Topic: Welded clutch basket. Anyone done it? Or anyone wish they had?

[JLeather]

Wondering if anyone has ever failed a clutch basket, or if anyone here has ever had one welded up before as a precaution.  Any pics, tips, or reasons not to?

[Raef]

Not sure what your welding, but in the dirt bikes especially, the plates cut notches in the basket fingers eventually not allowing the disks to compress under load. you can get away with filing the notches smooth once or twice before replacing the basket

Mark

[BLUE71TURBO]

On clutch baskets you weld the rivets. 

[JLeather]

The filing/smoothing of the clutch hub is already covered.  What I'm talking about is if anyone here has welded the fingers of the basket where they're riveted to the hub itself.  Either around the rivets, or around the fingers themselves, or if that's really not necessary.

Blue71, did you do anything to the clutch basket on your turbo bike?

[BLUE71TURBO]

 A friend of mine welded the rivets on my clutch basket. Also mine is out of a Goldwing. From what i can remember it's suposed to be stronger and uses an extra clutch plate/disc. I'll have to ask him, it's only been 30 YEARS !!! 

[MRieck]

I'm sure the welding has to do with primary gear movement. The baskets are steel....they don't fail.

[JLeather]

I'm gonna be running a set of M3's primary rubbers for the main gears.  I thought I had read/heard about people who managed to twist the clutch fingers off the basket by breaking the rivets.  Maybe I'm crazy or something?

[Tom]

i have this one out of a big bore RC engine welded up cushdrive in the clutch hub, its for my Rickman with mags with a cush drive in the rear hub, the Rickman wire wheels have no cush drive and this makes for a clunky gearchange and eventually a buggered hub
TC

[bear]

We run 120+ HP@RW motors through a 6" car tyre, and while we do run GL clutches now we have never had a problem with the SOHC baskets.
Not a fan of welding the cushdrives, it puts to much stress on the drive train right down the line and can cause all sorts of problems.
We use heavy duty rubbers and replace them regularly.

Cheers,
Brian

[Ricky_Racer]

Hi, Brian.  I've been following this thread.  Where do you find the heavy-duty rubbers?  Thanks.  RR

[BLUE71TURBO]

Hi, Brian.  I've been following this thread.  Where do you find the heavy-duty rubbers?  Thanks.  RR

  At the liquor store !!  I use MAGNUMS of course. 

[scottly]

I thought a welded basket referred to a band of steel on the outside of the basket fingers, as reinforcement for said fingers, not a welded hub? 

[bear]

Hi, Brian.  I've been following this thread.  Where do you find the heavy-duty rubbers?  Thanks.  RR

G'day Rick,

I'm shore Mark @ M3 supplies HD rubbers.

We stuffed around experimenting with a heap of different compounds.
It's a frustrating process, to hard and they fracture, to soft and they just fall apart.
We buy the compound we run now in meter lengths from a bloke called Mick De-With, then machine them to size.
Mick was building Hy-Vo motors here in Aus. long before Rex Wolfenden.
I don't think the compound we use would be suitable in a road going motor.
They would be to harsh on the drive chain.

Cheers,
Brian

[Ricky_Racer]

Magnums! I get finger cots for a buck per 100!!! 

Thanks for the response, Brian. Yeah, getting the right SHOR on the rubber is the difficulty. Mark makes a good race rubber but I was looking for something closer to OEM. I've heard of some being made in Germany, but they're pure Unobtainium.     RR

[voxonda]

Unless you are a member of their club. I've managed to get hold of these rubbers thanks to one of the members. It is a set complete with rivets.

Rob

[kos]

Hi, Brian.  I've been following this thread.  Where do you find the heavy-duty rubbers?  Thanks.  RR

I have heavy duty primary drive  cushions.

mark@m3racing.com

[turboguzzi]

I thought a welded basket referred to a band of steel on the outside of the basket fingers, as reinforcement for said fingers, not a welded hub? 

Thought the same..... my 500 though doesnt look like it needs it, how about basket finger's ring in 750's?

TG

[voxonda]

The 750 already has a ring around the basket, and is made of steel so strong enough.

[scottly]

Is the ring welded to every basket finger, or is it only welded to a few fingers?

[bear]

Wondering if anyone has ever failed a clutch basket, or if anyone here has ever had one welded up before as a precaution.  Any pics, tips, or reasons not to?

Not required.
If breaking baskets was ever going to be an issue we would have broken one by now.
Cush drives are whole other matter.

Cheers,
Brian

[JLeather]

When I started this thread I was in fact talking about welding the clutch basket where the fingers are attached to the cush drive part.  I thought I had heard of someone shearing off the OEM rivets at that point and recommending having it welded, but perhaps it was a different site/bike I'm thinking of.  Seems no one has had this problem even on pretty big motors, so I guess we'll see what happens.  I did pick up a set of Mark's new HD rubbers for mine, although I haven't yet installed them.

[bear]

When I started this thread I was in fact talking about welding the clutch basket where the fingers are attached to the cush drive part.  I thought I had heard of someone shearing off the OEM rivets at that point and recommending having it welded, but perhaps it was a different site/bike I'm thinking of.  Seems no one has had this problem even on pretty big motors, so I guess we'll see what happens.  I did pick up a set of Mark's new HD rubbers for mine, although I haven't yet installed them.

Sohc Honda clutches do not have the cush drive as an integral part of the clutch, they are separate units.
You may be thinking of the early GS/GSX Suzuki's, they had a habit of tearing up clutches on big motors.

Cheers,
Brian