More clutch problems

[steveo]

My first attempted post seems to have disappeared into cyberspace so I will try again without the attatchment. As a born again biker I have recently bought a July 1959 swinging arm A10 ( exactly the same age as me! )  As I live and work in Dubai I only have a few weeks each summer in sunny England ( ignoring the hail stones! ) to work on it. As a complete but enthusiastic novice no one was more surprised than me when she actually started after stripping and cleaning the carb. A short test run showed problems with the clutch. Neutral is impossible to find when stopped and the bike also creeps forward with the clutch disengaged. I have taken the clutch apart ( 6 spring ) and have a few questions. I removed 5 friction and 5 plain plates consecutively but the manual says there should be 6 friction plates. Does the clutch chainwheel count as a friction plate or am I one missing? Also the manual shows the rear plain plate to be thicker than the rest but all mine seem the same thickness, is this right? I have also read using a 1 1/16 clutch lever helps, can this just be fitted onto 7/8 handlebars? I have been following this forum for more than a year and have been impressed with the knowledge, friendly attitude and advice given. Hopefully someone will be able to help.

Thanks  Ste.

[trevinoz]

Steveo, possibly you are looking at a plunger clutch in the book. It has one thicker steel plate. Your 6 spring clutch is correct with 5 of each plate. 4 spring clutch has 6 steel plates. The 1 1/16 refers to the fulcrum of the lever, not the bar size. See other topic.
               Trev.

[Brian]

Hi Steve, The six spring clutch fitted to your A10 does have one steel plate that is thicker and different to the rest. This plate goes behind the chainwheel and has a spline in the centre. By what I can make out then as Trev said you would have five plain steel and five friction plates inside the basket. Be wary of parts manuals and workshop manuals as sometimes these are not correct. For example the original BSA parts manual says there should be 4 steel plates and 5 friction. So you have the correct number of plates. If your clutch is dragging then there are a few things to look for. Check the basket and the centre for notches that wear into them. You can usually file these out. Make sure the bearing and its races are in good condition and the steel plates are not warped and the friction plates are ok. One thing to watch for is the quality of the friction [can be called the driving plates], some of the cheaper plates are too thick. I only use Surflex plates in my bikes but whatever you use make sure they are a reputable brand. Make sure the springs are all the same length, there not very expensive so replace then if you have any doubts. When you put the clutch back together watch the clutch as you pull the lever in and the outer plate should lift an even distance all the way around. If it doesnt then adjust the springs until you get a nice even lift. As has been suggested in these forums you can use measuring devices to check this but I have only ever use eyesight, you can see if it lifts more on one side or the other. When you have put the clutch back together and are happy with the way its lifting put the bike in gear and pull the clutch in and kick the bike over. The kickstart should go down quite easily and you will be able to see the steel plates spin around in the clutch while the friction ones hopefully stay still. As for the tension on the springs, this is a trial and error thing. If you need to be superman to pull the clutch in then slacken them off but if the clutch slips then tighten them. It really is worth putting the time and effort and money into getting your clutch to work properly as a good clutch makes a huge difference to the bike. Hope some of this might help, cheers. Brian.