T500 clutch friction disc material

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kall399
On the street
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:33 am
Country: Finland
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1973 T500

T500 clutch friction disc material

Post by kall399 »

Hello quick question, I have two sets of clutch discs and am wondering since in one set the friction disc core material is some sort of fiber board type of stuff (think circuit board material) and on the other set its steel, both are good just wondering which I should use? Is there difference and what it might be?

Also... Hello! it's my first post on here. I bought a T500 -73 just this autumn an am doing an engine rebuild on it. The previous owner had the engine rebuilt somewhere and that was done in all kinds of wrong ways...so now I'm trying to do it the right way. :up:
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Zunspec4
Expert racer
Posts: 1087
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:37 am
Country: UK
Suzuki 2-Strokes: T500R, SV1000S, TS125, Seeley T500
Location: Trowbridge UK

Re: T500 clutch friction disc material

Post by Zunspec4 »

Hi kall399,

A clutch uses a combination of Friction AND Steel plates. I suggest you find a parts diagram of the clutch assembly and check it out.

Cheers Geoff
kall399
On the street
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:33 am
Country: Finland
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1973 T500

Re: T500 clutch friction disc material

Post by kall399 »

Hi Geoff

Yes I know that, what I meant is that I have two sets of friction discs an the core material (NOT friction material) is different others is steel the others are this composite fibrous material. In picture on left fibrous core discs on right metal core ones and yes there in no metal in the left ones I checked with magnet.
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Zunspec4
Expert racer
Posts: 1087
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:37 am
Country: UK
Suzuki 2-Strokes: T500R, SV1000S, TS125, Seeley T500
Location: Trowbridge UK

Re: T500 clutch friction disc material

Post by Zunspec4 »

Hiya kall,

Ah, see what you mean now :up: .

I just looked at a new Suzuki friction disc. It has a metal base to which the friction pads are glued. They base is of aluminium though not steel.

Cheers Geoff
kall399
On the street
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:33 am
Country: Finland
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1973 T500

Re: T500 clutch friction disc material

Post by kall399 »

Ok it just seems weird to me that since all the power is transmitted by the tabs to the transmission and the tabs on the left one seem to be this composite all the way thru, I just wonder about how they hold up. I guess they do hold since these ones are used and they would not wear the clutch basket so much as metal ones.
gammakeith
On the street
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:50 am
Country: United Kingdom
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1966 T20

Re: T500 clutch friction disc material

Post by gammakeith »

I do remember stripping an engine at some point in the past (cannot remember what or when) with friction disks like that. At least one of the plates was cracked right through so they are certainly more fragile than the bonded steel ones. As you say. would be much kinder to the basket but if they break with abuse then that's not so good.

Keith
1927 Scott 3 Speed Super Squirrel
1948 Scott Flying Squirrel
1951 Cyclemaster
1966 Suzuki T20
1981 Montesa 349
1985 Suzuki RG500
1999 Honda CRM250AR
Definately NO 4 strokes :-)
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