Principle, use and maintenance of motorcycle clutch

In principle, the clutch is a device between the engine and the gearbox. Its main function is to transmit or cut off the power of the engine. The purpose of transmitting power is to make the vehicle move forward; The purpose of cutting off the power is usually to facilitate gear shifting, because if the power is not cut off, it is difficult to synchronize the driving gear and the driven gear in the transmission, and it is not easy to shift (some highly skilled people can use the control of vehicle speed and engine speed to achieve the basic synchronization between the two, but it is generally not easy).
In addition to this main function, the clutch also has a less prominent function, that is, when the vehicle suddenly encounters a large impact, it can slip between the active friction plate and the passive friction plate, alleviate the impact of external force on the engine to a certain extent, and thus produce a certain protective effect on the engine.
When using the clutch, the most important thing to pay attention to is not to separate it for a long time. Why do you want to do this? Let’s take a look at the structure of the clutch first. The main component in the clutch is the friction plate, which is divided into active friction plate and passive friction plate. The active friction plate is connected with the engine crankshaft through gears; The passive friction plate is also connected with the driving wheel of the transmission through the gear. Generally, clutches have multiple active friction plates and multiple passive friction plates, which are concentric circles and placed at intervals (one active, one passive, one active and one passive). The clutch has three working states: the first is the combined state, that is, the active friction plate and the passive friction plate are combined under the action of spring and pressing plate. At this time, the power from the engine is transmitted to the gearbox; The second state is the separation state, that is, when we hold the clutch handle, the pressure originally acting on the active and passive friction plates is relieved, the active friction plates and passive friction plates change from the combined state to the separated state, the active friction plates rotate with the engine, the passive friction plates rotate with the active shaft of the transmission, and the power transmission is cut off; The third state is the semi combined state. In this state, the active friction plate and the passive friction plate are neither fully combined nor completely separated, and the power transmission is in a semi broken and semi continuous state.
In the above three states, the so-called separation state is only a theoretical description. In fact, because the gap between the active friction plate and the passive friction plate is very small, even in the completely separated state, you are next to me, and I am next to you, which will produce certain friction. If it is in this state for a long time, it is easy to produce high temperature due to friction, and the clutch will be burned in serious cases. This is the main reason why the clutch cannot be disengaged for a long time.
In normal use and maintenance, we will often encounter two problems: the first is that the clutch is not completely separated. The problem caused by this situation is that the gear can not be shifted normally. The reasons for this situation are mostly due to improper adjustment of the clutch line. Generally, it can be eliminated by tightening it. The second is that the clutch is not fully engaged. The main problem caused by this situation is that the power transmission of the engine is affected and the car can’t run, which is what we usually call “lost rotation”. There are usually two main reasons for this situation: first, the clutch line is too tight, resulting in the failure of complete combination of active and passive friction plates; Second, the friction plate is seriously worn. The solution is to adjust the clutch line and replace the friction plate.
To sum up, there are two points to pay attention to in the use of the clutch: first, do not let it be separated for a long time; Second, the clutch line should be moderately elastic.
The semi combined state of the clutch usually occurs in the starting stage. In order to ensure a smooth start, we usually release the clutch slowly, and then the clutch will be in the semi combined state. The wear of the clutch in the semi engaged state is the largest, which is much more serious than that in the disengaged state. The significance of knowing this is that we should try to avoid letting the clutch in this state at other times, except that we must make the clutch in the semi engaged state for the stability of the vehicle at the start.
Use and maintenance of clutch
Motorcycle clutch can be divided into two types according to the cooling medium. One is cooled by oil, which is called wet clutch. Its cooling oil does not protect the friction plate, but makes the power transmission smooth and soft. Its advantage is that it has long service life and generally will not fail. Unless it violates the operating procedures, it often makes the clutch work in a semi clutch state.
Another kind uses air to cool the clutch, which is called dry clutch. In use, it is required that the clutch can be easily engaged and separated from the power, and the clutch should not overheat when working in the semi clutch state for a short time.