Clutch Suddenly Started to Drag

[Starwave]

Good Evening

My clutch started dragging on my way to work today. At lunchtime I 'over adjusted' the cable so there is no play in the lever. Riding the 25 miles home the dragging seemed worse in traffic than when I pulled up at a roundabout after a few miles of nice open road type riding.
The clutch was rebuilt just over 1000 miles ago using 4 Surflex B plates and GT springs in a standard Italian spider and Indian sprocket. I also shimmed the spider so any sprocket rock was all but eliminated but the spider and sprocket could still spin independently. After fitting a nylon cable too I was well happy with the set-up. No slipping, as I previously had, and and no Popeye arm required.

Any ideas as to what may be up? Never had a clutch suddenly go downhill so quickly before. It is only dragging and not slipping.

Cheers

[Starwave]

Nowt doing on this one? (crying face)

[Timbo]

Whip the case off and have a look......

[shaunmc]

I had same set up as you, and similar probs, thought it was just stretched clutch cable, adjusted cable and everything was great till on way back from brid last year I couldn't even select any gear. On inspection my top surflex b plate had been chewed up. Me mate fitted a new set of surflex b plates and changed the GT springs for MB ones and been sweet ever since.

[Starwave]

Thanks for your replies.

Ai, was pretty lame posting this before having a proper butcher's. I'm shafted for time at the moment so was hoping someone would write something like 'rearrange yer tools in the toolbox and it'll be reet.'

Interesting the same set-up produced the same symptoms in a different bike. I too was starting to struggle to change gear. Wonder if your springs were the problem? Seems a bit strange if they were though. Have to admit when I built the clutch I didn't check for the 1.5mm up and down plate movement when the clutch was compressed. Maybe the clearance was less and the cork plates have kept swelling and finally closed up any useful clearance - but it seems odd that they'd still be swelling after 1000 miles good service.
I'll crack the booger open and report back. Probably won't be a for a couple of weeks though.

cheers

[coaster]

Before you do that, have a look at both ends of your clutch cable. The 2 times I have had symptoms similar too yours it turned out to be the precursor to the clutch cable snapping it was letting go one strand at a time and growing in length in the process.

[Starwave]

Good shout. I'll have a squint at that, and at the outer in case it's working its way through the stop at the handlebars or at the adjuster.

cheers

[gaz_powell]

ive rebuilt the clutch in my SX TS1 225 with surflex b and AF GT springs - it got ragged on the LCGB C2C then Lincoln with no issues todate.

Built the same in my S2 TS1 200 but only done about 400 miles with no issues.

I built the original Surflex/GT spring clutch shaunmc referred to - when I stripped it one cork plate had broken down with clumps of cork missing. I rebuilt it with new plates and MB springs - as said no problems todate with it.

[kejj]

Had similar problems that were down to the springs, changed back to standard SIL ones and it solved the drag.

[Yanker]

Had similar problems that were down to the springs, changed back to standard SIL ones and it solved the drag.

Also a good shout: coil bound springs (What are '[GT clutch springs'[?) Also look for clutch pressure plate ;v; spider: to ensure pressure plate drops fully without interference from the spider's legs.

'Butchers' 'Squint' 'nowt' and 'booger': what sort of lingo is that WarStave? (it is only an anogram of your monicer with an STD inserted afterall?).

Good luck with that