Ducati Monster Forum

Ok, so I've been wanting to get some clutch bling lately, and I'm glad I looked before I bought.

My bike appears to have a different clutch setup than most dry clutches.  I don't know if this is because of it's age or something the previous owner did.

It's a 99 M750.  I know it has a dry clutch.  However, the clutch cover is one piece with the motor cover.  It covers the entire clutch, not just the top, as well as the motor.  It's one piece all the way from the back of the clutch to the oil window thing.

Is there any way I can get my clutch exposed without cutting up my stock pieces?

From your description it sounds like you have a wet clutch to me.  Unless your 750 was moddified, it came stock with a wet clutch.





So unfortunately, no blingy for you  :P

Well I was told it's a dry clutch.  Could a dry clutch be used in a we clutch housing?

How can I find out for sure which it is?  preferably withut taking the bike apart

It takes money and a lot of modding to make a wet clutch bike into a dry clutch.

If that clutch side engine cover and all is stock, I'd be absolutely amazed if it was modified to a dry clutch.

Post pics.

Based on that description, it's the stock wet clutch. 

An no, there is no way to expose the clutch like a dry clutch w/o actually converting it to a dry clutch.... Well you *could* but all your oil would drain out and you'd be very sorry if you did.  The conversion process is not cheap nor easy for the lay person to do.

You were most likely misinformed.  While there might be some common parts between the wet and dry clutch assembly - they are not 100% identical assemblies and you can't just install a druy clutch in a wet clutch bike and have it work

It is definitely a wet clutch...sorry bud.

The misleading part is not your fault.

People here about the 748 and 749's - those have dry clutches. (They are also super bikes).
If have a 750, one might think it also has a dry clutch, but it does not - its a Monster, rather than a superbike.

Yours might even have the cool side case that has a big angle to it, rather than being perfectly round. Like on the Monster 600's. This is a pretty bad ass example:
(http://www.iaaf.uwa.edu.au/smbunt/Hilary/M600.gif)

here you go my friend, some wet clutch bling. hope you brought your wallet
(http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-10887714827417_2038_1283921)
http://www.rapidmotoparts.com/ducati-magnesium-clutch-case-cover-for-wet-clutch.html (http://www.rapidmotoparts.com/ducati-magnesium-clutch-case-cover-for-wet-clutch.html)

edit: oops it looks like that item is for 2002+, you may be able to find a similar magnesium cover for your year with some searching, im not sure

MAGNESIUM! delicious.

perhaps speedymoto will make a billet side cover for you, they are making billet case covers for dry clutch models. can't be that difficult to make a wet clutch model. expect that to be between $550-700. Quite spendy.

Well, I'm doing this on the cheap, since I have a baby on the way.

Also, magnesium is not exactly the bling I was looking for.  I wanted to go with a black pressure plate, black spring caps, and a black open cover.

I don't have that cool angled cover, just the plain round one.

They guy I bought it from claimed to have taken the whole motor apart and rebuilt it, so maybe he did convert it to a dry clutch.  He even told me about dry clutches and why this was different than a wet clutch.  So, either he was full of sh*t, or he actually converted it.  Isn't there some way to tell?

Sounds like he was full of shit since you still have your original cover. I'm pretty sure you'd need a dry clutch type of side case to run a dry clutch. I could be wrong though...I've never dug into a wet clutch motor.  ??? The couple conversions I've seen look like typical dry clutch bikes...it's obvious.

But...take your clutch cover off. If all the oil runs out then you have a wet clutch.  ;D

Full of shit.  You can take the cover off and let the oil run out if you need that kind of proof, but there is nothing wrong with wet clutches.  They work great and are less maintenance.  The dry ones do look and sound cool though.

Well... all the parts you list, if you go billet are going to total in near $500 anyway.

That angled cover is from an even older generation of monsters than your 750.

Well, an engine rebuild and a dry clutch swap aren't the same thing.  And if he did manage to install dry clutch parts in it.. they are no longer dry.  Your case/clutch cover has passages in it that allow the oil to circulate to the clutch - such is the construction of that piece, that you cannot seal the oil from the clutch.  It bolts over the clutch enclosure - to remove it you just undo the bolts around it's perimeter and yank.

