I'm gonna stop by a dealer next week and see if I can get my hands on the seats in question, to see if they match up...
Just a couple days ago, I made an order from Boardtracker... I meant to add a couple seats on the order, for the discount and my order qualified for free shipping.... Of course I forgot. I was going to add them to my order this morning, but I got a shipping notice before I could add them... Guess I shouldn't complain about fast shipping...
A common complaint from 2017/18 owners is the clutch feel. Many are annoyed with the clutch engagement which takes place right at the beginning of the hand lever action, furthermost from the grip.
Some have bought the adjustable Oberon hand lever or had their OEM lever bent so that the clutch is not engaged/disengaged until mid swing of the hand lever or closer to the grip anyway.
One of the changes for 2019 was a new Spring Damper Seat. This seat is basically just a big metal ring that sits against the pressure plate that properly spaces a damper spring between itself and the clutch pack.
The spring and seat together do mechanical stuff, not getting into it.
2017/18 bikes came with damper seat part number: 37000036. 2019 bikes came with a new damper seat part number : 37000295 ($12.60).
So... long story short, I changed the seat on my 2017. Very happy to report that it worked wonderfully.
When you consider the full movement of the hand lever, it always either engaged or disengaged the clutch right at the end of the action (furthermost away from the grip).
Now it is almost dead center of the range. It feels like a pre-2017 clutch now. Like "Normal".
If you're going to ask if the clutch engagement/disengagement range is now wider... it feels that way, but I think it probably has more to do with it being closer to the grip and thus more controllable than being actually wider. Dunno.
If you're going to ask if the little clutch/shift feedback is still felt in the lever when you shift, Yes, still there.
Pic below that will probably mean nothing to most people but allows me to show off my counter tops again.
The ring to the left is the new Damper Seat which is thicker than the original seat on the right by maybe a few thousands. Not much. Made a big difference though.
So if you're on the fence about buying a 100 dollar lever or whatever to address this issue, maybe give the damper seat a try first - it's an option anyway and only cost a few dollars.
You do have to remove the primary cover and disassemble the clutch but it's pretty simple to do all that. I didn't even replace the primary cover gasket for like the 8th time. Those things last forever...
Anyway, hope this helps somebody...
I am going to buy the new part today. Just curious though, how did you come to discover this little tidbit of knowledge?
Does this lighten the clutch lever pull any? I kind of like the engagement point on my King. makes upshifts and quick down shifts easy. But the stiff lever pull is what bothers me when it comes to fine control of the clutch.
Does this lighten the clutch lever pull any? I kind of like the engagement point on my King. makes upshifts and quick down shifts easy. But the stiff lever pull is what bothers me when it comes to fine control of the clutch.
Unfortunately I don't think it lightens the pull any, but it certainly adds to the fine control some with it being closer to the grip.
I don't have the largest hands so as it came I had to do all that fine control with the tips of my fingers which was something I had to focus on.
Quick shifts are still "ok", but you have to (should) pull in a little further than before. I don't mind the trade off.
I found the damper seat info on another thread, although I forget who it was I should give credit to. I just wanted to tell everyone that it actually worked.
I guess I’m in the minority as I really like the clutch engagement on my 17. I no longer notice the pulsing in the lever either, or it’s magically gone away.
10-11-2018, 09:28 PM
