Clutch in a Penton Flat tracker.

[ALB]

The reason the KTM push rods do not have a "top hat" on them is to reduce to the contact area to prevent friction. I have pulled the rods out of more than one engine where the ball was fused to the 2 rods.

On another engine when I removed the bearing plate, the rod came out with it. When I went to pull the rod out of the bearing plate, it would not come out. The end of the rod was "mushroomed" inside. How and why that happened - I have no idea. But it happens.

Fused rods to the ball or even the bolt on the pressure plate are indications of a lack of lubrication and most likely caused by the clutch cable being adjusted too tight without any free play in the clutch lever. This will cause the rods to be constantly pressing against the spinning pressure plate, thus creating friction, heat, then welding of the surfaces together.

Alan Buehner

[SouthRider]

The best system I have seen (and can't remember which brand - maybe a Husky) is with the top hat having needle bearings around the circumfrence.

I'm sure a savvy machinist could create that - but at what cost.....

I seem to remember that a properly dialed in KTM clutch with the bronze plates was just about bulletproof, and would take a TON of abuse. Like Al says - age is creating different types of problems than just wear.

[TedG]

quote:Originally posted by SouthRider

The best system I have seen (and can't remember which brand - maybe a Husky) is with the top hat having needle bearings around the circumfrence.

I'm sure a savvy machinist could create that - but at what cost.....

I seem to remember that a properly dialed in KTM clutch with the bronze plates was just about bulletproof, and would take a TON of abuse. Like Al says - age is creating different types of problems than just wear.

Almost all the new Japanese bikes are that way.
And for sure I am keeping my bronze plates just in case. They are some worn out motheroos. But a little regrooving and surfacing they could get called back to duty.
But for flat track duty the new plates should last forever. For sure the clutch releases much better than before and seems not to be slipping. Just wheelies in every gear.