Clutch Proper Friction Clutch Pad Maintenance/Tune up"

DuctTapedGoat

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Proper Friction Clutch Pad Maintenance/Tune up

Hey, this is a simple enough question...

Is there anything I can do to properly maintain my clutch or get it to work more effectively (or rather, more efficiently)? I burn through a set of pads in about 4 months, of course, I attribute that to riding 30 miles or so a day. Aside from just making sure when I do the weekly tune up I tighten up the clutch plate, is there anything I can do to get the pads to last longer, or maybe even to restore the pads? Perhaps even, might there be some other material I can fab up in place of the standard replacement pads?

I look forward to hearing some insight into this. Granted, it's not that it's so much trouble replacing them, or even that the cost of them is a problem, more a matter of "can it be done, cause it should be done, and if so how would it?"
 
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It comes down to the torque presented to the clutch. The clutch must cope with the max torque but the torque can be manipulated for the clutch by the gearing either before or after the clutch.
 
I don't think I'm following you - I'm hearing regear the clutch to slow the speed at which the plate hits the pads, so that it's got a lower RPM the clutch plate is in contact with the pads. (which almost makes me want to go shop something up to accomplish this, but I am aware I just don't understand how you would manipulate the torque with the gearing)
 
Ba dum - cha!

But seriously, I don't just pedal assist on a take off, I pedal a good 15 feet before I hit the gas. Without some momentum you're just getting unburnt gas in the chamber and you won't accelerate at any decent rate for a short while.

That's why this is bugging me so much, it's not like I hot rod around cutting off cars, and dirt jumping ditches and canals. I'm not even doing city riding 90% of the time! It's all rural country blocks. I operate my MxB properly and perform regular maintenance, it just strikes me as really odd that the friction pads don't last more than half of the major riding season.

There's got to be a mechanical workaround someone has figured out.
 
Ba dum - cha!

But seriously, I don't just pedal assist on a take off, I pedal a good 15 feet before I hit the gas. Without some momentum you're just getting unburnt gas in the chamber and you won't accelerate at any decent rate for a short while.

That's why this is bugging me so much, it's not like I hot rod around cutting off cars, and dirt jumping ditches and canals. I'm not even doing city riding 90% of the time! It's all rural country blocks. I operate my MxB properly and perform regular maintenance, it just strikes me as really odd that the friction pads don't last more than half of the major riding season.

There's got to be a mechanical workaround someone has figured out.

hmmm, I never have any problems with the clutches on both of my bikes, i never pedal, and i take off from a dead stop with the clutch like a motorcycle.
I've been doing this for 2 years on one bike, and one year on the other with no problems. I'm running 41 tooth rear sprockest on both bikes, with 20" wheels. I weigh 150 lbs, which puts less stress on the clutch than if i weighed 250 lbs.
i ride my bikes like motorcycles, not like bicycles. If i wanted to pedal, i'd take the engines off.
 
It very well could be the 32T sprocket adding the torque, but I'm actually going to be dropping that to something below 20T. I'm going to have to see some torque calculators to see how much is being applied based on the rear sprocket.
 
a 32 tooth sprocket will reduce the torque on take off, and give you more top speed.
if you go to a 20 tooth, you may not have enough torque to even get the bike moving. you may have to pedal it up to 10 mph and then let the clutch out. with a 20 tooth or smaller sprocket, you will get tremendous top speeds, but it will be a struggle to get up to speed.
by putting on a smaller rear sprocket you are making the gear ratio higher, and a higher gear ratio will give you more speed.
 
Yeah, I know. I guess it just comes down to a decision of what's more important to me - my clutch pads lasting, or my top end. What bothers me is that I'm sure there's got to be a solution where I can keep my top end and my clutch pads...
 
this is strange....wearing out clutches?

i had my first clutch issue lately...slipping...so i asssumed it was wearing out...

finally stripped it at work today.

:LOL: who said that oil cant get into the clutch? :LOL:

:rolleyes: about a good 20 ml of nice black oil, soaked everything....

funny!

cleaned up, washed out, like new again :D never an issue with it wearing out though... pads looked fine, discs fine, even gave it a good linish to take off the "polish". the rubbers more brittle than anything. looks like a sintered and metal impregnated type. not overly flexible.

one had broken flush with the carrier...meh.


oh...and im running a pipe and a 36 sprocket! i didnt want the 36, just the chain i got was a link too short... and it was all i had. i need the 44 back! even with 66 kg its bottom end is pathetic! with almost nothing extra up top! i actually had to push it up a hill the other day! now whats the point of an engine if im pushing it? sure, its a 6km hill, but still... never had it that bad with the 44...

if anything...you want to go bigger!

the MORE REDUCTION, the LESS STRAIN on the clutch...and the slower you go.

a 20 is silly, tiny, and you shall curse it every dam second cus it wont run til your doing a good 25+...
 
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