Seized up clutch on Laverda 500

Grant said:
Paul, we are mostly long termers on Laverdas here.
In my (also) over 40 years experience Laverda clutches can and do stick.
Depends how they were ridden, how long they were unused, what type of oil was used and so on.
It's good that we all can have differing views on a range of matters.
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I quite agree Grant and I experienced the sticking clutch in the past, on my bikes, and other peoples. I just pointed out that I haven't had the problem in 25 years now.
When we restarted Corinnes 500 after having bought it, the clutch was mildly stuck. It doesn't stick any  more. Oil change was of course one of the first things done when we got it going.

When I restarted my S after a 20 year lay up, the clutch didn't stick.

We now have 3 Laverda running and none of the clutches stick, not ever, not even slightly.

Paul
 
My Jota after being laid up for 18 years had as sticky clutch even after multiple oil changes.
Clutch plates pulled out and cleaned, splines filled and aligned, put back together and worked fine....
For one ride and then went back to sticking, tried everything, running the bike in gear and applying back brake, taking off down the driveway and hoping for it to free up, sometimes
worked and then just didn't.
Only way to fix the problem was a set of Reds kevlar plates.
Sorted
End of story.
My understanding is the plates get worn, then the gap between them is too thin and they simply hydraulic themselves together.
Cheers
Tom
 
Just completed a re-commission of a laid up low mileage Corsa (been dormant for 35years)
Pulled clutch pack, stuck solid but eventually freed them up.
Cleaned with Benzina, whacked em back in, twice..... and still no good  >:D
Lashed out on complete new  standard clutch pack, from Greg at DCR, Problem Solved  ;)

Also run a 3cl with Kevlar plates, which sees the odd track day, and they also hold up well  8)
 
motoddrob said:
My experience in owning laverdas for 46 years is that I've never had the clutch sieze  :)
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Same here!
Never had a problem with the starter clutch, either.
I used Duckhams 20/50 for the first forty-two years, Valvoline for the last two.
 
I can confirm that the clutch plate?s do stick together as my one owner 80 Jota used to do it all the time whe n I used a certain brand of oil. Changed the oil to another brand and had no more drama?s. Have one of Red?s hot rod motors and standard plates , never had any slippage.
Tom
 
Paul Marx said:
Point proven.
Paul
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It's not proof, Paul!
I have never been struck by lightning, but I accept that it's happened to others.
Roy Cleveland Sullivan, on the other hand, was struck seven times, and survived. Others have been struck more often.

 
ozijotati said:
I can confirm that the clutch plate?s do stick together as my one owner 80 Jota used to do it all the time whe n I used a certain brand of oil. Changed the oil to another brand and had no more drama?s. Have one of Red?s hot rod motors and standard plates , never had any slippage.
Tom
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I had to throw the flying kangaroos clutch plates away Tom I couldn't find any way of stopping them cementing themselves together. They were the most relentlessly stuck of any I have come across ever. If by a miracle they freed off they would stick again in no time. There was petrol in the oil when I got the bike which had been left for years with one of the taps on so I'm assuming this had something to do with it.
 
My 500 Alpino clutch sticks solid whenever the bike is not used regularly.  My simple solution is tie back the clutch lever to the handlebar when the bike is back in the garage. Problem solved.

Also applies to any triple or 750 with the same trouble.
 
That's what I love about this forum, Lots and lots of different experiences and opinions - all valid.

As I said, my problem was not oil related because I tried all different types and the problem remained. Bear in mind that this is a race bike that got really hot (no oil cooler) and over four race meetings (six races per weekend), the clutch would stick between each race; every time. I thought it was oil, and so experimented with a variety of different grades - no difference. I tried different springs but when the sticking problem went away, clutch slip arrived.

The elastic band round the clutch lever (i.e. releasing the compressive force between the plates) worked most times but was a PIA.

As I said, the kevlar plates from Red, solved the problem immediately.
 
I don't think the oil/clutch problem is that quick, rather an accumulation over years.
 
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