Clutch plates sticking together??

[phildo]

Good day all,
I recently put a new duccutters basket and Barnett clutch pack in my M1000.
I am very very pleased with the set up. The clutch sounds great and surprisingly has a much lighter smoother feel. Which doesn't really make any since to me, but cool...

The odd thing is: if the bike sits out for more than a few days the clutch plates stick together in a big way. First time I discovered this I was almost tossed from the bike. got home from vaca and fired her up, pulled the clutch kicked it in gear and got quite a rude welcoming home. I could not get the plates to break free. Had to pull the pack and peel them apart one at a time.

I have had a couple of other Barrnett packs and have always run an open cover and have never had this issue before. The plates do look slightly different from the last set, but appear to be the same material.
Anyone else run into this or have any idea how to prevent in the future?.
Bike just sat outside for a few days and plates are frozen up again ;-(

[Ddan]

If it's damp or humid mine will get pretty sticky after a few days, but not stuck.  Once I get going it's fine

[koko64]

How do the plates look different? Is the friction material reddish coloured or does it have that 'sintered', brake pad look about it.

Try the search for sticking clutch plates or somesuch. Others have experienced this, particularly with some friction plate materials (sintered?) to my memory. The metallic bits might rust together like some brake pads do to cast iron discs.

Have you tried the old stanby of putting the bike into gear with the engine off, pulling the clutch, and giving the bike a good rocking back and forth? Seems to work for alot of people.

Otherwise I would double check that you have the correct plates as far as friction material goes. Some say that plate order and exactly where you place the dished middle driven plate can make a big difference. In my experience the Ducati dry clutch is so simple that there is a fair degree of tolerance as long as the stack height is ok and the plates are generally in correct order of driven and friction plates.

But your problem is to do with the friction material being able to cope with moisture, so I would enquire with Barnett about that. They may suggest another plate option in regards to friction material.

Cheers.

[phildo]

Yes I tried the in gear and push method. Plates were too stuck for that to work. I pushed hard enough to skid the bike...they were stuck! it even took a little bit of effort to peel them apart individually.

Friction material is the red stuff. The difference is that the area between pads is bare metal not just a thinner area of the red stuff. It looks the same, but who knows if it really is.

Anyway, guess it's just being a Duc.
She usually lives in a heated storage unit and seems to like that just fine, but has protested in numerous ways when left out...even overnight.
It's really kind of funny. Certainly gives the bike some personality.

[koko64]

Sorry I'm not much help. Wow, that sure is stuck, I mean to skid the back wheel..

I would certainly make an enquiry with Barnett. There is potential for someone putting a bike through a garage wall. They would want customer feedback. I would enquire as to a friction material appropriate for an open clutch cover or if there is some issue with your particular plates.

Any chance of some pictures of your clutch plates or serial number of the kit?
FWIW in the meantime I would run the stock clutch cover and try to work something out with Barnett.

[Speeddog]

IIRC, there's someone else here that has had this issue.
Cant recall who, but maybe he was in Australia. 

Is it raining there?

Open clutch cover?

[He Man]

i had the same issue with my bike, i am up in NYC and i ended up giving the packs to El Matador who lives down in texas and hes had several thousand  trouble free miles on it.

On my hand, i would start the ike and it owuld pull the bike foward and then break apart, and if i wasnt holding on to the breaks the bike would creep foward even wit hthe clutch pulled in. I had to rev it up a few times and it would break free.

i run only Ducati packs now. its twice the price but they work.

[koko64]

Yes I tried the in gear and push method. Plates were too stuck for that to work. I pushed hard enough to skid the bike...they were stuck! it even took a little bit of effort to peel them apart individually.

Friction material is the red stuff. The difference is that the area between pads is bare metal not just a thinner area of the red stuff. It looks the same, but who knows if it really is.

Anyway, guess it's just being a Duc.
She usually lives in a heated storage unit and seems to like that just fine, but has protested in numerous ways when left out...even overnight.
It's really kind of funny. Certainly gives the bike some personality.

My kit is the Barnett 306-25-40002 (old #527-9M/#527-9MA). It has the red friction material but the material is all the way around the circumference of the friction plates. So the red stuff is also between the raised block sections. You said that your plates have bare metal between the blocks. Do these bare metal areas have signs of rust where they might stick to the steel driven plates?

[He Man]

I forgot to mention, i heard it was due to moisture. Im not sure who told me, but they said the Red stuff pretty much melts when water and the red stuff sticks together.

[koko64]

I've got some worn spare red plates. I'll do an experiment.

[koko64]

I got a red Barnett friction plate, lay it on a driven plate, added a spray of water. Got a stock plate ('95 steel friction with 'sintered' material), lay it on a driven plate, added a spray of water.

I left them for a few hours.

When I picked up the red plate, the driven plate was stuck to it, it fell off with a shake. There was a rusty reddish stain on the driven plate when I seperated them.

When I picked up the stocker, the driven plate was also stuck to it but fell off as I lifted it. It had left a dark grey colored stain on the driven plate.

I noticed that when the water dried later in the day as the temp increased, the stock plate let go of the driven plate whereas the red one kind of dried onto the driven plate.

Crude science indeed.

[Ducnial]

Barnett friction material is not water proof - period.   Water will dissolve the surface and cause them to stick to the metal plates.  Best method I've found to prevent this is to is run the pack to dry it. If it does get stuck and the clutch is open pull the clutch and put a small tool between disk tabs to pry them apart gently.

[phildo]

Sounds like others have had the same type issue with their Barrnett packs.
I'm in the Pacific Northwest so moisture is inevitable. If not direct rain the condensation is enough to soak pretty much everything.
I am running an open cover. But the bike, even when "left out" is under a car port. So no direct sustained rain on it.
Never had an issue like this with the other barrnetts but I did have issues with them wearing really fast. I do believe the less than water proof idea. Think I'll go back to Ducati plates next time.

I just pulled the clutch plates out over the weekend. It was only the first two or three plates that stuck together this time.
light rust on the metal plates and a red "ghost" where the friction plates stuck. Not that big of deal, just need to kow that this happens and take appropriate precautions.

It's just one of the many reasons I like to say "every Ducati should come with a Honda"
My 97 viffer is bullet proof and as reliable as the sun coming up.
But...It just doesn't "move" me like the Duc does, although it is the bike I ride 90% of the time.  [moto]