I rode over 160 miles today and it was nice! Now the bike has over 9560 miles...soonly will do fluid changes. I am debating just doing the clutch replacement at the same time. I have almost all the parts gathered now. Energy One clutch kit on the way, manual on order, and all gaskets and seals on hand. Will grab oil when I go to pick up my manual.

I mean, why wait since I have to drop the oil anyway and I have the parts on hand.

Here is one from the road traveled today....

 

How long the spring plate lasts is directly related to the type of riding you do, typically ranging from 15,000 - 50,000+ miles.
Ride in a lot of city, stop & go, traffic, expect it to be on the low end.
Ride mostly rural roads or highways, expect it to be on the high end.

Yes, if your hard on the bike expect things to break more often, but typical spring plate life is directly related to how much the clutch is used per miles traveled, with the average spring plate lasting ~30,000 miles.

Given your described habits and "maturity", I wouldn't worry about it until your approaching 25K miles, and that should be generously on the safe side.

 

I guess you could say I do 2/3rds of my riding in stop and go traffic. The rest is on the open road (like the last 2 days...I put over 350 miles on). So, when I have all the parts I will do it and do my 10,000 mile service at the same time. Then it will be done!

Well, I did get stuck behind an old fart today......10-20 miles below the posted speed limit and the brake lights never seemed to go off (yano....one foot on the gas and the other on the brake pedal kinda guy) so I was going up and down thru the gears just to keep from lugging. I couldn't pass him....I was #5 in a line of traffic behind him.....(don'tcha just love it?) and it was a twisty road so no passing....Not that it should be driven that slow...

 

I concur with Charley ... no need to replace good stuff. Just keep the parts you've already bought until you need them.

 

If you guys are going to do your Clutches you should go ahead and replace the POS Stator/ voltage regulator & Starter all at the same time, with-in 15,000 miles I had both my starter & stator go bad.


ALso I think the energy 1 kit comes with a new spring plate,,


it is a slightly stiffer clutch pull, but this is a high performance clutch, it grips & engages rather strongly, which is a good thing in my book.


I don't understand why you all would bother doing the work yourselves, unless your a mechanic by trade.. It's just not worth the frustration of trying to figure out on my own and this is a cheap job at a shop, even at a high rate shop the labor costs to do all that work should be under $400. I could just see myself trying to loosen that clutch nut at 250 foot pounds, I'd probably end up knocking the bike off the jack,, I don't do anything more than brake Pads & fluid changes.

 

In March of last year I traded in a 2009 XL883C with 22K miles on it, no issues whatsoever.

I just picked up a 1981 Honda CB900 Custom for cheap as a backup bike from Hellbenders HD in Marietta, Ga. last week. It has what appears to be the exact same spring plate as part of the clutch pack from the factory. Honda calls it a damper plate. The bike appears to have been reasonably well maintained and ridden. It's now 33 years old and still working fine.

Do I pop wheelies or do burn outs with my bikes, or try to defy the laws of physics by seeing how many parts I can scrape while cornering at insane speeds? Or "ride it like I stole it"? No.

So big surprise, same technology that holds up in a Honda for 33 years and counting is somehow an example of HD installing a bomb in their Sportster engines according to some on this forum. Go figure...

 

Some of us enjoy working on our bikes as much as we do simply riding them. Using those mechanical skills provides a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

 

The proof is in the pudding as they say....

I have seen enuff pics of the clutch coming out in pieces along with the stories that I am erring on the side of caution. If/when it goes, it can cause more damage than if I take it out before it grenades.

My bike my money spent. I now have the parts and will do the job within the next 2 years at the pace I am putting on miles. Like I said, I am a licensed airline mechanic and I am used to replacing parts BEFORE THEY FAIL. Goes with the trade....in the aviation field they are called NOTAMs (notice to airmen) when a defect is found in a part on any given aircraft. They outline repairs/inspections needed. After over 25 years working on them, I can't change my ways.....

I just read thru the whole thread on the clutch replacement again...I had forgotten that I asked the same question in that thread. Also, I see that one had the rivets come out and chew up the basket at only 15,000 miles. I will hit 12,000 or more before the end of the season so I may be doing it sooner rather than later.

 

40 k miles on my 2012 XLC, still the original clutch, still the original stator.

The only stuff that recently went south is the rear fuel injector, I let my indy change both injectors and I'm back on the road.

 

I agree with Hogie, I would rather replace mine before it goes. Not that I'm made of money but 125-175 and have piece of mind that it won't bite me later. I'm good with that expense, hell i've spent more on shiney parts on more than 1 occasion that didn't improve the bikes preformance.
This past weekend spent $23 on new rocker cover gaskets since my front started leaking and only have 15k on my bike. i love to spin a wrench and on more than one occasion i've helped strangers/people i barely know do ugly jobs just cuz i like to do it and can learn. This gasket job was great since it was something my 14yr old son could help with and we got to spend 2hrs together doing it. those times are getting fewer and fewer as time goes on.