Inspecting Aftermarket Clutch Wear...

[MotoKatana]

Hello fellow kat riders,

I have a 95 kat bought with no previous maintenance history :/ Recently I've been curious about my clutch. It is probably in fine condition, and there haven't been any issues with the clutch itself, but I get anxious about the parts I haven't installed myself.

I opened the clutch cover today to try and measure the springs and plates. I've also checked for wear in the various places noted on the kat-wiki. The problem is I don't seem to have the stock springs or plates. At least I don't think i do. Here is a pic of the friction plates I have.



The kat manual says the plate thickness limits are at 2.35mm mine are at 2.10ish.
The manual says the claw length limit is 15mm. Mine are like 6mm. The manual also says the springs limit is around 33mm but mine are closer to 50mm.

Do I have aftermarket parts? how do I check the wear if I do?

[steves]

1) You should start your own thread for questions like these (post moved)
2) I'm not sure about that, unless something leads you to think there's a problem with the clutch I wouldn't worry about it, but I would expect aftermarket parts to be in the same tolerances as OEM.

[MotoKatana]

All the aftermarket clutch kits I can find online look like this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-GSX-600-Katana-1988-1989-1990-1991-Clutch-Friction-Kit-600F-/380592889911?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item589d1aa037&vxp=mtr

note how wide the teeth of the clutch are compared to mine.

[Kreylyn]

All the aftermarket clutch kits I can find online look like this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-GSX-600-Katana-1988-1989-1990-1991-Clutch-Friction-Kit-600F-/380592889911?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item589d1aa037&vxp=mtr

note how wide the teeth of the clutch are compared to mine.

Well that link is for the wrong kit anyways...

There are 2 version of clutches for the 600cc pre kats. That may be why your having some issues.

I know one of the differences between them is the number of plates. One uses more plates than the other. Those would probably be thinner I would think to fit more in.

You can see some notable differences here... both of these are Kat 600 clutches.

wrong clutch - http://www.ronayers.com/Fiche/TypeID..._MODEL_J_K_L_M

Right clutch - http://www.ronayers.com/Fiche/TypeID...ODEL_N_P_R_S_T

Note the letter year listings (N, P, R.... so on). Match to your model. That info is also on your vin tag on the frame by the stearting neck.

Hope that helps.

Krey

[Wild-Bill]

That plate looks practically new. If the clutch was working fine before then I'd button everything back up and go ride.

One thing you might want to look at is the total stack height. Check that against the calculated total stack height by multiplying the minimum thickness in the manual by the number of plates and adding the total height of the steel plates.

Looking at the manual, for 1992 and later models, I'm seeing:
Friction plates
Minimum thickness: 1.72mm
Standard thickness: 2.12 - 2.28mm

Spring free length: 47.5mm


For instance, the parts fiche shows 8 friction plates and 9 steels. If you've got the stock 8 plates and 9 steels, you're there already without even looking at the steels since those generally don't get replaced unless they're warped.
That would be 8 x 1.72mm = 13.76mm minimum height required and 8 x 2.20mm (average) = 17.6mm normal for a new clutch (not counting the steels).
With your 8 x 2.10mm = 16.8mm, You're right in there, less than half the way through the wear limits.

As for the springs, your "almost 50mm" is right about where it should be. Just check them for that 47.5mm minimum length.