Went out for a ride yesterday as it was 70 degrees... then heading home last night it was hail and rain mix.... oh the joy... any concerns about that clutch cover being semi open and getting moisture into them clutch springs and plates?
nope
Really? I heard tales of plates sticking together and what not. Glad not to have to worry. Although it has a 3/4 moon carbon fiber cover... not a lot of room for rain.
IF it was sitting out in the rain, cold - then yes you'd experience some plate stick for a little bit. But it would go away.
Riding into some rain, even a lot won't really do didly. The heat of the engine combined with the centripetal force from the spin of the clutch keep it nice and dry on the plate faces.
I rode 60 miles in a down pour with an even more open clutch than you and had no issues
Quote from: ryandalling on March 25, 2010, 07:22:15 AM
Really? I heard tales of plates sticking together and what not. Glad not to have to worry. Although it has a 3/4 moon carbon fiber cover... not a lot of room for rain.
It can be a problem if you wash the bike and then don't start it up to blow some of that water out of the clutch. The plates can stick together when you try to start it next time, but they loosen up pretty fast. It's not a problem if you're riding in the rain though. The engine and clutch are warm enough and they keep moving.
If you don't have SS springs, they can rust if they get wet, but that'll often happen whether you ride in the rain or not.
as spidey said. if you get it wet and dont let it dry out by starting the bike. the plates will get stuck and your bike will lurch foward while holding the cluch in for the first few miles and eventually free up.
if you have Barnett red friction plates....well ive found that even with the clutch fully in and you ramming the bike foward, it wont free up. They litterally melt and fuse in the rain and it takes a while for them to break apart.
OEM FTW