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Is overheating a common problem with 3 1/2 clutches when ridden hard?

A couple of us had this problem on the recent Motogiro d' Italia which resulted in poor gear selection. (Not healthy when faced with one hairpin after another...) Removing the clutch cover eliminated this.

Since returning to the UK and the lower temperatures the problem has since disappeared even after a hard 150 mile ride.

Thoughts please!

Mark

I commuted on my strada for many years and the clutch seemed to overheat quite often,why Morini chose this design when nearly every other manufacturer uses wet clutches is a mystery.

Recently come back from a weekend trip to Jersey and a couple of times after fighting through St Helier's awful traffic my riding pals would say 'what's that burning smell?' Yup twas my Strada! Finding 1st was a joke too.

Hi

I recently had this problem (I think it was) on my Camel. The clutch plates came out like they were melting! Maybe a mix of wrong cleaningstuff or some oil leaking caused this. On my 3 1/2 I never had this, not here in NL nor in the Alps for 60000 km's.

settebello wrote:Is overheating a common problem with 3 1/2 clutches when ridden hard?

Thoughts please!

Mark

Mine never gives any trouble now, even if held in at the lights for long periods. It used to be appaling!

First; Strip the clutch. A build up of dust will tend to make the clutch drag slightly and once it starts to drag it will get hot, expand and drag worse.

Second; check that ALL you plates (drive and friction) except the conical one are flat and true. Check the conical one isn't warped.

Third; Make sure that all the plates can slide freely on both the hub and in the basket.

Forth; Ignore the 15mm clearance instuction in the manual. Adjust the lever to give as much clearance as possible without fouling the outer cover. If the lever is worn where it contacts the push rod, build it up an re-finish it.

In my case I deburred the clutch basket, replaced the centre drum wich was badly ridged and threw a complete new set of plates at it. The result is as smooth as oiled silk. Don't beleive anyone who tells you that dry clutches are inherantly grabby.

Why a dry clutch? It keeps all that abrasive clutch dust out of the oil! I normally can't easily see the oil level, but you can on my 250 2C which has a wet clutch.