[Chicken Strip]

Done and resolved! The new Barnett spring was nice and flat, install went smoothly and the bike is now able to use Full Military Power. The first few times I get stuck in stop & go traffic I'm sure my hand will get a little tired but I'm not yet 40 and still in good shape. I like the peace of mind knowing that the clutch is clamped by the orange-and-black gorilla.

 

[Cobra Rider]

Done and resolved! The new Barnett spring was nice and flat, install went smoothly and the bike is now able to use Full Military Power. The first few times I get stuck in stop & go traffic I'm sure my hand will get a little tired but I'm not yet 40 and still in good shape. I like the peace of mind knowing that the clutch is clamped by the orange-and-black gorilla.
View attachment 461345

Adjustment went well as well? Glad it worked. Got my invoice and will be calling them. Thanks for the update, do appreciate it very much.

 

[Chicken Strip]

Adjustment with the good parts was a cakewalk. Exactly the same freeplay and friction zone as the OEM setup just now it needs more Popeye forearm at the lever. Good luck. Chance should take good care of you.

 

[Cobra Rider]

Adjustment with the good parts was a cakewalk. Exactly the same freeplay and friction zone as the OEM setup just now it needs more Popeye forearm at the lever. Good luck. Chance should take good care of you.

Cool. My dilemna now is that I'm 60, not as strong as I used to be. It works fine now but my concern is for how long since I'm always on the edge pushing it pretty hard. Hate to have to go through clutch packs regularly. I know with a more prominent spring in there, that issue will pretty much go away, but for how long can I deal with the pressure needed?
It's not all that hard to change them so I'm gonna do it.

 

[Cobra Rider]

Done and resolved! The new Barnett spring was nice and flat, install went smoothly and the bike is now able to use Full Military Power. The first few times I get stuck in stop & go traffic I'm sure my hand will get a little tired but I'm not yet 40 and still in good shape. I like the peace of mind knowing that the clutch is clamped by the orange-and-black gorilla.
View attachment 461345

Did you get the pressure plate and spring or did he just send you the spring??

 

[Chicken Strip]

I sent the whole thing back and got a whole new kit. Fresh spring and pressure plate... most importantly, another sticker to give to my 4-year-old. ;-)

 

[Chicken Strip]

One other thing Cobra Rider, Now that the clutch adjustment is exactly like the OEM in terms of freeplay and friction zone you could probably use an EZ-pull successfully. That warped spring was messing with your adjustment ability, I am almost certain of it. It really messed with mine.

 

[Cobra Rider]

One other thing Cobra Rider, Now that the clutch adjustment is exactly like the OEM in terms of freeplay and friction zone you could probably use an EZ-pull successfully. That warped spring was messing with your adjustment ability, I am almost certain of it. It really messed with mine.

Well, got the spring, I didn't get the plate because he sent it to me without return. Put it in, and for the life of me I can not get adjustment on it, no way, no how. Seriously fed up.

Lemme ask, did you put in the upgraded rack in yours or are you using the OEM one??

At this point, it's about the only thing left to give a try. But, at this point, I'm clueless what's going on with it. If I get release where it doesn't lurch like hell when I put it in gear, I'm slipping full throttle and there's no end play. I imagine if I put the pinion at the 30 degree angle I might could get release and adjustment barely but I'm frustrated as anyone can be.

If anyone else has any suggestions, feel free to throw them my way. Nothing looks or is out of place. Beginning to think Rylan was right, the steel plates are too big. But they work with the OEM pressure plate so I dunno.

 

[Chicken Strip]

Oh no! What a huge bummer! My rack is the older '05 version that is supposedly strong enough as-is for the Barnett spring. I don't know what to suggest other than another pressure plate & spring from Barnett... Here's a picture of my clutch arm angle... maybe this will help.
View attachment 465897

 

[Cobra Rider]

Oh no! What a huge bummer! My rack is the older '05 version that is supposedly strong enough as-is for the Barnett spring. I don't know what to suggest other than another pressure plate & spring from Barnett... Here's a picture of my clutch arm angle... maybe this will help.
View attachment 465897

Yep, same angle. Pulpit. I'll give them another call. I know it's thicker, but I wouldn't think this much. Just put the OEM spring and plate back in. Someone once told me of it ain't broke. But it was I'm just trying to upgrade while in there, time and time again. Lol. Can change that pressure plate in 20 minutes

 

[Vicbuilder]

I had to smile.
4 months later: "I'm beggining to think Rylan was right"
Did you ever take my 5 minute, no cost suggestion from months ago? When I explained that its not even the clutch you hear and that tightening the belt will help fix the rattle when releasing the clutch at low speeds?

