clutch plates

what kind of clutch plates are people using? clutch plates are expensive where i live so i found these on ebay
clutch plates any sugesstions?

Cheapest price for clutch plates is about $7 a pop.
Do you need new plates? Are the out of spec?
Often times many people can just lightly sand the plates with 400 grit sand paper.
When I replaced my clutch plates in the C1, I found I only need the springs and not the plates. That's about a $60 difference.

I´m not an OEM fetichist by far, both my bikes are heavily modified and have lots of aftermarket/custom parts, but when it´s clutch replace time I use OEM discs only, I simply believe they are better.

Funny thing is when I went and put a new clutch in my GPz 1100 last summer the aftermarket supplier wanted $ 189 for a set of friction discs - my local bike shop could get OEM discs from a supplier in Holland for $ 126, you might want to shop around some!!

Of course we don't know what country "made overseas" means. China of course. Kawasaki plates are $13.42 each at bikebandit or EBC plates at Z1 enterprises for $7.49 each. I've come to wonder about aftermarket parts. We all know I like stock Kawasaki, but part of the reason is virtually *every single* aftermarket part I have ever tried, be it clutch parts, brake pads, body parts, cables, gaskets, engine parts, seals, you name it, every one has one thing in common=== They don't work for some reason. OK, that's not 100% true, but I can say they don't fit right, don't work as good for a variety of reasons. I've recently, not even kidding here, wonder if there is some copyright law or something that forces all aftermarket equipment to be made just different enough to not be a direct copy of Kawasaki (or any other brand for that matter)? I mean buying an *exact cable* that is 2" too short or too long, or brake pads I have to file and sand to make fit just doesn't cut it regardless of cost savings.

Used to be said that chrome won't get you home...

Generally speaking, if it isn't OEM you should EXPECT to have to modify to fit. Pretty sad really.

Stock Kawasaki plates are the best. I have a friend with a 7 second Kawi drag bike and he only uses Kawasaki clutch discs.

Ron, as always you are entitled to your opinion - even if your understanding is totally flawed...

There are many Kawasaki parts I would NOT put in my bike. Really for two reasons. One is price - the OEM parts are way overpriced. The other is quality - most aftermarket parts are very good - some are far superior to OEM, some are identical quality to OEM (esp. as many are made by the same company) and yes, there are some aftermarket parts clearly inferior to OEM. Additionally, in many cases you do not have a choice of the parts you can use - the OEM's are fast running out of parts. We do stock a good number of genuine OEM parts - but barely a month goes without another part dropping off the available list.

Kawasaki 'quality' is very hit or miss as well. We have returned FAR too many defective and damaged Kawasaki parts - poor chrome, dented items, mirror glass stuck in backwards, poorly machined pistons (one came in without any oil lubrication holes feeding the rings...).

Here's just a handful of parts I would not run from Kawasaki as aftermarket is superior...

Reg/Rec combo unit versus separate Regulators and Rectifiers - aftermarket is far superior.
Stators - aftermarket is far better
Starter motor - aftermarket is far better
Idler sprockets - far better quality aftermaket
Cam chains - aftermarket is better quality and cheaper
Coils - far better and cheaper aftermarket.
Carb holders - the same company makes OEM and aftermarket parts - although the aftermarket ones are much cheaper.

Argentina, Singapore, Great Britain, France, S. Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and the USA are a few of the countries aftermarket parts come from - they don't all come from China.

Ron, you mention problems with cable length - yes, I've seen some problems, but you know what, if you received a cable that was the wrong length and chose not to do something about it by contacting the maker, then shame on you. We did find a problem with a Motion Pro cable - their Z1 clutch cable was 1" too short. We contacted Motion Pro and guess what, they purchased an OEM cable and then changed their production to fix the problem... so... if you choose not to mention the problem to anyone, problems don't get fixed.

That all makes perfect sense and it's probably partially just me:) I know every time I use aftermarket it will not work so probably I radiate that to the product itself. I've complained many times and got a refund, other times just threw the part away, other times returned the defective part and was offered a replacement and I'd say "why in this world would I want another identical piece of crap"? And they'd look at me and say "you mean you think the entire product line is defective"? I'd say "yes IT IS". "Well no one else has complained".
I just ran into this last winter, sorry to ramble, but I learned Hayden makes Ford fan clutches for the big 1T diesel, so rather than buy Ford for $450 I can buy the identical Hayden for $250. I buy the Hayden, go to all the work of installing which takes special tools, draining part of the cooling system ect. I see Hayden even has the identical part number cast right into the clutch so I think I'm smooth sailing. My old clutch was working, just in hot weather was engaged too much I thought. I reassemble everything and drive the truck 50 miles or so in 20 degree weather and the clutch is full engaged all the time sounding like I'm 6000 RPMs. I take the Hayden off and reinstall my original temporarilly while I await warranty. I get Hayden #2, install it, same thing, install my original again, send back #2 and get #3, same thing again, install original back again for the 3rd time. I'm fit to be tied by now and send nasty email to Hayden and tell them the complete line of F350 clutches are junk. They say the standard "no one else has had problems", but send me #4. I got #4 sitting in the box but I think I'll just leave well enough alone.

BTW, I run EBC plates in my turbo'd Z1 (with stock springs and an MRE locking clutch)... but there's certainly nothing wrong with the OEM clutch plates other than price.

One issue with aftermarket 'house brands' is you don't know who makes the parts. But turning that around, often you don't know who makes the OEM parts - esp. as rarely does the OEM make anything.

Mikuni, Keihin, Tokico, Nippon Denso, NGK, DID, NP, K&S, K&L, ART, Stanley and more make parts/tools for the OEM companies and provide the same parts in the aftermaket space.

Some of the companies are just marketing / distribution companies. A good example is Emgo. Emgo does not make a single product. They contract with a manufacturer to make the parts for them. Who makes their clutch plates? The same company that makes them for EBC. Who makes their sprockets? The same company that makes them for Sprocket Specialists. Who makes their gaskets? The same one used by Vesrah...