The dry clutch side case has seals that sit behind the clutch basket and hub to seal in the oil.  To remove this case cover, you need to remove the whole clutch assembly then the perimeter bolts as te case cannot go past the clutch...

So even *if* he somehow used some dry clutch parts... they long since stopped being dry like you would see on a 900cc or larger Monster.  Unless the per previous owner did some whacky, here to fore, unseen modifications inside that case - you have a wet clutch bike.

You may wish to call the previous owner, and have him/her elaborate for you. 

well thanks for all the info

i'll try and find his card and call him.  he never did give me a second key like he said he would anyway.

make no mistake about it, magnesium parts are badfckinass.

please post a pic and we will be able to tell you for SURE if your clutch is wet or dry

but the consensus is that to convert it, you must spend much more money than it would cost to simply trade up to a dry model.

Yeah, i'd like to harken back to the magnesium part - that is super bling. Ultra lightweight parts in a cool, easy to recognize color get super points.

Being able to see spinny parts is neat, but not really an option on a wet clutch. I love the dry clutch, but would never think about converting a wet to a dry. Its a lot of work for a gain that, well, i wouldn't benefit from - i'm not quickly swapping fried clutches at the track between sessions or races.

Now - if you are into some cool spinning bling here's my suggestions: Rizoma or SpeedyMoto belt covers - replace the cam pulleys with VeeTwo or STM pulleys, and you can even get those anodized the color you want for the color bits.

Here's my bike on a really windy day: Ducati Monster 900 - M900 Clutch & Pulleys (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1PKxTl2b_M#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)

Sound cuts in and out because of huge gusts of wind. Almost sounds like the bike is about to die. Recorded in such stunning quality on my blackberry.

Hmm looks the same as stock only gold. Cheaper and wiser to just pull the stocker and have it powdered gold, and no one would be able to tell. Then you won't cry so much when you drop it.
IMHO, a horrible waste of money.

To the OP, sorry guy but your bike's a wet clutcher. Nothing wrong with a wet clutch, just no possibility for bling. It's sad though if bling's all you're after, Ducatis are great riding machines. On the bright side, the money you save from not blinging the clutch could be thrown into chroming the rims, neon, a tank flame job, and a park bench spoiler ;D

Tell you what is more impressive than a slick looking clutch?

Carbon Fiber wheels. You'll get an incredible handling machine AND they look incredible. Start saving now. Prices start at about $3k

really I want anti-bling.....

I want the bike to be all dark.  I HATE my silver cans and rearsets.  If I had the money I would bet a new exhaust and have the rearsets powdercoated flat black

I'll post pics later

well, a cf wheel isn't noticeable from a distance, it'll look black, and when its covered in brake dust, will just look like a dirty black wheel. performance gains will still be there though!

showing off a spinning clutch with billet parts would be the opposite of anti-bling though. Even if your parts are black. If its billet, its bling.

hi im an mv agusta mag SSS
 [bow_down]
(http://www.emotouk.com/mvagusta/magnesium/main1.jpg)

i'm also an mv agusta frame, and am mv agusta wheels.

...jealous, i am.

Day-am!

I bet if you set that MV on fire in Boston, you could see it in Lincoln, NE.   [laugh]

Pics of my bike up in another thread.

Definitely a wet clutch, dark model. Hence the single front disc brake, and the absence of clear coat. You also have Roadracing gauges which are pretty fancy and hard to come by, as well as triumph style headlights, (obviously you are aware of that).

Well, I just found the card of the guy who sold it to me.  I sent him an email.

I also just went and watched some videos on youtube (that one at the top of the page didn't work) and my clutch definately sounds like a dry clutch.

see my post in the other thread. my clutch "sounds dry" when i put my ear to it as well. If you are sure, then take the cover off and see what happens!!! post pics

So you have any other Duc riders in the area you could do a sound comparo with?  There's a number of things on a duc that make mechanical noises - the valve train puts a good bit of noise out - even more so if it's in need of adjustment.  Just wondering if you're hearing something else.. or hearing something wrong (hopefully not)

Please do this. Cause we'd love to see how this guy converted the bike to a dry clutch with a stock engine cover on a wet clutch bike.

