2006 Suzuki LT-R450 burnt clutch - What to do?

[S1NCORP]

Sorry if this is posted to the wrong forum but I figured it would be a good idea to ask for advice from people with dirt bike knowledge.

So the story goes - I just bought an LT-R450 2006, the previous owner had told me he had just had the bike serviced and had "new" clutch installed and that oil & filter were both fresh and ready to ride. Had only taken the bike out for a quick test ride up the road then bike sat in shed for a week.

Week later - I finally get to take the bike up to Ahipara for some duning and noticed that there wasnt much freeplay in the clutch lever, so I adjust it and it seems ok but I notice its easy to stall if you don't crack the throttle open (I initially put this down to clutch fade and thought nothing of it).

I come hard over a sharp peaking dune and belly hard on the crest. I started to rock the quad back and forth while trying to feather the clutch and try grab some traction to get off the dune but I only had the throttle cracked for a second. I manage to get off the dune but only get 50m or so then boom I feel it - insane clutch slippage. I check inside the transmission filler cap and I immediately see (and smell) I've burnt through the clutch...

Now my clutch fiber & steel plates, hub, pressure plate, basket and small outer clutch cover are coated in a smokey burnt (coke coloured) oily residue. One of the fibre plates has split into 3 pieces and there is almost no fibre pads left on the drive plates.

I have access to a fully stocked workshop and the workshop/service manual available, but I am still a bit of a novice when it comes to fixing bikes.

What I am wanting to know is what steps should I be taking to rectify the problem now? Is there anything I can do to remove the burnt oil/clutch residue from the clutch parts or are they toast...? Does anyone have any recommendation on what to flush the transmission with?

I have been reluctant to take it to a bike mechanic just yet as I would rather try and sort the issue myself at home, I can order in a complete clutch rebuild kit etc. But I would like to hear from anyone else who has had similar problems with burning a wet clutch, and how they went about fixing it or how much it cost to get repaired professionally.

Would really appreciate some assistance on this.

[gwynfryn]

Why not contact the previous owner and see if you can approach whoever did the work?

[S1NCORP]

Previous owner has conveniently moved down to South Island and I've lost contact...

Not looking to play the blame game though, just really eager to get this all sorted - or at least get pointed in the right direction so the job is started ASAP. I know it was silly to just go off the previous owners advice and just naively believe that what he said was done to the bike "was done", but I was really hanging to ride as its the first time I've been able to get out and ride for over a year now.

[noobi]

They may have been telling the truth, and simply been a muppet when they put it together. You should soak new clutch plates for a day or so in gear oil. Otherwise they will never be properly lubricated, and when you start loading them up and they burn out quickly.

They unbroken plates can be reused if they aren't to stuffed, but they will never be as good as new.

I would just replaced the whole lot, an aftermarket kit will be fine, but genuine is usually better. Fibres and steels, maybe springs too.

[ktm84mxc]

Motorbike wet clutches are nothing to fear, just take your time and take photo's as you go during dis assembly , check the clutch basket for wear and grooves. I'd be replacing both the steels and fibers just for peace of mind, check the thrust bearing behind the basket you'll need a rattle gun. New oil and filter good to go.

[S1NCORP]

They may have been telling the truth, and simply been a muppet when they put it together. You should soak new clutch plates for a day or so in gear oil. Otherwise they will never be properly lubricated, and when you start loading them up and they burn out quickly.

They unbroken plates can be reused if they aren't to stuffed, but they will never be as good as new.

I would just replaced the whole lot, an aftermarket kit will be fine, but genuine is usually better. Fibres and steels, maybe springs too.

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah im going to order in a replacement rebuild kit which includes all the fibres, steel plates, and springs kit also but what about the condition of the pressure plate? It looks pretty dirty (smokey) to me as does the clutch hub and basket and I am concerned the clutch burning may have smoked further into the tranny as well. Is there anything I should or should not be using to flush and clean those parts? Would I have to remove the clutch side casing to clean out the inside?

If this was a standard clutch replacement this would all be a cinch and I'd have it done overnight, but Im not sure what I should be using to clean these dirty parts before I attempt a rebuild.

[S1NCORP]

This is what the pressure plate looks like now I know it looks pretty bad and I am really wondering if this is recoverable/servicable or will it definetely need to be replaced.

[ktm84mxc]

You shouldn't need to split the cases just soak the clutch hub in kero and give it a good clean, most gearbox's run in a bath of oil so will be ok.

[cheese]

Wow what kind of oil was in it. Yeah replace the plates fibres and steel (don't get ali ones) and new springs. I got heavier weight ones when I did my clutch on my CR. Make sure the clutch basket doesn't have notches in it. Make sure you do a few oil flushes too to make sure you get all that gunk out.

[S1NCORP]

Cheers for the advice guys, the discolouration of the pressure plate and hub were really concerning to me but I'll strip down the clutch and remove the basket to get it cleaned back up with a bit of kero (fingers crossed it works). I ran my fingers around and visually inspected all the grooves on the basket and they all seem to be smooth with no notches.

So a bit of a cleanup, a few oil flushes, and a clutch rebuild kit and hopefully I'll be back out slaying it by next weekend.

This clutch really had me worried as apart from the clutch burning out this bike ran better than I could have hoped for - seems to have far more power and is a lot more stable platform than my past 07 YFZ450. My YFZ even had more mods (K&N filter, airbox lid modified, baffle out, re-jetted carb) and this LTR feels like it would fly past it with ease.