How Does A Motorcycle Clutch Work – This is a lever that you hold frequently when shifting gears. You also know that when you pull it, it cuts the power from the engine to the rear wheels. But do you know how a typical motorcycle clutch works? And how can you teach some good riding habits to last longer? Well, let’s start with learning the function of the motorcycle engine clutch.
The primary function of the clutch is to temporarily disconnect the engine from the transmission and drive train systems that drive the rear wheels. Unless this happens, it is almost impossible to move a stationary, forward-facing motorcycle by pairing the idle engine and transmission. It is possible to change gears without the clutch when the bike is in motion, but the results are not always smooth, and if done incorrectly, grinding can completely damage the gearbox.
How Does A Motorcycle Clutch Work
The lever you pull with your left hand is connected via a cable or hydraulic system to a circular clutch assembly closer to the engine. The assembly consists of an external pressure plate facing the hood. As the name suggests, with the help of a spring mounted on the outside, the pressure plate acts as a push-pull cover for compressing and decompressing the ‘clutch pack’. The beam consists of a series of alternating steel and friction plates, each with teeth on the outer and inner circumference.
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These plates are stacked closely together, and the teeth of the friction plates clip into slotted grooves in the outer basket that cover the entire width of the assembly. Placed between the friction plates, the steel plates are adjacent to the inner by means of dovetailing the grooves of a small inner axle of smaller diameter than the outer basket.
The outer basket is a row of toothed gears along the circumference that is attached to and turns the engine’s crankshaft. The inner shaft is pressed against the input shaft of the transmission and rotates with it. When the clutch lever is out, the fully compressed spring of the pressure plate holds everything together. At this time, because the steel plate and the friction plate are pressed against each other, when the friction plate rotates, the steel plate also rotates, and vice versa. As a result, power is transmitted from the engine to the transmission.
Pulling the clutch lever pulls the pressure spring on the pressure plate. As a result, the friction plates and steel plates pushed together separate and begin to rotate independently, thus separating the engine from the transmission system. If you ever experience a hard pull on the clutch lever on some motorcycles, it is because the pressure acting on the outer plate is increased, which improves the clutch’s ability to handle engine power. It is one alternative to using a small clutch set with many plates or a large clutch set with a few plates.
There are two main designs of motorcycle clutch assemblies: wet clutch and dry clutch. Wet clutches are immersed in engine oil as it provides cooling and lubrication to the various interlocking components of the assembly. Compared to dry systems, they have a longer life and can withstand harsh conditions better. As the name suggests, dry clutches do not require an oil bath. its advantages? Do not contaminate the engine oil with particles that are part of the normal wear of the clutch system. Another advantage is that because it does not cycle through an oil bath that lubricates the engine, there is less drag and the system does not drain power from the engine.
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There are a few basics you can follow to extend the life of your clutch assembly. Most bikes these days use wet clutches, so the engine oil needs to be changed on time. While riding, do not ride the clutch where some of your fingers touch the lever and accidentally pull the clutch.
If you like to indulge in actions like dragging the wheels or performing a burnout, you will cut your clutch life by about half or less. Aggressive downshifting and a sudden release of the clutch round the teeth on the clutch plate and the grooves on the inner hub and outer basket. If slipping begins to occur, check the clutch assembly and replace parts that could cause further damage. Please write as smoothly as possible. It’s the best thing you can do to make your clutch kit really last.
TVS Motor uses cookies (including third parties) to give our visitors the best possible experience when using our website. By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies. Click here to learn more about this. HOW THEY WORK: In his recent post from The Motorcycle Clutch Shop, Panhead Jim tells us how motorcycle clutches work and why they’re such a complex item.
Whether you use your feet or hands, we all know that engaging the clutch allows the motorcycle’s engine to transfer power to the transmission and eventually to the rear wheel. What actually happens when you engage or disengage the clutch can be a bit of a mystery, but I’ll walk you through the basics of how the clutch works, using a 1933 Harley-Davidson VL as an example. The machine uses a foot-operated clutch instead of the modern-day manual clutch, but the principle of operation remains the same.
Barnett Clutch Install
The heart of the clutch mechanism is the alternating stacked plates. The number of panels depends on the type of gripper, but no matter the number, you’ll have a mix of fiber and steel panels. Fiberboard has layers of material adhered or bonded to either side of a metal core. The material was originally asbestos, but has been replaced by organic resins in modern times. Whatever the material, its sole purpose is to create friction against the steel plate. The steel plate is a flat steel plate sandwiched between fiber plates. What I want to point out in the picture below is how the fiberboard is “locked” on the outside and how the steel plate is “locked” on the inside.
When the plates are stacked together, they are clamped between the drive and release discs. These are basically seamlessly manufactured top and bottom plates that can collide with panels just like a fiber plate collides with other steel panels in a stack. On my VL, the release disc is in the form of a cover attached to a steel plate. You will also see three alignment screws that lock the drive disc and release the disc together when assembled.
When assembling the clutch, starting with the fiberboard, alternately stack the fiberboard and steel plates on the release disc. The steel plate is fixed to the release disc via an internal key and rotates together as one unit. Also note that the main track of the release disc is the hole through which the steel plate can move up and down. On the other hand, the fiber panels “float” between the steel panels.
When the drive disk is placed on top of the stack of plates, spring screws are used to secure the entire unit together. The screw passes both the drive and release discs before being threaded into the three clutch nut segments. This design keeps everything aligned but also allows movement between the drive disc and release disc. Clutch springs provide friction by sandwiching steel fibers and plates between the drive and release discs. When the clutch is engaged, spring pressure is strong to hold all the plates together without slipping. Since nothing is fixed in the fiberboard, in the absence of this pressure it can rotate. As you might expect, spring pressure matches engine horsepower/torque, so upgrading engine performance often requires the use of stiffer springs to keep the plates from slipping. As the fiberboard wears over time, you can tighten the spring clutch bolts to take the ramp and restore spring pressure. This entire unit is often referred to as the clutch pack.
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The last major component of the clutch assembly, as the name suggests, is the clutch basket that holds the clutch pack. On the inside of the clutch basket is a key track that matches the key on the outside of the fiberboard. This is a fiberboard lock.
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