Ducati Monster Forum

The clutch on my '98 ST2 is starting to groan (but not slip) on anything other than an easy launch. While have it open and apart, are there any minor upgrades that are worthwhile? Different material springs, Ti bolts, vented pressure plate, etc.?  I'm not interested in running an open clutch and not interested in bling -just cost-effective improvements.

Thanks!

stock springs are lighter than ss or ti I've heard

i think the big thing is a better basket to reduce the clatter

How many miles on the bike?

Likely needs a new set of plates and a new basket.
Barnett has a nice basket.

It's only got 24K miles on the clock.  Guess I'll see what I've got when I crack it open.

Looks like about $200 for plates and $300 for a basket. Yikes.

A good set of springs and plates will work. If your bike has a steel basket it could take steel plates. If you want to change to an alloy basket the NGR basket is a good price. I saw one in the parts for sale section for $160.

Firstly see how beat up it is in there.

Sometimes giving all the plates a good clean will stop the clutch groaning. I have had good results with Barnett springs assisting clutch engagement. A  flush of clutch fluid is a good practice every couple of years.

There's a washer under the hub retaining nut (has 6 cut-outs for the bolt towers in its OD).  If that washer is loose to the touch, you could need a new hub.  I've made shims out of large thin washers in the past as well as double stacked OE washers to help...

Best bang for the buck can sometimes be had in an entire used clutch from a later model bike.  Lots of slipper clutches get installed and the OE's go on ebay...

One of the nicest aluminum baskets is made by NGR.
New it is only $179

NGR Clutch Basket (http://motowheels.com/i-7185571-ngr-clutch-basket.html)

These guys supply Bimota and others.

Cool. Thanks for all the feedback.

Any thoughts/experience with the Spyder ring retainers (http://www.desmotimes.com/product10.htm (http://www.desmotimes.com/product10.htm)) versus the individual spring caps?

AFAIK that bit isn't worth the cash. Supposedly it evens out the spring force... but I think it's more snake oil than real issue. Also, it'll be heavier and prevent the use of some pressure plates like the ones from SpeedyMoto that cover the full height of the spring.

If your clutch plates and basket all need replacing why not opt for a EVR 48 Tooth Clutch Plate and Basket Kit?
I've been told these kits are more durable and make less noise than OEM parts.

http://www.bellissimoto.com/EVRClutchParts.html (http://www.bellissimoto.com/EVRClutchParts.html)

An interesting thought, but at $1600, it's almost half what I paid for the bike.  My Monster has a slipper and as I switch back and forth between the two bikes, I'm still undecided as to which I prefer -I'm leaning towards the non-slipper.

I have yet to tear into it, so we'll see what needs to be done soon...

I meant the non-slipper option also available at BelissiMoto. ;)
The kit is priced at a much more reasonable $474.95.

Ah. Thanks for pointing that out. I saw the price tag for the first item and missed everything else. That does seem likea good deal.

Now that it's starting to warm up in my garage, I'm about ready to tackle this. I figure I'll clean things up first and see how it goes. Are there any special tools needed for this operation?

the lithium grease mod apparantly works well.  if the clutch isn't slipping there's no point replacing anything so just make it work nice.

Take a scotch brite cookie to the steel plates and add a dished plate to the stack, installed the opposite way that the one that's already in there,  and the groan will stop.

Your local shop probably has a used clutch pack that will have a usable dished plate.

Finally got around to this; took the plates out and cleaned them per DP's advice. Other plates will need to be replaced soon, as they're fairly notched. Basket seems fine, though.

I did get some Corse Dynamics SS springs and keepers with Ti bolts to replace my nasty rusty ones. Ti bolts mostly because it wasn't that much more and I was curious how much (if any) lighter they actually were.

For those curious, the SS springs are 4g lighter (each) than stock and the Ti screws were negligible (no surprise).  The stock spring/cap/screw was 30g versus Corse Dynamics 20g; so 60g or approx. 2oz's lighter for the assembly.

Anyway, as a result of the cleaning and new springs, the clutch is a little quieter, lever pull is lighter and smoother and best of all, no more groan at launch (at least so far).

Thanks for all the feedback and advice.