yamafitter
Reigning NERDS Granite Lane Gold Medalist
So I'm installing a new Rekluse Core 3.0 EXP auto clutch in my new WR450F dirt bike. I pull the old clutch plates out as per the instructions and remove what they call the throw out washer to get access to the inner basket that gets replaced with the rekluse unit.
All that goes fine and I have all the new parts soaking in oil ready for the install. I load in the new steels plates along with my original friction plates and the special rekluse pressure plate unit but something doesn't seem right. There is way too much slack in the clutch lever and I had to thread all the adjusters out to the max and then when I pull on the clutch lever nothing seems to happen.
I looking things over and scratching my head trying to figure out what went wrong. It almost feels like the new clutch springs are too compressed. I call Rekluse and talk it over with one of the tech support people. I mention that when I try pulling the clutch lever I can't see or feel and movement in the pressure plate.
I take everything apart again and put a screwdriver against the push rod that is connected to the clutch actuation rod that connects to the clutch cable. When I operate the clutch lever I can feel the rod moving back and forth so that is OK. I then put the throw out washer assembly that fits over the rod back on and try the clutch lever again. No movement. What?? More head scratching. Then I remember, there is usually a little ball bearing that fits inside the throw out assembly that sits on top of the rod. I pull the throw out assembly and have a look and there seems that the ball bearing is missing. I look around for about a half hour and start having very dark thoughts about having dropped the bearing into the motor. Then I remembered putting the assembly in the oil bath. I feel around the bottom of the pan and sure enough I come across a ball bearing. Strangely enough it is just the right size to fit inside the throw out assembly and sit nicely on top of the rod.
So I start putting everything back together and am doing the final torque on the pressure plate springs and that's when I drop my 4mm hex bit into the clutch. Take everything back apart again, fetch the hex bit out and start all over again. Get everything together and notice that one of the set screws that lock the pressure plate adjuster is missing. Spend another half hour trying to figure out where that might have gotten to.
I was just about to give up when I look and notice that the set screw had fallen into a small indent in the top of the throw out adjuster. Take the pressure plate assembly apart again so I can get at the throw out assembly. FInally after about the 6th attempt I was finally able to get everything assembled correctly. I was starting to think this bike was cursed.
I then mounted the new aluminum skid plate to replace the plastic skid plate that Yamaha supplied. Plastic skid plates don't do well against Canadian Pre-Cambrian rocks. We need skid plates of sterner stuff which is why I made a call to Enduro Engineering. The installation of that piece was also another Chinese fire drill that took five times longer than it should have. I cut it down to five times as long instead of six because this time I didn't bother to read the instructions which just confuse me anyways. It ended up I put a rear mounting piece in upside down which threw all the carefully machined alignment off. It was just one of those days where my Polish heritage rears its head.
All that goes fine and I have all the new parts soaking in oil ready for the install. I load in the new steels plates along with my original friction plates and the special rekluse pressure plate unit but something doesn't seem right. There is way too much slack in the clutch lever and I had to thread all the adjusters out to the max and then when I pull on the clutch lever nothing seems to happen.
I looking things over and scratching my head trying to figure out what went wrong. It almost feels like the new clutch springs are too compressed. I call Rekluse and talk it over with one of the tech support people. I mention that when I try pulling the clutch lever I can't see or feel and movement in the pressure plate.
I take everything apart again and put a screwdriver against the push rod that is connected to the clutch actuation rod that connects to the clutch cable. When I operate the clutch lever I can feel the rod moving back and forth so that is OK. I then put the throw out washer assembly that fits over the rod back on and try the clutch lever again. No movement. What?? More head scratching. Then I remember, there is usually a little ball bearing that fits inside the throw out assembly that sits on top of the rod. I pull the throw out assembly and have a look and there seems that the ball bearing is missing. I look around for about a half hour and start having very dark thoughts about having dropped the bearing into the motor. Then I remembered putting the assembly in the oil bath. I feel around the bottom of the pan and sure enough I come across a ball bearing. Strangely enough it is just the right size to fit inside the throw out assembly and sit nicely on top of the rod.
So I start putting everything back together and am doing the final torque on the pressure plate springs and that's when I drop my 4mm hex bit into the clutch. Take everything back apart again, fetch the hex bit out and start all over again. Get everything together and notice that one of the set screws that lock the pressure plate adjuster is missing. Spend another half hour trying to figure out where that might have gotten to.
I was just about to give up when I look and notice that the set screw had fallen into a small indent in the top of the throw out adjuster. Take the pressure plate assembly apart again so I can get at the throw out assembly. FInally after about the 6th attempt I was finally able to get everything assembled correctly. I was starting to think this bike was cursed.
I then mounted the new aluminum skid plate to replace the plastic skid plate that Yamaha supplied. Plastic skid plates don't do well against Canadian Pre-Cambrian rocks. We need skid plates of sterner stuff which is why I made a call to Enduro Engineering. The installation of that piece was also another Chinese fire drill that took five times longer than it should have. I cut it down to five times as long instead of six because this time I didn't bother to read the instructions which just confuse me anyways. It ended up I put a rear mounting piece in upside down which threw all the carefully machined alignment off. It was just one of those days where my Polish heritage rears its head.
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