 

[Cobra Rider]

I had to smile.
4 months later: "I'm beggining to think Rylan was right"
Did you ever take my 5 minute, no cost suggestion from months ago? When I explained that its not even the clutch you hear and that tightening the belt will help fix the rattle when releasing the clutch at low speeds?

Yes I have, that is pretty much the first thing I did. The belt is on the tight side of tolerance and I have the tension tool. I have changed tires as well since then. I didn't even bother to take it for any serious ride yesterday as I was slipping just going down the street or I had to hold the brake to keep it still. I can't get full adjustment from this layout.

The only suggestion you gave that I haven't done is your thought that the steel plates are too thick. You may indeed be correct there but I'm baffled why this pack works great with the OEM pressure plate and spring, but won't come close with the Barnett Billet one.

 

[nickr914]

Yes I have, that is pretty much the first thing I did. The belt is on the tight side of tolerance and I have the tension tool. I have changed tires as well since then. I didn't even bother to take it for any serious ride yesterday as I was slipping just going down the street or I had to hold the brake to keep it still. I can't get full adjustment from this layout.

The only suggestion you gave that I haven't done is your thought that the steel plates are too thick. You may indeed be correct there but I'm baffled why this pack works great with the OEM pressure plate and spring, but won't come close with the Barnett Billet one.

So, I changed my clutch out to the Barnett(purchased last year because it was squealing and chatters in 1st), lotsa banging, blah blah...
Took out old clutch, every steel was blued, my judder spring and plate were almost black and had rtv on it.... I didn't have new ones, so I cleaned old ones, I do not use silicone of any sort, so that rtv was most likely the dealer that replaced all of the parts in the tranny 2 weeks after I bought it...

Stock pressure plate, because of what you stated here.. I can't believe how much smoother it shifts, and so far, 2nd to first doesn't give me that horrible sound anymore....

 

[Cobra Rider]

So, I changed my clutch out to the Barnett(purchased last year because it was squealing and chatters in 1st), lotsa banging, blah blah...
Took out old clutch, every steel was blued, my judder spring and plate were almost black and had rtv on it.... I didn't have new ones, so I cleaned old ones, I do not use silicone of any sort, so that rtv was most likely the dealer that replaced all of the parts in the tranny 2 weeks after I bought it...

Stock pressure plate, because of what you stated here.. I can't believe how much smoother it shifts, and so far, 2nd to first doesn't give me that horrible sound anymore....

I'll probably just wind up running the stock pressure plate forever. Unless Barnett can come up with a solution. It works great the way it is so why fix something that ain't broke.

 

[nickr914]

I'll probably just wind up running the stock pressure plate forever. Unless Barnett can come up with a solution. It works great the way it is so why fix something that ain't broke.

Ya, and I don't see myself at 160 hp anytime soon..

 

[BrandonM7]

This is an interesting thread, and quite timely. I'm also having problems with my Barnett setup. Here is my current rundown:

Installed Barnett plates, pressure plate, and spring. My spring was RIDICULOUSLY hard. I'm 42 and in good shape - like I can do pull-ups until I get tired - this was bordering on unbearable. My dad couldn't even pull the lever in. I have a Vision, so I benefit from the help of hydraulics. I'm a competent mechanic and my father who helped did it for decades for a living. So we have reasonable mechanical knowledge and were fairly certain we hadn't screwed anything up, but we took it back apart and checked everything anyway. We followed the stacking directions in the service manual, and there was absolutely no creep/drag, so I don't believe there was any thickness issue causing binding resulting in such a hard lever. We noticed when installing it that it was MUCH harder than the factory spring we just took off - we also noticed what was mentioned earlier about the fingers of the spring being shorter and not engaging the retaining ring as well as the Vic spring, but it still seemed sufficient. So I took it to work (22mi round trip) to see if the spring would soften up. Nope. As I'm pulling into my driveway (with my forearm in a level of pain I don't believe it has been in before or since) something popped and I lost all go. Pulled it apart and the spring had broken its way out from behind the retaining ring.

