Clutch Adjustment?

[Ivan]

Is there a way to adjust the point at which the clutch engages/disengages, in terms of the hand lever travel? 

My Monster and Aprilia are very similar, in that the clutch engages when the hand lever is almost all the way out.  On the 996, the clutch starts to engage immediately, while the lever is still way in close to the handgrip.  I can adapt, but I'd rather not have to, since I prefer the feel of the other two bikes. 

The PO of the 996 installed a Barnett clutch pack, and Evoluzione (28.5 mm) slave.  The other two bikes are stock.  Would this explain the difference?

[Howie]

An aftermarket slave with a bigger bore than what you have now will reduce effort and increase the friction point with a reduction of push rod travel , but not by much on your '07 since the bore is already pretty big compared to the older bikes.  Chances are the clutch pack stack height is slightly more on the 996, which would bring the friction point down lower.

[Bill in OKC]

I can adjust somewhat by using the lever's adjustment.  It is not great but when I swapped the clutch slave there was a similar problem.  I found a happy medium between engagement and lever position.

[Speeddog]

You could adjust the pushrod length shorter on your lever, that'll move the engagement point.

If you adjust it around a bit, just beware that if you go too *long* the piston will cover the bleed hole, and the master won't work properly.
Not such a big deal on a clutch, but on a brake it's very important.
You want a little freeplay at the lever before it actually starts moving the piston.

[Ivan]

An aftermarket slave with a bigger bore than what you have now will reduce effort and increase the friction point with a reduction of push rod travel , but not by much on your '07 since the bore is already pretty big compared to the older bikes.  Chances are the clutch pack stack height is slightly more on the 996, which would bring the friction point down lower.

My post wasn't clear.  I'm happy with the Monster, no issues with the effort at the lever using the stock slave.  Its the 996 that I want to change.  I'd like the 'friction zone' to be further out than it is.

I'll take a look at the number of plates in the clutch pack, and also see if there is any room for adjustment of the pushrod at the master cyl as Speeddog suggested. 

Thanks all.

[ScottRNelson]

You could always go back to a stock Ducati slave and maybe sell the Evoluzione slave.  I had an Evoluzione slave fail on my ST2 after the throwout bearing started to fail.  I replaced it with a stock unit and am happier with the engagement point even if it is slightly harder to pull the clutch.  In my case I would rather have an easier time finding neutral when stopped with the engine running than have an easier clutch pull.

You might even be able to find someone to just trade with.  A $175 Evoluzione slave for a $128 stock slave should be a pretty easy deal to make.

[Smokescreen]

You could go around slipping your clutch a bunch for a week or so, until you've worn down the plates?! 

Or....  If you put the plates in, you might want to see if there are any steel plates you can remove.  On the last Barnett I put in, I thought they had one more than was "necessary"..  Could be wrong here (SpeedDog?)
What I'm thinkin here is a shorter pack might engage later in release, more like your Monster

[Ivan]

Or....  If you put the plates in, you might want to see if there are any steel plates you can remove.  On the last Barnett I put in, I thought they had one more than was "necessary"..  Could be wrong here (SpeedDog?)
What I'm thinkin here is a shorter pack might engage later in release, more like your Monster

I'm hoping that the problem is as you describe, taking out an extra plate would be a simple fix.  If not, I'll probably switch back to the stock slave as Scott suggested.  I'll find out this W/E.

[Speeddog]

I don't think removing a plate will change the take-up point, or range, a noticeable amount, if at all.

But, I've never tried it.
It's a simple test, so IMO give it a shot.

Smaller diameter clutch slave will shrink the take-up range, and move it farther out at the lever, at the expense of a harder pull.