PD: Primary Drive Comet Clutch Basket Disintegrated

[Trickymicky]

A ride on the Comet today, while the BTH on a twin has gone back for repair ended in disappointment when the clutch started playing up. The picture tells all. I'm lucky the broken bit stayed where it was i suppose. Is this a known issue, and is a Honda clutch the way forward ?. All that silicone is not the norm, but the inner is distorted from a previous repair and needs must.Thanks.

 

[A Nut]

Hi there,
Yes this is a known issue. In the past people have welded (brazed) a ring on to the outside to stop the clutch basket from doing this but it's a bit late for this. Burman knew about this in the day and altered the design to incorporate a solid band drum with bars spot welded inside the drum but they also changed the design of the friction plate to go along with it. The VOC Spares Company now sell a drum of this later type and also the later type friction plates. You will be able to use all of your other existing parts (plain steel plates, clutch hub, cups, springs, etc.) I haven't checked the prices but it will probably be cheaper than a Honda conversion. Incidentally, Series A singles incorporated a thin steel "cup" which went over the outside of the drum which stopped this happening. This was bolted up to the sprocket and incorporated shock absorber rubbers instead of being riveted. Brian Werrett (Joint Series A Section Organizer)

 

[A Nut]

Hi again,
I have just looked up the parts on the spares website. The pictures show a clutch basket and friction plates like your present ones but the Spares Company only keep the later type of basket/sprocket I described. AJS/Matchless used the type as supplied now by the Spares company on the larger capacity bikes both singles and twins. I have bikes fitted with both the Burman clutch and Honda clutch and find the Burman clutch lighter in operation. If all the other parts are still serviceable you could remove the rivets, repair the drum by welding, fabricate a band of some sort and braze in position then rivet the drum onto the sprocket. I have been playing around with the clutch on a 1959Ttriumph Thunderbird this afternoon and Triumph had the sense to incorporate a band (a fairly substantial one) around the outside of the drum. If you ring me on Friday morning we can discuss how to proceed. 01453 842707. Brian.

 

[erik]

My friend made a ring on his watercutting machine.I think it would be easy to make an other one! ERik