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Categories: all aviation bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater Sun, 13 Mar 2005
The clutch on the Ninja had been slipping for a little while, just So, I poked around the Ninja 250 board, and got some answers. It turns out that the clutch springs usually go first on these bikes, and some have claimed that the friction plates will outlast the motor every time (if only all clutches could make such a claim!). There were one or two people who reported having to replace plates early, but the general consensus was that if something's slipping, it's probably springs. I ordered a set of EBC springs from Seattle Cycle Center, figuring that I'd get in there, replace the springs, and check out the plates. If they needed to be replaced, the Bellevue dealership had a set in stock. OEM and aftermarket plates seem to cost about the same, and I already know I like the OEM clutch, so I'd probably go with that if it came down to it. Replacing the springs was surprisingly simple. I've always associated clutch work with major pain, but when the engine is mounted "sideways" like it is in the Ninja (vs. the "normal" way, with the crankshaft aligned with the direction of travel, like every other bike I've owned), it's pretty simple. Take off a cover, undo four bolts, and the springs are out. Pull off a plate, and the clutch plates come out. Very simple. Fortunately, the clutch plates looked fine, and they were just about in the middle of the "normal" range of thickness, according to the manual. The springs, on the other hand, were all at the "toss 'em" limit listed in the manual. So I did. The old springs measured 31.7mm fully extended, and the new EBC springs measured 35mm. The book lists 32.5mm or something as the normal new spring length, so the EBC are super duper new, I guess. It all went back together as easily as it came apart (except for the extra 40 minutes I spent carefully scraping the old gasket off the cover, but we'll ignore that for now). I was done and warming the bike up for a test ride within about an hour and a half. Now that I have the new springs in, it's amazing to feel the difference. I'd thought that the cush drive in the rear wheel, which absorbs driveline shock, was just crapping out. Nope, it was the clutch springs. I'd had terrible trouble for the last 5000 or so miles with engaging the clutch -- I just couldn't do it without the clutch snagging right as it locked up; that was the springs too. I'd noticed in the last few fillups that the gas mileage kept getting worse. Naturally, I suspect that was also the clutch springs (I won't know until I've put another few tanks of gas through the bike). The bike is much more pleasant to ride now. A well-spent $10, if I do say so myself. It was actually more like $30 all told, since the springs were $10, the new gasket was $15, and a half-quart of synthetic motor oil is $5, practically speaking. Still, quite a bargain, and surprisingly easy to do. Posted at 21:57 permanent link category: /motorcycle Categories: all aviation gadgets misc motorcycle theater Written by Ian Johnston. Software is Blosxom. Questions? Please mail me at reaper at obairlann dot net. |