So we double-checked everything again to make sure nothing was stacked wrong or too thick, all seemed well, so I just decided to put the stock spring and pressure plate back in. Changed the oil in case metal had gotten in there, replaced the ring because it was cracked, all good. Human level of lever effort again, engagement felt fantastic (my 43k mile Vic clutch had gotten kind of like on/off instead of a graceful engagement,) I'm pissed about money spent on the plate and spring, but happy I'm riding and happy with the plates.

204 miles later I crack the throttle wide in 6th at about 65mph, tach jumps to 5k and stays there as the bike catches up. In the remaining few miles of the ride I can easily make it slip with WOT in 4-6.

Bike is almost completely stock - timing wheel, top filter, k&n front filter, stage 1 exhaust - so maybe a couple Hp over stock. I also have an underdrive pulley but I think that would make it put less strain on the clutch. And I weigh 155lbs, so I'm not asking it to do anything excessive at all. I ride hard, but that shouldn't matter. The engagement point is very close to the bar so I feel it has to be fully engaging.

So I have about $400 worth of clutch parts, $200 worth of them just sitting in the box, and the other $200 already slipping after 200 miles. Barnett used to be awesome - I'd say I've used 20 of their sets of plates over the years and I'm probably low. But damn, I'm at $2/mi on this one and about to have to take this cover off for a fourth time. I guess I'll get to call this Chance guy and hope for the best. I doubt they'll give me my money back and I'm really not sure I want to put their stuff back in it. Having the clutch cover off (and pinching the bejeesus out of my finger thanks that dang stator magnet) four times within a single tank of gas does not instill much confidence.

 

[nickr914]

This is an interesting thread, and quite timely. I'm also having problems with my Barnett setup. Here is my current rundown:

Installed Barnett plates, pressure plate, and spring. My spring was RIDICULOUSLY hard. I'm 42 and in good shape - like I can do pull-ups until I get tired - this was bordering on unbearable. My dad couldn't even pull the lever in. I have a Vision, so I benefit from the help of hydraulics. I'm a competent mechanic and my father who helped did it for decades for a living. So we have reasonable mechanical knowledge and were fairly certain we hadn't screwed anything up, but we took it back apart and checked everything anyway. We followed the stacking directions in the service manual, and there was absolutely no creep/drag, so I don't believe there was any thickness issue causing binding resulting in such a hard lever. We noticed when installing it that it was MUCH harder than the factory spring we just took off - we also noticed what was mentioned earlier about the fingers of the spring being shorter and not engaging the retaining ring as well as the Vic spring, but it still seemed sufficient. So I took it to work (22mi round trip) to see if the spring would soften up. Nope. As I'm pulling into my driveway (with my forearm in a level of pain I don't believe it has been in before or since) something popped and I lost all go. Pulled it apart and the spring had broken its way out from behind the retaining ring.

So we double-checked everything again to make sure nothing was stacked wrong or too thick, all seemed well, so I just decided to put the stock spring and pressure plate back in. Changed the oil in case metal had gotten in there, replaced the ring because it was cracked, all good. Human level of lever effort again, engagement felt fantastic (my 43k mile Vic clutch had gotten kind of like on/off instead of a graceful engagement,) I'm pissed about money spent on the plate and spring, but happy I'm riding and happy with the plates.

204 miles later I crack the throttle wide in 6th at about 65mph, tach jumps to 5k and stays there as the bike catches up. In the remaining few miles of the ride I can easily make it slip with WOT in 4-6.

Bike is almost completely stock - timing wheel, top filter, k&n front filter, stage 1 exhaust - so maybe a couple Hp over stock. I also have an underdrive pulley but I think that would make it put less strain on the clutch. And I weigh 155lbs, so I'm not asking it to do anything excessive at all. I ride hard, but that shouldn't matter. The engagement point is very close to the bar so I feel it has to be fully engaging.

So I have about $400 worth of clutch parts, $200 worth of them just sitting in the box, and the other $200 already slipping after 200 miles. Barnett used to be awesome - I'd say I've used 20 of their sets of plates over the years and I'm probably low. But damn, I'm at $2/mi on this one and about to have to take this cover off for a fourth time. I guess I'll get to call this Chance guy and hope for the best. I doubt they'll give me my money back and I'm really not sure I want to put their stuff back in it. Having the clutch cover off (and pinching the bejeesus out of my finger thanks that dang stator magnet) four times within a single tank of gas does not instill much confidence.

