[wessex_man]

Yes if you don't have about an egg cup full of oil in the primary chain case you will get rapid clutch wear. On my Model 8 after re corking forgot to put some in result less than 100 miles clutch slip and excessive wear. Once remedied and re-adjusted was fine.

[Davetom]

Plug the drain screw hole and put about 50ml of red ATF fluid in . Too much oil and the clutch slips, you're looking to just wet the chain and I suppose splash lubricate the plates. I had mine re-corked 2 years ago and once settled in they last well. I've done a couple of thousand miles on mine, using inverted levers,and the clutch is reliable with silent changes into first most of the time

[Steve_M90]

Thank you for the comments.

I don't think the clutch has been slipping, I was very careful to follow the instructions provided in response to an earlier post.

The chain case is enclosed and sealed but it does not contain any oil, thus it is not a bath. There is an inspection port (high up) and a drain (towards the rear) with no plug in it. Should this in fact be plugged and an oil level established?

As I said originally, I'm keen to maintain the cork if possible.

Thanks

Steve

[phutton]

It might be a silly question, but is your front chaincase an open type, or a full oil bath? I have never found rapid wear to be a problem with cork, although there is always some bedding-in with new inserts. If the clutch was slipping you would smell it!

P.

[shorrog]

Steve
Chris Odling suggests the modern Ferodo materials and there are quite a few folks that can bond to your clutch plates. You get more surface area and you can specify the thickness. Once bonded to the plates you need to cut some slots across the face.

Having said this cork was the original material and it should certainly last much more than 60 miles. Was your clutch slipping and that generated the wear?
Graham

[Steve_M90]

I have a Model 90 with cork discs as the friction material. I have replaced these, the work was done by Mike Chenery. Whilst I followed his advice on soaking the plates in automatic transmission fluid, I have been alarmed by how quickly they have worn - probably half the thickness has been lost in 60 miles (lots  of short journeys).

So, am I operating the bike badly and wearing the clutch unusually quickly or should I be moving to a more modern replacement material? I've tried to keep the bike as close as I can to the original but I really want to be able to ride it out on longer runs so a reliable and long lasting clutch is essential.

I have seen that some people have used rubber jointing type materials and some have moved to modern friction materials instead of the cork.

All suggestions welcome!

Thanks

Steve