when is clutch friction plate worn out

[greenrider]

Hi

 

 

Could somebody tell me when the clutch friction plate needs to be changed? And how important is it not to let it get below the recommended thickness?

I have 144000km on the bike which I put 33000km of them on since I bought the bike 3 years ago. The bike runs great but I don't know the history of the service done before so I'm doing a major service.

 

The bike is in many pieces right now so you might hear from me again with questions.

 

BMW R1100RT 1997

 

Thanks

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Greenrider

 

On your 1100 the clutch disk is technically worn out at 4.5mm thickness. Once it wears too thin the clutch can start to slip and or the rivets can wear into the clutch housing.

 

With some work & a little guessing you can remove the starter & work through the starter hole to get a fairly close estimation on clutch disk thickness.

 

[greenrider]

With Vernier it looks like I'm at .175" which is lower than 4.5mm.

I know this an poor question but generally how many km do they last.

where is a cost efective place to get them. Im in Ontario Canada

 

Thanks

[Jim Moore]

With Vernier it looks like I'm at .175" which is lower than 4.5mm.

I know this an poor question but generally how many km do they last.

where is a cost efective place to get them. Im in Ontario Canada

 

Thanks

Lots of folks get well over 100K miles with them.

 

As a note, there was a point in 1997 when all the part numbers were changed. I don't know for sure, but I think you might have to swap out the whole clutch pack instead of just the disk. If you decide to change it, make sure you understand what parts you have and what new parts you need.

[eddd]

Lots of folks get well over 100K miles with them.

 

 

My 1996 R1100RT was still well within specs at 175,000 miles when I took it out of service due to worn splines. Clutch wear is very dependent on how you use it, not miles/km. On a long trip you might let it out once as you hit the road on the way to the next gas stop. Now compare that to 200 miles of stop and go city traffic.

 

The thickness difference between new and worn is actually quite small so measure a couple of times to be sure of your measurements. With such a small difference between new and out of spec, it is obvious the clutch disk is quite robust.

[dirtrider]

With Vernier it looks like I'm at .175" which is lower than 4.5mm.

I know this an poor question but generally how many km do they last.

where is a cost efective place to get them. Im in Ontario Canada

 

Afternoon Greenrider

 

Seeing as you have a 1997 1100RT your clutch options are different.

 

There was a clutch package change on the 1100 in late 1997 (actually 12/97) so the currently available clutch disk won't work (or better put-- a good chance it won't work properly) in your pre 12/97 with the existing pressure plate.

 

I have seen used (slightly worn) later clutch disks work OK in the earlier bikes as the disk wear puts the thickness closer to the original disk thickness when new.

 

Clutch parts are very expensive for the BMW boxers so it can get costly in a big hurry if you install new parts from the BMW dealer.

 

There are some aftermarket disks available but those are usually special material that can cause chatter & other launch issues therefore (personally) I don't use & am not familiar with what's available.

 

My personal approach is to find good used parts & then mix & match until I end up with a reasonable priced clutch package that will fit & work.

 

Until you take it apart you really won't know what all you need in there so that is really the place to start.

 

Once you know what you need then you can start shopping for parts--

 

Beemer Boneyard is a good asset to help you with needed parts.

 

E-Bay is another (much cheaper) place to shop clutch parts BUT you really need to know what you are looking for & what will work with what before shopping there.

 

Or, if money is no object then your local BMW dealer can find you the matching parts that you need to get the job done.

 

 

 

[greenrider]

Thanks for the helpful information even though I haven't heard anything good that I wanted i to hear😕

 

So what would you do?

Drive till the bike stops then change out the complete clutch pack?

Or tear the bike apart and hope there's nothing else. Such as worn out spline. And fix it properly.

 

If I would only commute I would drive till it stops but it would sure mess up a trip if it happened on the road.

[dirtrider]

 

If I would only commute I would drive till it stops but it would sure mess up a trip if it happened on the road.

 

Afternoon Greenrider

 

That pretty well covers my feelings-

 

If you have some downtime this winter then that is a good time to tear into it. If you are going to keep riding it then you can probably wait a while but riding too long on a worn out disk can tear up the other clutch friction surfaces (assuming they aren't already worn & heat damaged)

[Guest Kakugo]

I don't even want to think how much the genuine BMW parts are, but the same clutch package is available through ZF-Sachs for about 370€ here.

