OLd shovel needs better than stock plates. Guy is tired of the oil on plates and the jerk surge when engaged. Last i heard yrs ago was Kevlar plates were the top choice. ? Bike sits most of the time.
I like Barnett plates and have great experiences with them for over 40 years. Their part number 302-30-30005 is a set of wet or dry plates, friction material is carbon fiber.
(https://www.barnettclutches.com/prod_images/thumb/302-30-30005_th.jpg)
I've tried many different ones over the years Energy Ones are on top with V Twin next.
I had good luck with Alto clutch plates in my shovel.
I'm using Alto plates as well, and the clutch performance is quite nice. However, I don't think it has anything to do with the plates. Jerk and surge has more to do with the cluch shell flopping around. I think a Ramjett clutch retainer, a quality matched set of springs, and an aluminum pressure plate is the cure for jerk & surge. At least, in my humble opinion...
OR, give one of these a try if you can't spring for the Rivera Pro Clutch:
https://www.jpcycles.com/product/630-407/sifton-diaphragm-clutch-conversion-kit
-JW
Since it sits so much, would doing a little "burn in" on the clutch help? Put the front tire against a wall and slip the clutch for a few seconds, do that a couple times to clean them up a bit? An old practice to smoothe out the jerky engagement, especially on new clutches.
JW113 is spot on. It was called clutch walking. Been there, done both. Ramjett on a budget, Rivera ProClutch first choice, if still available.
:agree:
BDL also makes a nice shovel clutch.They call it the competitor.Similar to pro clutch but has coil springs.
Stock or modified engine?
If he is tired of the pulling and trying all the fixes, Put in a Rivera Pro they are available for under $500 and he'll wonder why he fought the stocker for so long. I have one in a 72 FLH that I fought for years with all the so called fixes that did not work at least 3x a season I was pulling stocker apart cleaning. 76shuvlinoff told me about the Rivera and I have Never looked back, Matter of fact I just looked at the Complete Stock setup yesterday in my Parts horde :SM:
Quote from: hogpipes1 on September 23, 2021, 10:32:01 AM
OLd shovel needs better than stock plates. Guy is tired of the oil on plates and the jerk surge when engaged. Last i heard yrs ago was Kevlar plates were the top choice. ? Bike sits most of the time.
Before you buy anything, I'd suggest looking at the clutch hub studs. They can get groves worn into them and the clutch plates will not move across the studs smoothly. That can cause clutch chatter and iritic engagement as well.
When I had my old hot-rod shovel, I had tried a bunch of different clutch setups. What I finally stuck with was the Phase 3 Competitor clutch shown on the bike in the first image. You can't buy that one anymore, but the Bandit Sportsman shown in the second pic on my RK is virtually identical to the Phase 3.
(https://i.imgur.com/s9YxcFU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jQIzSZq.jpg)
The Bandit is a true "one & done" setup. Both of these setups cure hard shifting/difficulty in finding neutral/clunk when shifting into 1st gear etc.etc.etc.
Both of these are expensive high performance options. It is not really necessary to go this route with a stock or slightly modified bike. I went through numerous options in the old days on my Panhead & many various Shovels that my buddies owned. The key to eliminating clutch drag was to make sure that the clutch plates moved out far enough with the lever pulled in, & that they all moved out evenly exactly the same distance so the pressure plate is not cocked one way or another. This is what options like the Ramjet retainer attempt to accomplish (& most of them work quite well).
Back in the day, before options like the ramjet existed, I would modify the stock 3 stud clutch hub to allow it to release the clutch stack evenly. I would drill out the rivets & install five equal studs in the stock hub.
~John
All of the old bikes clutches need a regular cleaning, particularly if it sits alot & the spring pressure makes a hydrostatic lock up if they aren't totally dry. I've had good luck with alto's, with a Ramm Jet retainer & stock pressure plate. The aluminum pressure plate are prone to coil bind the springs & you don't get full disengagement.
I put alto clutch plates in there probably 10 years ago ,plates are all rusted because it's sits Way too much. They're cleaned up now along with a ramjet retainer ring so we'll see how it works. Guy needs to ride more ,stop sitting around in the garage drinking beer all day.