G'day Fellas.
A friend is picking up an EVO next week and asked if ATF is OK in the primary as he had heard that it can strip the coating off the stator wires. I haven't heard this I just use Castrol Active 4T in mine.
Cheers

 

It will work fine.

It doesn`t matter what type (Dexron, Mercon), but I would avoid the modern low viscosity ATF.

 

Will not do harm, but kind of yes and no answer on using aft in the primary.

The no part, is primary will be less noisy with conventional 10-40 oil in it.
The yes part, about every 5th primary fluid change,will use ATF in the primary for about 1Kmiles, to flush out all the old clutch dust and such that will not come out with normal 10-40 oil changes in the primary, then swap back to 10-40 conventional to quiet down the primary for the last 4K before next three hole change (kind of, since only change the trans 75-90 gear lube one a year).

As for evo, would help to know what year and type, since if new to me, and it has the spring plate in the clutch, clutch is coming apart to check the condition of it/ it going to get replaced at the same time, so I can start the clock on a new one (I change them out every 30K since only about $30, before they come apart and do about $500 worth of damage to the clutch basket and clutch ).

 

G'day Dano.
It's a 93 FXDWG, I don't know which clutch it has but I'm certainly going to check my 1988 FXST clutch next change.
Cheers

 

The stock FLDWG had a spring plate 12, and most of the bikes up to 1997 have spring plates as well with the oem clutch
Note, some have had good luck running extra plate kits without spring plate on lighter bikes, but did not have the same luck with Barrett extra plate kit on a road king with cam, where hard lanches just had the clutch chattering too much instead. Hence spring plate allow more leverage distance on the lever to begin with for easier clutch use, and acts like a jutter spring to keep the clutch from chattering on lock up as well.


So spring compression tool needed to pull the clutch apart,

And on a new used bike to someone, would be pulling the primary cover to check primary chain adjustment, and would be pulling the clutch to check it and the spring plate as well.

Also, with clutch out of the basket, great time to get the rear tire up, put the trans in 3, then spin the rear tire to turn the inner clutch hub, to make sure that outer clutch basket is staying close to stationary, and not front edge dipping wildly in and out due to either bad clutch basket bearing, or center hub start spines damage, and it no longer running true with trans input shaft.

Hence 9 above is what mates up to the trans input shaft to run true with it, and if the bearing 16 is cooked, or it not seated tram to socket channel in 10 , that as the center hub is being spun with trans, front face of 10 will not stay stationary, but front edge start dipping in and out instead.
Note, clutch hub bearing will allow a touch of in and out on clutch basket as inner hub is spun, but if your talking more than say 1/8" in and out, then got problems that need to be dealt with.

As for center hub 9 not tram with shaft hug to run true with tans input shaft, will be looking for damage to it like this that is not allowing such,



As for if OEM friction discs are about worn out, but steel discs are still good/no amount of heat bluing from being over heated, have had good luck with the Alto organic friction disc that go for around $60 a set (J&P Cycle), to bring the clutch back up to OEM standards. Or if spring plate is starting to lose some of its brass rivets and grooved two of the friction disc only that is before and after the spring disc (no damage to the clutch hubs yet from free broken rivets in the hubs), then about $6 each if you just need to replace two friction discs alone when you replace the spring plate 12.

And always LMAO when I watch this video, since spring plate is puking the broken rivets out at 2:40, and the village idiot puts the loose broken heads brass rivets back in, isntead of ripping the spring disc out (and any parts of the broken rivets and parts) to replace it there and then.
Hence no follow up a few weeks later to the video if bike was riden this way, where he will be replacing the entire clutch hub assembly as the rivets and internal clips of the spring plate just groove the hell out of the the clutch hub basket and hub spines to take it out.

 

I use ATF F in my 94 softail. It’s seems to help a little getting into neutral.

 

Yes Evo's, 18 years of atf in the same bike same stator. Energy One refers trick shift atf when installing one of their clutches. Car transmissions have had wires/solenoids inside for a long time, didn't read about it either.

 

There are even aftermarket solution that don’t work with regular oil. The manufacturer even says “Only ATF”

 

G'day Fellas.
Dano, thanks for that. I too laughed at the video. I didn't notice anything wrong with mine last time I had it out.
Stroisi, makes sense lighter oil = less stiction of the plates.
Bagger, I mentioned to mate about auto trans having electrics.
R2m, I use ATF in my BSA primary, the only reason not in my softy is it leaks (previous owner phucked the lower cover screw hole & thread)
Cheers

 

I run ATF in my big twins.