June 12, 201511 yr Author Basically it applies to all bikes that have a poor finish on the tabs. I did it to my 2013 and my buddy's 2014. It's worth pulling the clutch pack and having a look at the tabs and the space between the friction pads.
June 14, 201511 yr Author The spacers are..... still coming. They were supposed to be here Friday. I wait with baited breath. Kind of a disgusting phrase that.
June 14, 201511 yr Author It occurred to me today that the calculated clutch preload is probably a bit different with the two thick friction plates on the new bikes. Anybody got one of them plates and a caliper handy? I gave mine away. Actually I gave my whole 2013 clutch pack away.
June 20, 201511 yr Author IKB replica washers installed. Now to just ride the beast and see what it's like.
June 20, 201511 yr Just thought I would mention something simple that often improves the clutch on many bikes both cable and hydraulically operated. It often eases drag, making the bike easier to get into gear especially when cold and gives a less grabby clutch / softer engagement. Take the plates out and put them back in so all the friction faces work on a different surface to which they did previously. Also make sure all the friction plates are turned round so the side that faced the gearbox now faces outwards. Leave plain plates same way round as they were. Why this works I do not know, sometimes it cures a poor clutch completely, sometimes it makes very little difference.
June 29, 201511 yr Hi, So what is the verdict on the Surflex friction plates? I've just spent 3 hours cleaning my stock plates up only to find that one of the friction plates has snapped!! It's the first time I've taken the plates out so I have no idea how long it's been like that. I'm tempted to finish the clean up and put them back in...It's a 2001 and they may well be the original plates. Pretty much all of the friction plates are filled with glue on both sides between the pads.. terrible production. If the Surflex plates address the glue and tab issues then I'll splash for a set.
June 29, 201511 yr Surflex plates still have the glue between the friction material. The tabs on the ones I bought were better than stock so I just knocked off the odd high spot. I fitted new steels at the same time. Applying the fix to my stock clutch made little difference, there was probably something else wrong, after the surflex replacements the clutch works properly.
June 29, 201511 yr Author Hi Al, I've got a couple spare fibers in the garage I could send you one. Are you in the states?
June 30, 201511 yr That's very kind of you to offer Dan but I'm in the UK. Thanks very much though. I've only got two plates to go so I'm going to finish them and risk it. I'm sure it'll be fine.........
June 30, 201511 yr Thanks a bunch to Dan for sending me a set of the super trick spacers! I installed them last week, and rode for 5-6 hours. Clutch is like a dream! VERY light clutch lever pull. (I had previously removed glue and polished the tabs) I had previously installed washers. This is dramatically better. We'll see how these are long term. Right now, the clutch grabs like it should in all gears EXCEPT 6th. If I'm in high, and floor it, it WILL slip. I just simply won't do that. If I ease into it and roll it up, it's fine. BTW, mine is a 2011 Beta Evo 250. I highly recommend these. Bike feels 15lbs lighter because it's so easy to pull the clutch! Reminds me of my son's beta 80! Thanks again Dan! Picture is of stock, washer, new super-fly-trick-space-age-spacer.
July 1, 201511 yr Another happy customer! Damn was that a mind-numbing task! Tbh, I only did it out of interest but I'm quite happy with the results. The clutch definitely feels less grabby - I'm terrible for snatching and jerking around slow corners so maybe that'll help a little There's no clutch drag when the bike is in gear and the engine is running - still drags when the engine is off but the bike wasn't fully warm The big differences, although not critical but sooo nice, is that I can now snick it into neutral as easy as pie. Gear changes feel a lot nicer too. Probably won't make a world of difference at my very novice level but I can already tell that the bike will be nicer to live with. Just being able to roll it back without having to find neutral and being able to select neutral and rest without stopping the engine will be great! Thanks Dan. Edit - haven't removed the 2 springs or put washers in to adjust the preload but it already feels lighter because it's much smoother to operate. Edited July 1, 201511 yr by al_orange
July 1, 201511 yr Author Great. It makes a load of difference at novice level. You can now feather the clutch and work throttle and clutch against back brake for really fine control. That's where the lower preload on the springs pays off in less fatigue at the end of the day. It may slip a little in sixth but nobody is scoring you when you're in sixth.
September 18, 201510 yr I dont like this mod when I need to attack something. ..the clutch action is too slow to fully engage under high load
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