Clutch

Took Mrs. out for a ride tonight. Took off briskly and let 'er rev. Have some clutch slippage, so probably time for a new one. I immediately think Barnett would be the way to go. Opinions?? Aftermarket? or is the factory Honda one up to snuff? I see by the parts schematic, it is a slipper style of sorts (way back in 84, whouda thunk?) Any other preventative parts replacement while I'm in there? 85 VF1000F with 51,000 k on the odometer

 

It may not be the clutch, pull and check the clutch push rod under the cylinder. They tend to get a bit of grit and rust on them and hang up a bit. I went through two clutches before I figured it out.

 

From experience, I'll tell ya that the Barnett clutch really is a great route to go. Installation is easy too, you just need to pull the right side lower off and the right side engine cover, and there it is! The only parts youll need are the full set of steel plates and friction plates for your clutch, the gasket for your right side engine cover, and since youre in there anyways, its generally recommended to replace the 5 springs in your pressure plate. One piece of advice though, go with the OEM strength of springs. I got the heavier springs and regret that decision every time I ride anymore.

 

Will be the first thing I check, thanks Jason J.

Chris 71, Mine doesn't have the conventional springs on the pressure plate. Just one diaphragm style spring.

 

what in the world kind of bike do you have that only has the diaphragm spring on it? ive never seen that on a honda, especially not a VFR.....ive seen it on my brothers 2004 Yamaha v-star though, and thankfully we found a conversion kit to actually remove the diaphragm spring and replace it with a proper pressure plate and 5 springs. you may want to check and see if such a conversion kit is available for your bike, too.

 

1984 Honda VF1000F Interceptor. go to hondapartsnation.com and look at the clutch schematic. It's a slipper style, which is now standard equipment on modern sportbikes. It works good, I can downshift at any speed and the rear wheel doesn't chatter. Honda had it 27 years ago, way ahead of the time.

 

man i wish i had a slipper on the old 87....it sounds like it'd make a world of difference.

 

From what I can see on the schematics, it was only offered on the 1000's

 

My apologies for misuse of terms. In the manual, it is described as a 1 way system, which allows half the friction discs to slip when the rear wheel begins to lock up. As for the timing I wasn't aware the others had it too. Thanks for pointing it out to me Tink. However, it does work.

 

I replaced mine with stock steels, frictions and the round conical spring. The stock parts are more than up to the task. I've always had noise, rattle at idle, from Barnett and other after market clutches. Though most worked good.