TOPIC:

Hello Torque59,

Herewith a copy and paste of a post of mine from a couple of months back that Kawboy was referring to.....

Would anyone know why Kawasaki changed the clutch plate configuration from the '79 - '81 models to the '82 model?

'79 - '81 model ....9 x friction plates and 8 x steel plates...... installed 1 x friction plate followed by 1 x steel plate consecutive
'82 onward .......7 x friction plates and 12 x steel plates...... installed 1 x friction plate followed by 2 x steel plates consecutive

I had issues with clutch drag on my '82 model. Was unable to select neutral when motor was running. Checked everything (well thought i did), cleaned burs on clutch hub, reset clutch etc a while ago. None of which made a difference.

Took the clutch apart again today and noticed that my steel plates were fractionally warped. Individually, they would pass off as "ok" as they all had less than 0.4mm (16 thou) warp, stated as the service limit in the manual on page 193 (although this measurement is for the friction plate, I'm assuming it would be the same for the steel plates as there is no mention of it). I placed all 12 steel plates together in a stack and pressed down on the stack. Well i had just on 2.0 mm (80 thou) of compression!
I pondered and then decided to try out the '79 - '81 clutch configuration using only 8 steel plates with the 9 friction plates. The 8 steel plates i selected reduced my "stack compression" value to a fraction above 1.0mm (40 thou).
I have since assembled all and taken the bike out for a hard work out. Clutch releases and engages smoothly, i have no clutch slip and I CAN NOW ENGAGE NEUTRAL whilst the bike is running!!!
So unless there was a serious reason for the change, I guess I'll leave it with the older clutch plate configuration and be happy that I have solved my particular problem.

builtonjim; I do find the clutch quite heavy and I have read / heard of the dramas of cables breaking and leaving you stranded. I certainly will be looking at Scotches modification of going hydraulic in the near future. I want to sort out the operational issues first before I put the icing on the cake as it were.

Craig; Thank you for your info. You have given me something to to think about. On the face of it I may go down the same path as you and fit the earlier pack. Is there a difference in the height between the two different clutch packs, if so does this make any difference when reassembling?
Thanks again.

On the subject of the clutch- you've adjusted EVERY place to adjust it, right? Because not only do you have the adjust on the clutch handle, AND the one on the cable right as it enters the crankcase, there's also the screw and locknut on the little lever behind the external shift mechanism cover. It's a dumb question, I admit- I bring it up only because I missed it the first time what I was playing with mine.

I also have to say something just because I think the clutch pull on the KZ1300 is all a matter of perspective. I also own a '76 Goldwing, and the clutch pull on that is BRUTAL. Now, don't get me wrong, it's still a solid gearbox- it's just not a buttery-smooth as the KZ1300 is. But I digress.

(Also, there are techniques to riding without a clutch cable. I busted one on my GL1000 about 50 miles from home and had to learn how to ride it back without a clutch. A good skill to have, regardless.)

I had an aftermarket clutch cable on mine, seemed ok for a while, got a bit stiff so I oiled it, smooth again, I watched the cable when I pulled the clutch lever in and noticed the whole outer cable sheath compressing, so went and found a proper OEM clutch cable and fitted that, problem solved, sometimes there is just no substitute for original equipment, plus the aftermarket one allowed rain into the cable and it would cause rust on the cable down the bottom just before it went into the case, just my experience, cheers Pete.

No apparent difference that I can recall, the older configuration went straight in with no problem or hassles. Have since done about 3500Km and all still smooth.....and the great thing....still no clutch drag and neutral location smooth and sweet

I know that this post is now moving away from my initial one on the bike running rich, but I didn't see the sense in starting a new thread. Apologies Bill.
I have had a chance to inspect everything in the clutch area and have found the following.

The friction plates are still all within spec, all be it not by too much, so will be replacing them as a matter of course.

When I inspected the steel plates I noticed that there was residue of some description stuck to the majority of them. On closer inspection I believe this to be from the friction plates. As the bike has been sitting for quite some time with out use the plates have become semi bonded to each other due to the spring pressure holding them together. When I started the bike and free-ed the clutch up this residue was left behind.

There was also some minor chattering marks on the hub , which I carefully filed down with a fine file. Clearance was well below spec tolerance.

My next concern was to see if there was any warp in the steel plates. I decided that I could attack this issue collectively. What I decided to do was to get a very flat smooth surface, in this case a nice bit of thick glass from a fish tank, and place a sheet of fine painters sand paper on it. I first wet the surface of the glass with some CRC which acted as a glue for the paper, then I got the steel disc and applying even pressure I gently rotated the plates over the sand paper, using CRC as a lubricant.

This then removed the residue build up and also highlighted any warp in the disc. See photos ( if they attach)

After cleaning all the discs up, I then sat them on the same flat surface and checked the warpage. Some were worse than others but nothing measured more than about 1 and a half thou so am happy enough with that.

I am still of two minds as to whether to stay with the original set up or be like Craig and revert back to the earlier model set up.