Clutch Balance

S

Sleepnfast

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are primary clutches balanced as a matched unit or can you mix and match parts as long as you line up x's ? I have a spider that needs changing .
 

they are kind of balanced
you should balance them if you mix parts. The cover doesn't affect much, everything else does.

From the factory, they are balanced somewhere close and by the looks, are only balanced by removing material from the back sheave, so it is doubtful they are dynamic balanced, only static.

I have a static balancer, like you do motorcylce tires or gears with. They work good if your careful but do take alot of time. Usually the cutches are 1-4 grams out. I have only done a few since I got it but you get the idea.

I have built two clutches from pieces and got them close just moving the spider in the moveable sheave to another slot, making the x not line up. The clutch on my apex was off and I brought it back with a washer under two cover bolts on the light side.

The balancers are not much and if you think you might ever do more than one, it is worth it.
 
i switched out a sliding half from a 95 to put our 02 vmax700 and i've also replaced a fixed sheave on my older SRX and have never had a problem and i did line up the X's when reassembling . each part is balanced but not as a unit when the sled is built. if that was the case then every time you made a change you would need to re-balance it. If i raced the sled and wanted every once of power then yes maybe i can see that being beneficial. Never heard of a dealer balancing clutches.
 
sgauthier said:
i switched out a sliding half from a 95 to put our 02 vmax700 and i've also replaced a fixed sheave on my older SRX and have never had a problem and i did line up the X's when reassembling . each part is balanced but not as a unit when the sled is built. if that was the case then every time you made a change you would need to re-balance it. If i raced the sled and wanted every once of power then yes maybe i can see that being beneficial. Never heard of a dealer balancing clutches.
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sorry but thats incorrect, they are indeed balanced as a unit, anytime you change out either the moving sheave, stationary sheave and spider, clutch spring cover you are to have it rebalanced. Its even stated in the yamaha service manuals to do so. They are staticly balanced the same way connecting rods are done in v8 engines, so you can get lucky and it be close enough that you can run it like your doing however it will take its toll out on the crankbearings later on as that imbalance is transferred to the crankbearings.
If you go into the yama tech update books they even show you the balance rig and where to drill the weight from the sheave to balance the clutch. The "x" is merely a referance mark to reassemble the clutch ONCE its been balanced, otherwise by turning the parts your would change the point of balance if theres a heavy and light spot on the sheaves,spider,etc. You also balance them without the clutch weights and springs.
 
I know very little about sleds but I do know from an automotive stand point that when you start to get things dialed in and run out of the " big gains " components to change, that alignment and proper matching and balance are where you start to scavenge your little gains . And the little gains all add up . Every drag car I ever had trouble beating had the attention to detail end of things well covered . I'm Thinking sleds are no different and when you talk about " getting away with it " Vs "fine tuning it " you're discussing two completely different issues . I'm just absorbing everything I can right now so thanks guys for the imput on both sides
 
BTV does the same jig work on the secondary ? I'm guessing as with everything mass produced the secondary could use some fine tuning .
 
yes, they do the secondary clutchs as well, and yes the same jig set up will work
 
mrviper700 said:
sorry but thats incorrect, they are indeed balanced as a unit, anytime you change out either the moving sheave, stationary sheave and spider, clutch spring cover you are to have it rebalanced. Its even stated in the yamaha service manuals to do so. They are staticly balanced the same way connecting rods are done in v8 engines, so you can get lucky and it be close enough that you can run it like your doing however it will take its toll out on the crankbearings later on as that imbalance is transferred to the crankbearings.
If you go into the yama tech update books they even show you the balance rig and where to drill the weight from the sheave to balance the clutch. The "x" is merely a referance mark to reassemble the clutch ONCE its been balanced, otherwise by turning the parts your would change the point of balance if theres a heavy and light spot on the sheaves,spider,etc. You also balance them without the clutch weights and springs.
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How would one go about getting access to the tech updates you mention?
Are they available here?
 
snomofo said:
How would one go about getting access to the tech updates you mention?
Are they available here?
Click to expand...

the tech updates are books issued to yamaha dealers annually on all product lines. you would need to be a yamaha dealer, have access to your dealers literature, or find a dealer that would order and sell you the correct update manual. yamaha corp did not like the dealers to offer these manuals to the general public, so that will be dealer dependant. you would be surprised at what you can learn from these tech updates pertaining to specific model issues, recalls, warranties, or even items that may be covered under warranty only if the customer brings up an issue and the dealer chooses to go to bat for the customer. very detailed inside information in these manuals.

if i recall correctly, yamaha started addressing the clutch balancing subject back around 2000 or 2001. seems like the static balance tool became available to the dealers at around this time, thats about when i got my balancing setup. like the books, yamaha doesnt seem to want the general public to have access to the specialty tools used by the dealers. yamaha supplies these tools to their dealers at discount prices to perform work by trained techs on yamaha products. yamaha offers extensive training and certification for techs serious about servicing yamaha machines. quite a program.

if your serious about the clutch info, i have that information on hand. it would be a copy and mail to you item.
 
if you know someone with a dynamic motorcycle tire balancer, I was told you can use these and get even closer than static. Keep in mind, the cover on a yamaha clutch does not center on it's own. There are ways to make it so it centers every time you remove it. So when balancing the clutch, make sure the cover is centered on the moveable sheave or it can throw off your balance. If you don't believe me, remove your spring and thread your cover bolts in just before they hold the cover tight, then move the two. You are going to be pissed they made it this loose, some worse than others but I have not found any yet that are tight.
 
Is the Yamaha balancing tool similar to the " Portable static balancer " on ebay ? Basically an axle with centering cones that rolls on bearings ?
 
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