I looked at your pics in the other thread.  That's a wet clutch, mang.  Sorry.

Also did you say it's a 97?  Cuz it's not.  No penis belt covers.  And no internal clutch slave cylinder.

No, it's a 99

Ah, sorry.

I have converted a wet to a dry clutch personally.  Check this pic and see if your bike bears any similarities in the clutch region to my own Cafe-Racer.

Also, PM me with more info and/or pics and we'll discuss and finally put this to rest.

(http://www.flightcycles.com/flightcycles/HotrodM750/Originals/Hotrod_3317.jpg)

Pics of the bike are in this thread

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=22276.msg395186#msg395186 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=22276.msg395186#msg395186)

why are you so sure its a dry clutch?

I still say he should just open it.

Even if he does have a dry clutch in there, there is no way bling the cover without chopping it first which will require it to be off the bike. And if he doesn't want to bling the clutch then there's not really any point in figuring out whether or not he actually has a dry clutch in there or not until he decides me needs new plates at which point he'll have to open to do the work anyway and then we'll get our answer. Note that if you do have a dry clutch in there, you might as well cut the cover anyway because that will keep you from having to change oil every time you change clutch packs.  [roll]

Taken the cover off yet?  Make sure you have some cat litter or saw dust ready. 

No.  No time, no extra oil. 

If I do take it off, will I need to replace the gasket/seal?

I'm also still waiting to hear from the previous owner, to see if he can shed any light on this mystery.

You will need to reseal.

No gasket.

By that he means the goopy gasket stuff. There is no factory gasket.

If you really want a paper gasket, you might be able to get one from CA-cycleworks.com. I don't remember if all the engines are the same but I know they have both sides (alternator side and clutch side) for the m900 engine. It's nice not having to deal with the goop.

I think the 750 side cover is different.

well perhaps I'll wait until next year then, when I'll be changing the oil anyway.

I really appreciate all of you guys helping me out though.

Any dry clutch owners in the twin cities want to meet up and I can compare the sound?

You say it sounds like a dry clutch. Have you heard a dry clutch before? I think it would be really hard to hear the sound since it does have a full cover on it. You can barely hear a dry clutch bike's clutch if they have the stock cover on.  I think you may just be hearing the valves.

The design of the clutch is basically the same and the only difference in the sound is that the wet clutch is quieter.  You definitely have a wet clutch.  Without a side cover that sits behind the clutch like this

(http://www.racingvincent.co.uk/04%20Photos%20-%20Restoration/4.15%20My%20Other%20Bikes/Italiian%20Bikes/Ducati%20Clutch/clutch%20fitting%2003.jpg)

you will have a wet clutch.

In order to fit a side cover like this to a 750 you will need some custom machined components, along with a bunch of other stock parts from a dry clutch setup.

We can't wait that long.  ;)

Ok, I get it.

I, almost undoubtedly, have a wet clutch.

That doesn't stop me from hoping though.  The previous owner did create some custom machined parts for the bike, so I don't think it's totally unreasonable to think maybe he did something crazy with the clutch.  He made a riser plate to raise the gauges up to clear the clip ons.  He also created pieces for the swing arm to mark for adjusting the rear axle.  I know these aren't hard to make, but they appear to be made with a cnc machine.  He was a machinist and is now a mechanical engineer.

So enough with the "dude, you have a wet clutch.  get over it."

If I have a wet clutch, so be it.

You do, and nice bike!  [thumbsup]   (just popped over to the other thread and looked @ the pics.)

Without the side cover I pictured above, you cannot have a dry clutch.  It is essential.  Without it, your clutch is sitting in oil.  Just ask Stu.

On a more positive note, your clutch will last longer, engage more smoothly, and have a lighter pull at the lever.

Also, you'll able be able to save any money you might have set aside for clutch 'bling' and put it towards putting a new rear spring and fork springs in matched to your weight, so the bike will feel better everywhere. Turns out, actually, that respringing is cheaper, and if you don't weigh right at (i believe) 160, kind of necessary to really enjoy your ride.