Was the bearing ok?? My dumb ass made a puller, and accidentally turned the bearing the wrong way, I got for on it and it popped... I was like wtf, then noticed I was a ****in rushing idiot and wasn't paying attention, pressed the bearing back in, then I had to make sure I installed the arm properly, my marks ended up washed away by the oil....

You are hydraulic? Cause if you were cable I'd say fix your adjustment...

Reduce finger pinching... Plastic screwdriver/wedges..

 

[BrandonM7]

Yeah, with hydraulics nothing much to adjust. But even if I had a cable I'd consider it perfectly adjusted - no drag, starts engaging the perfect distance from the grip, fully engaged before the lever is completely released. If you adjusted a cable clutch you'd do it exactly like this and call it good. I changed the juice in the hydraulics and it was very nicely clean, everything looks great and moves as it should, all looks and feels good. I'm hoping dude will agree that there's some manufacturing defect and replace it, but I'll probably take it up the pipe - bought it two years ago and just haven't gotten to install it and put miles on it, plus I have no proof of how few miles I have on it or that I know what I'm doing. Hoping for the best, though. Like I said, I've used Barnett clutches for years and been super happy, this one is just something that isn't right.

 

[Cobra Rider]

Yeah, with hydraulics nothing much to adjust. But even if I had a cable I'd consider it perfectly adjusted - no drag, starts engaging the perfect distance from the grip, fully engaged before the lever is completely released. If you adjusted a cable clutch you'd do it exactly like this and call it good. I changed the juice in the hydraulics and it was very nicely clean, everything looks great and moves as it should, all looks and feels good. I'm hoping dude will agree that there's some manufacturing defect and replace it, but I'll probably take it up the pipe - bought it two years ago and just haven't gotten to install it and put miles on it, plus I have no proof of how few miles I have on it or that I know what I'm doing. Hoping for the best, though. Like I said, I've used Barnett clutches for years and been super happy, this one is just something that isn't right.

You probably already been asked this, and I mean no offense, what oil did you use? JASO?
Mine hasn't slipped and I have about 1k miles on the Barnett pack with the OEM friction. And trust me, I beat the living crap out of this thing, specially lately since I been doing some mods and testing.
I have a shifter ratchet and star gear coming in in a few days. Next week, likely, I'll be going back in there and doing the measurement of the stack that Chance wanted me to do. Once I get that and compare it to my OEM one (it was worn though), I'm going to do some figuring in my head on what the stack should be.
You're right, the retaining spring barely had it but I never put miles on it because I could never get it to adjust. That would have sucked the big one if I were out playing and it gave way. Would have been painful. Glad the bike isn't hurt but it is strange that it's slipping already. Did you leave enough room in the clutch reservoir for backwash to go? Just asking questions that I would ask anyone. Needs room otherwise it holds the clutch in some.

 

[BrandonM7]

You probably already been asked this, and I mean no offense, what oil did you use? JASO?
Mine hasn't slipped and I have about 1k miles on the Barnett pack with the OEM friction. And trust me, I beat the living crap out of this thing, specially lately since I been doing some mods and testing.
I have a shifter ratchet and star gear coming in in a few days. Next week, likely, I'll be going back in there and doing the measurement of the stack that Chance wanted me to do. Once I get that and compare it to my OEM one (it was worn though), I'm going to do some figuring in my head on what the stack should be.
You're right, the retaining spring barely had it but I never put miles on it because I could never get it to adjust. That would have sucked the big one if I were out playing and it gave way. Would have been painful. Glad the bike isn't hurt but it is strange that it's slipping already. Did you leave enough room in the clutch reservoir for backwash to go? Just asking questions that I would ask anyone. Needs room otherwise it holds the clutch in some.

None taken - I'd ask the same questions.

RotellaT, same oil I've used in every bike basically since they started making it. JASO MA/MA2 certified, as you know. Hydraulics are properly leveled and working great. I truly don't believe we messed anything up - that's always possible, but we multi-checked stuff and have both done this kind of stuff a lot, like many in this thread have seemed to. I think I just got some bad stuff. I bought this when barnett was being very quick to defend their tolerances and quality, which always raises red flags to me - most times I've seen a manufacturer volunteer info about their measurements and tolerances and qa process it's because they're terrified about some problems in those exact areas. I'm hoping they'll make it right, because I just had to buy tires too, hate to have to re-buy a clutch.