Clutch springs effect on clutch pull

[martman100]

Was riding with some friends at a local track this weekend and one of the guys pulled in my clutch lever on my 04 yz450 and was blown away on how stiff it was. I know the clutch is hard and have replaced the clutch cable, checked the routing, and nothing has helped. My arm gets tired very quick. One of the guys suggested the clutch springs had to be the culprit for how hard it was to pull. One guy suggested the basket was grooved but after riding it said the clutch was way too smooth for it to be grooved bad enough to make it that stiff.

So if it has an aftermarket clutch with heaver springs how much harder are they than OEM on average? Can I put oem springs in it without any problems? If not can someone explain why?

Thanks again, I am just tired of my left arm going away after the first 15 minutes of riding. And I thought it was just my weakness but everyone Saturday said they could not imagine trying to ride the bike for very long.

[grayracer513]

Try a set of OEM springs. Some of the aftermarket springs are ridiculously stiff by comparison. The original springs are cheap, and quick and easy to replace.

Your cable should be one that runs down the left down tube, past the left side of the cylinder and back to the arm, right?

[martman100]

Will try the oem springs for sure. And yes the cable runs on the shifter side of the cylinder and seems to have a very clean path. The cable is a brand new motion pro and I clean and lube with dry teflon.

I know alot of the aftermarket springs say 10% stronger than stock but a few guys said that is B.S. and more like 30 or 40% more. So I will give that a shot for sure.

Thanks.

[dubee]

Hey i have the same problem with my 02 426 it is really hard and like you said within the first fifteen of track ridin my left arm is feelin it baad. As a matter of fact i got a scare on my left hand from where i have got soo bad of blisters from the bang clutch.

A guy at my local shop mentioned springs too is there anyway to idintify if you have aftermarket or stock springs, i have mine out right now too.

Thanks, Dubee

[martman100]

I have no idea if you can tell if they are oem or aftermarket. I guess I am going to order mine since none of my local dealers/shops have any in stock.

Even one of my local shops said "You know most aftermarket are only 10% stronger than oem". Well if mine is only 10% stronger than I can't see how Yamaha ever sold any YZs back in the day because if I bought a new bike and my clutch felt like this I would take it back.

[brentn]

oem springs offer the best clutch pull, i'va also never ever had a slipping problem with oem springs or plates. They're excellent

[martman100]

That is what everyone else has said as well. I think it is amazing how after market clutch companies praise and brag about their clutch material yet they have always have stiffer springs, why is that? If the plate material is so good then shouldn't we have an easier pull.

[grayracer513]

Don't try to apply logic to marketing. ?

Why, heck, everybody knows a high performance clutch HAS to have stiffer springs... ?

[martman100]

Well I know it has been a few months but I finally got around to ordering my oem springs. Well the ones that were in there I believe were oem as the pull did not change at all. I am at a loss on this. The basket is not grooved from what I can see.

Here are a couple things I noticed:

1) The clutch basket is a darker black color and I think the oem is more of the aluminum color. The guy I bought it from said he thought it had a new hinson clutch or something as he put it as he only rode the bike 2 times in 3 years.

2)When I pulled the springs out I noticed that some of the springs were rubbing on the sidewalls. Is this normal? What else could contribute to a stiff clutch pull as I am confused as how my 04 450 would have a pull that much harder than someone else's.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. I am not interested in a hydro clutch as I like to keep it more simple. Basically is there anything internally to the clutch components that I should check?

Thanks

[4NIK8R]

Sounds like you may need to check your clutch cable again. Try cleaning it with a cable luber. Run brake cleaner thru it untill the liquid is clear. Cycle the clutch cable a few more times and repeat. Allow the cable to dry, or blow air thru it untill it is dry. Then thru the same cable luber squirt cable lube in it. Dry, wet either one works, graphite/teflon works the best (also the more expensive) You should be able to "toss" the cable thru the sheathing with no resistance. this is what you want. If your cable is giving you any resistance what so ever after you clean and lube it. You may have a bind/kink in it. If this is so, you may want to consider purchasing a new cable.

As mentioned above, routing the cable is a big part in your clutch pull tension

Good luck.

[martman100]

The cable only has one ride on it and is brand new. Is there a way I can eliminate the cable has being the problem from a troubleshooting standpoint?

I will double check the routing but is there a way I can do something to the clutch basket to see if something there is causing a drag?