You can. Pop off the primary cover and you're mostly there. It can be a bit of a pain in the butt to reinstall the spring seat and retainer, but the tool is quite easy to use. First timer could probably do it in 2-3 hours.



See Post #21. It's the last four words of my quote, which you somehow managed to miss (or consciously ignore).

It is caused by the cyclical loading of the rivets due to clutch operation. This has 0% to do with shifting, and it has 0% with how you operate the clutch. If you pull the clutch, fast, slow, hard, soft, whatever. it causes a load in the spring plate. Do this enough times and the rivets fail. It's not an if; it's a when.

Be happy yours has not failed yet. It will. Maybe in 5k miles, maybe in 150k, who knows. But rest assured, it has nothing to do with whether you are a superior mechanic or rider to any of these other guys.

 

What is the procedure to pre-inspect for this failure?

I imagine remove the derby cover.
Do the clutch plates have to be removed?
I guess one looks for a groove in the clutch basket.
The brass rivets..are these on one or more of the clutch plates?
Does one look for a wear mark or looseness of the brass..how?
Any special tools?

Is this easy for a DIY inspection?
A DIY inspection instruction guide would be welcomed by me anyway.

 

Being semi-retired, most of my riding is rural/highway. If I'm not road tripping out of state, a typical "day" ride is ~300 miles across the state and back for a burger or whatever. Running ~150 miles between fill-ups and using the clutch only to stop and go for the refuel is not unusual. Of course, when I hit the twisties 2 or 3 times a year, the clutch sees a lot more action.

Because most of my mileage is highway, I went 50,150 miles on the original Spring Plate. When I pulled the clutch out the brass rivets were sloppy and worn, but had not broken yet. I got it just in time.

 

This type of failure can't really be inspected for (reasonably). It will go from 100% okay to ruined quickly. Just watch out for the symptoms as described in the sticky and if you see brass in your primary fluid it's toast.

 

Good Ol' Crust Bones. I love how you know so much about everything and everybody. You are the only person claiming this is rider problem and not a weak link in the chain.

You are the only person saying others have only just started to ride (35 years in the wind for me).

I have been in the active military for 27 years now and I have known more than a few guys like you. In combat zones they are called victoms of friendly fire. Also known as Blue Falcons. Buddy F*#kers. A$$holes. Know it alls.

Seeing that you know so much about everything and everybody, why don't you help us all out and post the next winning numbers of each state lottery so we can all just retire like you?

Additionally, please tell us more about this mythical friction zone you speak of. I am sure that you are the only rinder in the history of riders who has ever spent time in the friction zone. is it near the ozone? Or maybe more like the friend-zone.

I averaged 10k per year in Los Angeles on my Sporty so yeah. I too use the crap out of the friction zone.

At this point I guess I should respect my elders and just let your crazy old a$$ go on about how us young whipper snappers don't know how to shift or work a clutch. (At 44 I love being called young.)

So yes. I do feel sorry for you because you are the sole castaway living all by your lonesome on "Proper Clutch Island."

On a serious note: the cost of the stock clutch is twice that of the Screamin' Eagle clutch. Why? Maybe because rather than issuing a recall, the MoCo has made it cost prohibitive to replace the stock clutch with another stock clutch: therefore, riders who DID have a failure (No not you Crusty Bones) would go with a more cost effective route like SC, E-1, etc...

 

"Your lightbulb burnt out? My lightbulb didn't burn out. You just don't know how to flip the switch properly. Why is my light not bunt out yet? Because I know how to turn on the light without blowing the lightbulb unlike you. I also know how to properly screw in a lightbulb; therefore, your lightbulb burnt out because you either don't know how to go righty tighty lefty loosie or you don't know how to flip the switch like I do."

 

Cant see everything hes saying cause hes on my ignore list but yeah you nailed him. Ive seen many of his type. Ill give it to him though, most like him dont hang around long.

And yeah dusty, I aint been riding long. Heres a pic of my first bike, my dad built it for me in 1972, my mom made me wear a helmet Still havent seen a pic of your bike, still dont believe you own one. Your the epitome of an internet biker.......the only bike you have is on your computer.

 

It didn't burn out, he was born without one..........

 

I like having a spirited discourse with DB. Done it a couple times. He does have an opinion on this issue, but I don't see where driver input alone explains the numbers over on xlforum.net. Of all reports by rubbermount owners, close to 50% failure. Now, the sample size of rubber vs. rigid was a little different, but the data points were stable over time. Only about 4% failure rate on rigids.

DB's theory (driver caused damage) would predict the same failure rate, whatever engine design. The reported numbers say different. I think the 4% rigidmount failure rate might actually be those clutch burners, wheely poppers, shitty shifters who maybe do destroy their springplates. 4 out of 100 of us probably break our bikes that way. Seems reasonable to me. Not 50%. And, new bike owners have to take an MSF, where they teach you how to shift and use the friction zone. Us older bikers learned the old fashioned way. Crash and get back on. Repeat until you figure it out.

And, rigids are much older models than the rubbermounts, so they don't fail due to age. Something is wrong with those rubbermount springplates IMO. Or, the design of the rubbermount engine has affected it somehow.

John

 

At 44 and 35 years of riding with atleast 8 deployments at that many years, you been riding since you were 1. Cant ride on them year plus deployments. Even then, riding since you were 9. I dont count the little pocket bike years.

Im 40 and a retired 11B. I probably lost more friends than you got on staff duty, CQ, and in the MEB/PEB process combined right now. Yer damn right Im crusty. When I even catch a wiff of BS I tend to call it. So deal with it. You destroyed your clutch in 21K. Not Harley, and no, not every single stock clutch blows up, not even those nearing 100,000K. No matter how much you pitter patter on that keyboard, I will not believe you.

Oh and wtf are you doing online during duty hours? Lead by example. Show some integrity. You know, like you tell people all the time. It is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. You remind me of another military term. We called them douche bags.