What replacement clutches do you guys like?

I'm enjoying my new '81 KZ550A, and am gradually going through it to check out its mechanical condition. I'm going to take a look at the clutch and see what kind of shape it's in, and replace the plates or springs as necessary. I want to have a replacement clutch in hand so I don't have to wait for it to arrive if I need it. If I don't need it I'll return it.

I am looking for something very reliable and smooth, at least as good as OEM. I'm not going to race or otherwise abuse this bike, but I still want something very reliable and rugged.

What clutches do you guys recommend? The OEM parts start getting really expensive. Is there an aftermarket one known for excellent quality that might still be less expensive than getting all the OEM pieces?

What's the job like? It doesn't look too bad from what I've read. I've done some major work on bikes, but never a clutch. If I have replacement springs and pressure plates in hand, will those likely cover the repair, or should I have the steel plates or anything else before I start?

Thanks for any advice!

David

For the steel disc's if they're worn, the Kawasaki parts are hard to beat.

As to the friction disc's, I've run Barnette clutches in both my 1977 Kz1000 and now in my 82 GPz1100 B2 with no problems.

OEM only on the 550's. Aftermarket ones slip like crazy unless you use the aftermarket super heavy springs. Then you'll have carpel tunnel syndrome in about 20 minutes of riding.

I even called 3 speed shops and they all said the same thing... "Throw away any aftermarket disks and only use oem disks". I screwed around with the aftermarket ones for weeks and never got them to work right even with the aftermarket springs. They were way too heavy. I can't remember if it was Barnett or EBC.

The OEM disks grab better with light OEM springs and release better. Scuff the glaze off the steel plates while you're in there.

The disks need to be soaked in motor oil overnight before you install them. Put them in a pie tin then put a margarine container in the middle so you don't use as much oil. Make sure the oil is in between the disks while soaking. Don't stack them neatly, zig zag them to make sure all surfaces are exposed to oil.

Be sure you are very careful torquing down the spring bolts. They like to strip if the holes have oil in them. Absorb the oil with a paper towel wick before putting the bolts back in. Then put one turn at a time on the bolts after they start to put pressure on the springs. Go in a circle skipping every other bolt. When they start to snug, only go half turns. When the bolts bottom out on the shoulder, there is no cush. They will be bottomed immediately so make sure the torque wrench is set much lighter than the torque spec until the bolts are all seated. It takes a long time, but rushing it will strip one. When you get to the final torque, the bolts should not turn much at all. If they do, stop, something may be wrong. It seems like such a simple task, but it can get ugly real fast. Remember, those bolts are going into soft aluminum.

There is a manual in my signature if you need the torque specs.

OEM!

Clutch pushrod adjustment is routine maintenance and frequently resolves issues of "slipping" or "grabbing" clutches.

Good Fortune!

Well, I talked to the guy at Z1, and he felt the EBC ones were very good. He can get OEM, for about double the cost.

It seems a lot of guys here run aftermarket clutches. Is it just the 550 that OEM is best for?

I think I am leaning toward OEM, though, just to be on the safe side.

David

I tried a Barnett set up for a short while then went back to OEM on my KZ1000.The Barnett set up just plain made my clutch too stiff and wore my left hand out.Nothing against the discs but way too much for me.bj

What about APE?

I'm considering them for my next clutch change.

Anyone try them?

It is almost next to impossible for clutch plates to go bad unless you are drag racing a very large CC bike. I am running OE clutch plates on my 1150 and the OE works fine. The clutch plates i have on there are the original plates with well over 20,K on them and when I measured the thickness they measured almost new. What will go bad however are the springs. They go bad just with time under compression. I would replace those with a set of EBC springs which you can get from Z1E for about $14 and while replacing those I would pull your clutch plates and deglaze them under hot soapy water with a Scotchbrite pad. That is all I did with mine and I will still get another 20,k out of them before I have to do the same ting again.

www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=319

Are you talking about APE plates or springs? If you are talking about APE springs, than I hope you have a very strong grip. If you are talking about plates than I have not had the occasion to ever have to replace my clutch on ANY of my bikes. Some of my clutches have well over 60,K on them and they are still like new.

otakar wrote:

Are you talking about APE plates or springs? If you are talking about APE springs, than I hope you have a very strong grip. If you are talking about plates than I have not had the occasion to ever have to replace my clutch on ANY of my bikes. Some of my clutches have well over 60,K on them and they are still like new.

This is what I'm talking about.

Not sure if they're available for all models though.


www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1490

MentalMike wrote:

otakar wrote:

Are you talking about APE plates or springs? If you are talking about APE springs, than I hope you have a very strong grip. If you are talking about plates than I have not had the occasion to ever have to replace my clutch on ANY of my bikes. Some of my clutches have well over 60,K on them and they are still like new.

This is what I'm talking about.

Not sure if they're available for all models though.


www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1490

OK that is a street kit. That would be fine for a "J" bike. Once again the question is WHY? when all you need is. This

www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=319