[ Workshop ]
Bike’s datalogging expert Bruce Dunn deals with the side effects of his trade…
I’m replacing the clutch plates on this 2014 Suzuki GSX-R750 with both guilt and satisfaction. Guilt because the clutch’s demise was down to me performance testing it; satisfaction that I achieved excellent quarter-mile data… before it cooked itself.
So then: aftermarket or original? The Suzuki parts add up to just under £400, but a quality aftermarket kit from EBC with heavy-duty springs is just under £115. I put the bike on its sidestand – with it leaning over this stops oil running out when the clutch cover is removed. This won’t apply to all bikes, but can save faffing around with drain trays. The GSX-R’s clutch is conventional, with actuation via a pushrod from the left-hand side of the engine. Just make sure there’s ample free play at the lever, or if there’s an actuating lever on the clutch case side you can release the cable. Undo the cover’s bolts and make a note of any different lengths. Tease the cover off, keeping an eye for locating dowels; if it refuses to budge have a look around the edges for pry points, but use them carefully.
The outer pressure plate is secured by the springs. Undo these, and remove the plates individually, keeping note of the order: it’s usually friction plate then steel plate, repeated until the last friction. Make sure your new plates are the same and offer them up. Check your manual as there’s often an anti-shudder shim or additional sprung retainer. First and last plates sometimes differ too – on the GSX-R the last friction plate is thinner than the rest.
Clean the clutch drum and basket with brake cleaner. Use a brush to agitate heavier deposits, and rinse with a blast of brake cleaner. Clean the inside and outside of the pressure plate and cover, too. Scotchbrite is good to get traces of old gasket from the engine and cover. Soak the new frictions in the oil used in the engine or gearbox for at least an hour. Smear oil on the steels, too. Fit the plates in the correct order, ensuring the steels are in the right way – the round edges usually face a specific way (inwards on this GSX-R). Fit the pressure plate; sometimes there will be marks to line it up with the clutch basket. Refit springs and nip them up evenly, then torque them as per your manual. With a pushrod system, check in the manual for any screw or locknut adjustment.
Ensure cover-locating dowels are in place and fit a new gasket. As the clutch cover goes on remember to engage the actuating lever. When the case is seated nip the bolts up then deploy the torque wrench. Run the engine up for a few minutes, stop it and check the oil level. Check the clutch lever free play before a test ride – it’s likely this has changed, so give it a tweak.
Difficulty rating: 4/10