Clutch Pressure Plate Lifting Unevenly

[Les H]

Maybe the springs are in some way different. Maybe one is a heavier gauge one slipped in by the seller. All basic stuff but worth repeating perhaps. Take them all out and also remove the cups. Check obviously the spring gauge, the amount of turns, and the lengths, they should all be identical. Then check the cups, see if the internal depth is the same for each. The only other thing that could in theory vary is the pressure plate holes...Are they identical radius distance from the very centre of the plate?. If everything IS THE SAME, it would seem IMPOSSIBLE for the plate to lift off unevenly...it would defy the laws of physics

[charvey]

Clive again, Ignore taking out s/plug you don't need to when you turn over clutch pressure plates with kick start lever and clutch pulled in must be old age, Clive.

[Neil.Stewart]

Come on guys
You simply sit on the bike side saddle and look down through the clutch, pull in the clutch you can kick the clutch outer pressure plate over and watch it rotate , screw in and out every spring until the pressure plate runs true, all ways works with me.

[Les H]

Come on guys
You simply sit on the bike side saddle and look down through the clutch, pull in the clutch you can kick the clutch outer pressure plate over and watch it rotate , screw in and out every spring until the pressure plate runs true, all ways works with me.

Neil, I'm amazed you think we don't know that. The problem is that after adjustment, the pressure plate starts to lift unevenly again. The best approach is to check every part FIRST before just twiddling screws and hiding the problem. That's the way I do things...put the problem to bed rather than hide it.

[Mick D]

Hi Tony

To my mind there are very few variables which can occur in use: spring tension and relationship of the push rod to the cup in the pressure plate being the major ones. You say that the spring tensioning screws are not backing off, (it would be worthwhile indelibly marking their position on the pressure plate to confirm this), so I would concentrate on the push rod / cup relationship. Is the push rod the correct diameter to suit the main shaft and cups? are the ends perfectly square? is the pressure plate cup clean and free of any high spot? If yes to all of the preceding I'd consider fitting a shortened rod and ball, the ball would need to be an exact match to the diameter of the hole in the cup and in an ideal world the push rod end would be centrally dimpled before hardening, (do you have a lathe available to do this?).

Final thought, are you sure the affected clutch action is the result of the pressure plate not lifting off squarely? it would have to be pretty bad to create enough drag to affect operation, in my experience it's more likely to be the plates sticking together or not moving freely.

Good luck Mick

[tony.barnett]

Gawd - where do I start with this lot then?

Firstly - thanks for your replies.

I need to have a closer look to see whats happening - I have adjusted up the screws then when pulling the lever to balance the springs it lifts on the cock and I'd have to virtually remove one of the springs to make it balance, so I think something is snagging.

The springs are a new set from Single Spares - as far as I can see they are OK, and indeed have been for 100 miles since changing them and the problem `went away' - so I'm thinking its not the springs. Moving one spring and cup to a different location does not move the problem.

Oddly enough, I turned the pushrod around and it seems to be lifting squarer (if that is a word...). It has a dimple on the end which was up against the ball bearing, which is now in the pressure plate, which would make the push rod marginally longer - this does appear on first glance top have improved matters.

I'm off out on it tomorrow so I'll see how the clutch fairs.