CLUTCH FAQ's

 No they do not. Just as an OEM clutch basket is shipped, it is up to the owner to have the skills and tools to do the installation. Or to select a qualified shop for installation. 

 Yes! While there are some that manage without it, I can say for certain several clutch baskets are now broken and unusable from attempts to hold the hub with a large screwdriver or bar in an attempt to remove the 30mm nut on the hub! There are two types of tools used, one looks like a clutch disc and locks the basket and hub together ( what I sell here ), the other looks like a long nose set of vise-grips with the jaws bent at a 90 degree angle. This is a universal style and clamps onto the hub.  

 No. No reason at all to remove the water pump if it is not leaking and needing repair! There are bolts in the clutch cover that go through the water pump and the cover which must be removed to install the clutch. But there are other bolts that hold the water pump to the clutch cover housing and will keep it in place during installation.  

 No. You can use a long neck funnel with a piece of hose on the end to refill the radiator. 

No. We have yet to see a set of clutch plates worn beyond service specs from a DL 1000 or SV 1  000. Including a set from a bike with over 300,000 miles! New friction discs and/or steels are a waste of your money in almost every case.

  No. Idle Hammer is a noise from the crankshaft. While pulling in the clutch lever will sometimes quiet it a bit, that is simply because the load changes on the engine slightly.  

  ​No, it is ok! Not sure exactly when Suzuki changed the bearings, but somewhere around 2004 the bearing comes with what looks like two gaps where needle bearings should go. Normal. No real difference in operation with either style.  These typically don't show any wear and don't need replaced with a clutch basket installation. 

 Yes, maybe! The service manual will tell you to replace it. There is a flange on it that has an area peened down into the transmission shaft to lock it. This has to be lifted up to remove the nut. Sometimes that will bugger it up a bit. But, you can always just peen it down into a different slot on the shaft. However, should you bugger it up and not remove the loose metal pieces that isn't good. So it is a good idea to get a new one. I keep new ones in stock if desired.  

   No! The graphite coating on the OEM gasket is the best coating for a gasket of this type. The OEM gasket also has sealant beads around the water ports for a proper seal.  Cheap fiber gaskets are NOT recommended! 

  Yes. When they arrive they are checked in and inspected. Then engraved with owners name. These baskets have first priority over new and exchange basket builds and are started on as soon as possible.   

    If the clutch basket arrives Monday through Thursday it usually ships back the next day. Friday arrivals are likely to ship Monday unless prior plans are made.  

PLEASE make sure I will be in the shop when the basket arrives. I will be out of the shop for periods of time going forward.

   You probably won't have to work on your clutch basket again! While there is a one year unlimited mileage warranty, There are WERKS clutch baskets with over 100,000 miles and still working like they did at installation.  

 There has been a few owners that thought their bike was developing vibrations they thought must be the clutch basket a few thousand to many thousand miles after installation. I have offered free inspection to them, and in every case the clutch basket was in perfect condition. Even those that did not remove the clutch basket for inspection, in every case I have followed has found another source of the problem. From misfiring spark plugs, loose crank nut, loose magnets in the rotor, kinked chain, worn front sprocket, etc., the problem was found and fixed. As good as the WERKS clutch baskets are, they will not fix or cure problems not related to the clutch basket!  

 Usually means the pressure plate isn't seated on the hub properly. Remove the oil filler cap, look into the hole at the clutch basket assembly. If more than about 1/3 of the pressure plate is sticking out past the fingers on the clutch basket the pressure plate isn't seated. Some have been able to use a screwdriver to move the pressure plate just enough the teeth will engage and allow it to slide into position. Holding in the clutch lever can help. I have never had to do this, so I don't guarantee it! Otherwise you must remove the clutch cover and loosen the pressure plate spring bolts and then align the pressure plate.  

 The last, and ONLY the last friction disc is suppose to be slotted into the short slot on the clutch baskets. All other discs are in the long slot running to the back of the basket. If you put TWO friction discs in the short slot ( there appears to be room for them) the discs bottom out and will not let the pressure plate apply pressure to the rest of the clutch pack. Clutch slippage results. Must be taken apart and installed with only one disc in the short slot.  

  No. It will not leave you stranded. I have no proof, but I do suspect the vibrations caused by clutch chudder could contribute to the magnets in the rotor working loose. 

  Almost certainly. If there is excessive wear on the clutch fingers we might recommend a new clutch basket over having your basket rebuilt. I have only seen one case of that so far. Common to build baskets with 70-80,000 miles. 

 No. The springs in the DL 1000 are quite strong. Even after many  years and miles they are plenty good to reuse. SV and the 2014 and newer DL1000-1050 pressure plate springs are weaker, but they have a mechanical system to increase pressure to the clutch pack under load. These don't normally need replacing.