Idea about high performance clutch pads

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Hey guys. Ive been a part of the comunity here for some time (about 3 years) but I was pretty dormant, just reading what other people had to say. I had a **** of a time learning about these engines and finally getting things to work. I feel that I could contribute a bit more now that I have learned so much more about these little things. nonetheless let me get to the point.

I have heavily modified one of my HT engine (high compression head, tuned pipe,dellorto carb, quality needle bears, ported exhaust, rejetted, etc) and I feel that with all these increased performances you need a decent clutch system to take full advantage.

Here are the specs of the material that I will be working with to make new and better clutch pads

High-Friction Sheets 5,000 ft./min. @ 500 psi 550° F 500 psi 0.55

There a bit on the expensive side, and quite difficult to work with but I have a laser cutter. That should make things a **** of a lot easier and more accurate.

Questions and concern:

Is there a way that I can test the two other than by feel? Some that should yeld results that can be quantified?

Should I look into things other than the pads? Do the pads make that much of a difference?
 
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hmmm.. I dont think so. I think a better clutch can help for power start offs (better using the lower end torque of modified engines). I dont know what kind of rider you are, but if you are more of the modest cruising 15mph riders then it may not make much of a difference to you. It may make a difference to people who live in hilly areas, and people who do not always want to pedal up to speed.

any other suggestions?
 
I agree alittle torque is a good thing, but we do need to keep in mind, we are on a bicycle. Pedals and all...................! I live in a VERY hilly area in SW Va. I'm also 260 pounds with a 60 pound bike. At 320lbs total, it's still holding its own at 600 miles. FINGERS CROSSED!!!!!!!!!!~?

PS: average 25-26, tops lower 30's. (Just always watch and keep adjusted)
 
True. But some people do want to push things to the limit! lol Im have a hunch that better clutch pads can increase the longevity of the engine. Specifically, I am implying that a better material can be used for power take off's. That can be of much benefit for people who don't/cant always pedal.

Well I have the material already, I will be testing it out. Its on of the highest friction materials that I have dealt with. It would engage nicely.

I say a powerful and strong clutch can always be a good thing for the these little machines.
 
I understand your point, but just remember from a dead stop these little engines can only produce so much(torque) power? You would really have to have RPM's up with a snapper grip clutch........(lol, at least I would)

Heck, you could get it to the point where you could do burn-outs and smoke up the whole block!~
 
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Ok so I made a small batch of the clutch pads. The picture with the 3 clutch pads are the ones that I have been experimenting with. Going from left to right

the first one is a type of friction material with a friction coefficient of .55. And the one that i just installed today. The material is noticeably much denser than the 2 other materials. In addition, the temperature tolerance in 550 fah as apposed to the green material which is 500 fah.


the middle one (green) is the one that I have been using for about 3 months so far, I must say that I am really really impressed with this one. When I generally ride, I never pedal up to speed and release the clutch, only when I start the bike. I always power take off, and ride the clutch. When I removed this clutch pads today I was shocked to see that they haven't been reduced in size (only compressed a little from the clutch).

The last one is a stock clutch pad. Nothing special
 

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Put it this way: If you dump the clutch and all the bike does is stall, the stock pads are good enough. Higher coefficient of friction will just make it harder to slip the clutch and therefore harder to get moving off the line. This is why race clutches on real vehicles are so hard to use on the street.
 
I installed the new clutch pads and to say the least. I was pretty disappointed. It took some time to grab and slipped a lot when the bike got up to operating temperature.

Conclusions

1. This material is really designed for super high friction purposes (obviously) and doesn't seem to work well against polished metal.

2. The stock clutch pads are great because they have rubber inside them. This gets nice and sticky when the temperature is increased, which is a good thing.

3. On a quest for finding a material like with rubber.
 
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