be appreciated. Dan |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/05/07 at 09:07:44 Maybe you should shim the springs or replace them with stouter springs. |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by T-Mack1 on 09/05/07 at 11:53:55 It's more than likely that the adjustment you made was due to cable stretch. New cables stretch, it just happens. They only stretch so far then pretty much stop. Just rebuild my engine, 10.4K miles. Clutch plates were very good. The Perv. Owner lived in Erie, Pa close to the great lake of same name, just rolling hills in that country. Things that affect MC clutches.....starting on hills (what can you do...???)......wrong oil (MC oil has stuff in (sulfides??) that help prolong clutch life....).....old oil.......... |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by allan on 09/05/07 at 12:02:48 got 21,000 on my 400 clutch is worn but not worn out allan. |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by greyhead51 on 09/05/07 at 18:38:16 got over 26000 and my clutch is still going strong!! |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by slavy on 09/05/07 at 23:22:11 So far all the clutch replacements I have done were due to old bad oil. It just builds up a nasty residue and the friction plates lose the friction part. I haven't had a worn-out clutch so far. |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by Southpaw on 09/06/07 at 07:54:10 I hadn't thought about the cable stretch, and I'll be changing the oil again soon. I'll try those two and watch for developments. I figured there had to be something I was missing, I don't remember ever having to touch my old 68 Honda's adjustments. (of course... that was long ago in a galaxy far away) ;D Thanks to all for the input. Ride safe! Dan |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/06/07 at 21:22:02 Since you have a 2004 ride, I discounted sretch as an issue. Maybe it did, I dunno, But, loose clutch cables dont make clutches slip. Tight does. |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by Southpaw on 09/07/07 at 09:26:42 Cable stretch would explain the slack I adjusted out in June. The rest might be trial and error, because it doesn't make sense to me. I'll keep eliminating potential causes until I get it right. Considering the old owner told me he had the bike rejetted when he had the Jardine put on, but the shop he told me he took it to has no record of it, I'm assuming there might be a couple of other things fishy here. Everyone I talked to says the guy is meticulous, but doesn't turn his own wrenches. His wife and a younger relative each had time riding and taking care of it. I have had mixed results with the stealership in question and what they might do to cover their arses, and this '04 has some characteristics of a Savage and some of the '05 s/40 make me wonder if there aren't some model change bugs cropping up. All speculation, yet all potential troubleshooting concerns. I'll just eliminate the obvious until I get to the bottom of it. If nothing else it will give me a few things to work on when it gets colder. Another excuse to tinker? How else do you get to know your machine. |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by pgman on 09/07/07 at 10:16:35 I just put a new clutch in my Marauder. I know this is not the forum for that, but since it is fresh in my mind... The bike has 21000 miles on it and it only slipped in top gear after a long ride (which I am thinking was a heat-related issue). Anyway, with that mileage, the clutch disks were actually still okay - worn but not down to the metal. It was the springs that were bad. A friend of mine said he could "adjust the slipping out of it" but I didn't buy that. The Marauder, like the LS650 has a cable-actuated clutch. Therefore, the only adjustment I know of is a CABLE adjustment, which only allows you to set the free-play (and, to some extent, set the friction zone of the clutch). I can not see how a cable adjustment can have anything to do with the holding power of the clutch unless it is set for absolutely no free play. More to the point, though, if your cable is tight you really don't know if your clutch is ever fully engaged. I would set it so that there is just a bit of free play. Otherwise, you may end up burning the clutch without knowing it. |
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Title: Re: Question about average clutch life Post by Savage_Rob on 09/07/07 at 11:33:19 pgman wrote:
As mentioned above, sometimes going to stiffer aftermarket springs or simply shimming the existing springs adds back some compression/tension lost over time. New springs for the Savage are about $12-$15 and easy to replace. I did mine when I installed the VerSlavy modded cam chain tensioner. |
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