1100 Sport

[Guzzidad]

    I'm really excited to get this bike back on the road. I've owned it since 1998 and I bought it with 3,000 miles on it. Since then I've put 120,000 miles on her. But I parked her 14 years ago because the transmission started jumping out of 2nd gear. Fast forward, I have rebuilt the trans. and a whole bunch of other stuff and she is leak free and runs great. But, when it gets hot, the clutch drags, making shifting difficult and finding neutral almost impossible. I seem to remember some conversation about crankshaft lateral movement, but that was a long time ago. That could explain why the clutch drags if the crank is migrating towards the rear and pushing the fly wheel toward the clutch plates. Anyone remember this and if there was a solution?

[voncrump]

Did you replace the clutch plates?
I did on my 1100 sport 6 years ago and since fitting sureflex plates I have found it to be difficult to adjust.
I adjust it when it’s hot and it tightens up all the cable clearance when it cools down.
I know it is probably loading the release bearing but it’s only until a bit of heat gets into the plates.
They must swell when warm or the cable lengthens when warm.
I didn’t have this problem with the original plates, they just fell to bits instead.
Cheers, voncrump

[wirespokes]

I had the same problem with the Sureflex plates in my T3. I never tried adjusting when hot - and don't believe that would have made a difference in my case. The clutch would release, but was like a switch - on or off. No feathering possible.

[voncrump]

I had the same problem with the Sureflex plates in my T3. I never tried adjusting when hot - and don't believe that would have made a difference in my case. The clutch would release, but was like a switch - on or off. No feathering possible.

My clutch takes up very early in the lever release but it is a smooth take up.
I thought I was doing the right thing with the sureflex plates because they had bonded linings and solid centres.
My originals dropped the rivets out and broke The flexible centre in one.
Still got me home though.

[wirespokes]

Hate being the bearer of bad news, but Pete Roper says the sureflex splines aren't a good match for the input shaft and will wear it out.

[pete roper]

By the time of the Sports the plates were all deep spline. It was the earlier, shallow spline ones that were prone to flogging out their centres.

Look. Lots of other folks at least as experienced as me have stated that the Surflex plates are super grabby. While I can't ever remember that being a particular problem when I used them I'm more than willing to bow to other people's experience.

As for the adjustment? Sport 'C's are prick of a thing because there is so little room behind the screw and locknut adjuster on the actuating arm. The swingarm is in ridiculously close proximity and, from memory, there is some sort of hideous cross-brace that also gets in the way. Then the arm itself tries to biff on something and preload the thrust bearing if you wind the adjuster in too far!

You need to get the arm back as far as you can without it fouling and preloading the bearing and the. Adjust the cable free play with the top and bottom cable adjusters. If everything, and I mean everything, is spot on it should work.

Also don't forget that of there are any tight bends in the cable it will be all for naught as when the cable gets warm the outer will collapse using uptravel when the lever is pulled.

Bloody Sport 'C's. One of the loveliest looking bikes ever to come out of Mandello and one of the most problem plagued, poorly designed shitheaps at the same time!

Pete