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Villiers Clutch


teamferret
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As far as I am aware the gearbox mainshaft has to be shortened to fit a different clutch so no returning to the original.

VS also have friction plates for the Villiers clutch which use more modern materials well as lighter springs, I have these fitted to my bike along with the 17t engine sprocket and chain tensioner, the clutch works very well.

Edited by trialsrfun
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It's a 31A with a challenger top end. the clutch if fine but stiff. I tried softer springs but then i got clutch slip in the higher gears. it wouldn't be an issue, but I have a dislocated shoulder so can't develop much power with my left hand. I converted the triumph twin engine to hydraulic but technically that's against the rules. You can have a 2017 Drayton Bantam but a simple clutch mod is not allowed.

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2 minutes ago, teamferret said:

It's a 31A with a challenger top end. the clutch if fine but stiff. I tried softer springs but then i got clutch slip in the higher gears. it wouldn't be an issue, but I have a dislocated shoulder so can't develop much power with my left hand. I converted the triumph twin engine to hydraulic but technically that's against the rules. You can have a 2017 Drayton Bantam but a simple clutch mod is not allowed.

Ah, OK - I was thinking maybe 6/7/8E, in which case the 9E conversion from Paul Powell at Cotton Villiers Spares is the answer. Can't help with the 31A motor, sorry !

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16 hours ago, ruffmutt said:

I have 3 Villiers engines, an 8E with Albion gearbox, a 6E with 3speed box and a 9E with wide ratio 4 speed all fitted with standard 9E clutches that work fine. Why fix something that isn,t broke?.

They never troubled Dave Bickers or Brian Stonebridge and umpteen thousand other users including Don Smith. 

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Villiers clutches all tended to suffer from the clutch basket fingers becoming ridged, a simple matter of cleaning off with a file....except that increased slightly the amount of movement from clutch plate tang to contacting the basket finger so the wear came back after time. Before you go spending money on a clutch from another machine manufacturer have a closer look at the Villiers clutch. Either clean all the working surfaces of wear and witness marks, do a back to back clutch spring test ( two springs in a vice with a large washer between the two, wind in the vice so that both springs are compressed by approx half and measure each, the spring that is compressed the most is weak, do this for all the springs and decide if you want to invest a few pounds in new items. The clutch forks should be nice and healthy protruding evenly either side of holder plate, if not the clutch will be harder than normal in action. Check all flat surfaces for distortion and ensure the clutch cable is relatively friction free and running a not too torturous route from bar lever to operating lever at the transmission. Experiment with bar lever position for both your hands reach and feel when stood up on the pegs and when seated, a compromise setting may have to be arrived at. Consider potentially longer or lengthening the clutch lever(s). Just by fitting a different clutch will not necessarily overcome your physical weakness in a particular area, in fact it might make matters worse. Would you be allowed to run with a Japanese clutch? Have you looked at the clutch lightener that goes between the cable and clutch lever, offered by some specialists. Maybe telephone Villiers Services for a more direct answer or solution??

Edited by section swept
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19 hours ago, teamferret said:

It's a 31A with a challenger top end. the clutch if fine but stiff. I tried softer springs but then i got clutch slip in the higher gears. it wouldn't be an issue, but I have a dislocated shoulder so can't develop much power with my left hand. I converted the triumph twin engine to hydraulic but technically that's against the rules. You can have a 2017 Drayton Bantam but a simple clutch mod is not allowed.

The Villiers 31a was I think often fitted into small cars and has two large springs in the clutch centre, these work well in a trials bike if set up as section swept suggests. When fitted to cars the clutch might have had Capasco plates which are entirely made from friction material even the tabs but you can use the steel plates from it with the modern friction plates sold by VS.

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I use the standard clutch except for the basket which is banded but only because it was on my scrambler for a while.

I hear what you are saying about stonebridge and smith, but they didn't have to compete against trick Bantams and they had talent

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Back in the day, when we used steel ball end levers, I noticed that they were not all to the same design.   Some had the nipple to pivot distance of 1 inch, but I had some that were 3/4 and some even less.   So you could try a lever with a smaller pivot distance, to give you a lighter clutch.   

Also the cables are nearly always nylon lined these days, so that could reduce the friction even more.

.

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