If it's the same thing as with Hexhead bikes, ZF-Sachs is the OE manufacturer, so you are buying same or at very least very close quality for a fraction of the price.

[Jim Moore]

Thanks for the helpful information even though I haven't heard anything good that I wanted i to hear😕

 

So what would you do?

Drive till the bike stops then change out the complete clutch pack?

Or tear the bike apart and hope there's nothing else. Such as worn out spline. And fix it properly.

 

If I would only commute I would drive till it stops but it would sure mess up a trip if it happened on the road.

I don't think that will happen. It's a pretty benign failure. Your clutch starts to slip in high gear at full power. You take it a little easier until you get home, then change it out.

[dirtrider]

I don't think that will happen. It's a pretty benign failure. Your clutch starts to slip in high gear at full power. You take it a little easier until you get home, then change it out.

 

Evening Jim

 

OR-- he could be climbing a long hill riding 2 up & the clutch could turn to smoke like my friends did. That cost me a 400 mile round trip with my truck & trailer.

[Boomer343]

Try these folks out of the UK. When I bought my parts they were the most cost effective and quick ship. Didn't even get dinged duties which seems to happen with US shipments. They also have used parts. They answer emails quick and don't BS about back ordered parts.

 

https://www.motorworks.co.uk/vlive/Home/index.php

 

 

[eddd]

Thanks for the helpful information even though I haven't heard anything good that I wanted i to hear😕

 

So what would you do?

Drive till the bike stops then change out the complete clutch pack?

Or tear the bike apart and hope there's nothing else. Such as worn out spline. And fix it properly.

 

If I would only commute I would drive till it stops but it would sure mess up a trip if it happened on the road.

I don't think that will happen. It's a pretty benign failure. Your clutch starts to slip in high gear at full power. You take it a little easier until you get home, then change it out.

 

Agree.

[Jim Moore]

I don't think that will happen. It's a pretty benign failure. Your clutch starts to slip in high gear at full power. You take it a little easier until you get home, then change it out.

 

Evening Jim

 

OR-- he could be climbing a long hill riding 2 up & the clutch could turn to smoke like my friends did. That cost me a 400 mile round trip with my truck & trailer.

 

Yikes! I've never heard of that.

[kalali]

The OP says the bike runs great so why bother. Load up the bike with a passenger and pick a nice long hill and start climbing in high gear. That'll help you decide your next steps. Clutch replacement is not part of scheduled maintenance.

[eddd]

I don't think that will happen. It's a pretty benign failure. Your clutch starts to slip in high gear at full power. You take it a little easier until you get home, then change it out.

 

Evening Jim

 

OR-- he could be climbing a long hill riding 2 up & the clutch could turn to smoke like my friends did. That cost me a 400 mile round trip with my truck & trailer.

 

Yikes! I've never heard of that.

 

You've never heard of it because it is exceeding rare and was most likely preceded by warning signs that were ignored or went unrecognized.

 

You can go broke or crazy trying to anticipate and address every possible problem that you might experience.

 

A motorcycle clutch, wet or dry, is not likely to have a sudden and catastrophic failure when is is being used in the normal manner.

[Mark C]

I have a thick good one if interested, and spring plate.

Mark

[mrduck]

 

 

This is what a fried clutch disc (on the left) looks like. No need to measure this one!

 

 

And for some slightly entertaining reading.....

Fried Clutch!

 

My repair worked, did this totally seat of the pants (no manual) after reading everything I could find here. Can't thank this site and the smart dudes here enough

 

 

Don J

 

[Selden]

Congratulations, Don. I went through this 3 years ago. After the first 24 hours, I thought I had made a terrible mistake:

 

 

Thanks to the community wisdom, I got through it, and approaching 120,000 miles, my old R1100RT seems to be running better than ever.

[Guest Kakugo]

Congratulations, Don. I went through this 3 years ago. After the first 24 hours, I thought I had made a terrible mistake:

 

 

 

More or less what my brother and I thought when we got to this point: