Honda VFR750 Clutch question

[sgtcalle]

Hi all, I recently picked up a 97 Honda VFR750. When pulling away the clutch judders at the end of the lever travel when it engages, and slips slightly when powering on in higher gears. A handful of throttle stops the judder, and it gets worse as the bike warms up.

I am planning on replacing the clutch springs and plates, before I do so is there any other reason I may have these symptoms I should be aware of?

Also, the haynes manual states there is a special Honda tool involved, do i need this just to replace the plates and springs, or is this tool to remove the whole clutch basket.

Thanks.
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CBR600F '02
Manchester

[andym]

Mine is an old 93 model and it doesn't judder at higher revs.... the only time I've found it sounds or feels different is if the oil is getting low then it feels rough pulling away between 2-4k rpm, but a litre of oil sorts that one out.... but then my biting point is around 1/3 - 1/2 lever travel

[Vincent]

Perhaps the tangs on the clutch basket have grooves worn in.....or the bikes got the wrong oil?
I wouldn't buy new plates and springs until you've measured the ones in there at the moment.
What's the mileage?
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Space Is Deep

[Richy CB1000]

Check the oil level plus quality of first. As said plate thickness check, plus spring tension torque check.

What I've done in the past on an almost worn one is remove the fibrous plates rotate them round a notch or two so they're different orientation than before, re torque the springs.

Won't fix completely but will get you through a couple of pay days, don't rag it until it's really warmed up 15-20 mins plus will help.
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CB1000 Big One, Triumph T3 Trophy 900

[sgtcalle]

Thanks all, I had heard the clutch basket wear could be a cause, but I'll drop the oil and see if that helps.
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CBR600F '02
Manchester

[Major Doss]

Before you fill up with £20 of Motul, whip off the clutch cover. google something along the lines of 'worn motorbike clutch basket' and you'll see the the wear given by the plates. The sticky out bits called 'tangs' are what we're after. Examine where they work along the basket, dents or grooves is bad. Remember there are a matching set on the inner bit of the basket, but you will need to undo the 6 nuts, and withdraw your assembly, to get a peek at her inner workings, so to speak. But a quick butcher's at her outer appearance should give you a rough idea if she's a go'er or not.

Someone will be along shortly to correct me as to the exact configuration of your machine, but generally this works for me.

[Vincent]

Tang wear....the insides of these tangs should be smooth and the grooves can prevent the plates from coming together:-

https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/Drewskovitch/Jap%2070s%20bike%20toys/Bike%20toys/9907698_zps0333852a.jpg
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Space Is Deep

[stinkwheel]

But before you do ANY of that, clean and lube the clutch push rod.

The hydraulic slave cylinder is located on the left side of the engine.

You'll need to remove the left hand side panel to get at it. There are three bolts holding the slave cylinder in place. One of them is very long.

Undo them and remove the slave, you may find it has a paper gasket under it which serves no useful purpose I can see, replace it or not as you wish, I didn't.

From this point be very careful NOT to pull the clutch lever in

Pull out the clutch push rod which runs right the way through the engine. You'll find one end of it is all corroded and horrible. Clean it up with WD40 and wire wool, lightly grease it with either lithium or red rubber grease (the latter would be best) and put it back in the other way round.

Replace the slave cylinder.

This would also be a good time to bleed some fresh hydraulic fluid through from the master cylinder. It gets serially ignored and in all probability has the original fluid in, along with a deep layer of sludge.

If that doesn't fix it, look at the clutch itself next.

Changing clutch plates just needs an 8 and 10mm socket as I recall (8 to remove the cover, 10 to remove the pressure springs)

I managed to get my notched clutch basket off without special tools, just a strap wrench. You can lock up most of it by jamming a denim rag in the gears. It has a normal hex nut in the centre of the clutch basket, not a castle one. I just whizzed the notches off mine with a grinding stone and put it back on, depends how bad they are.

If you have access to an impact wrench, removing the basket is very simple, just burp it off.

You may even get a reasonable view of the "fingers" on the clutch basket by looking through the oil filler hole with a pen torch.

If you need to do a clutch rebuild, I found a genuine honda clutch service kit from david silvers was cheaper than an aftermarket set of plates and included new springs and the cover gasket.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[sgtcalle]

Thank you all, very informative replies. I'll let you know how I get on.
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CBR600F '02
Manchester

[thesambaman]