VFR clutch cover question(all gens) - how to add a window

[SEBSPEED]

So, I've been thinking about a mod, but need to figure something out before I know if it will work. I haven't looked in the manual yet, figured someone here might save me 5min of looking.

Does any part of the clutch put pressure against the center of the clutch cover, where it covers the clutch?

I have a couple spare clutch covers for different years of VFRs, and the mod I'm thinking of is:

Obviously, if some part of the clutch needs to push on the cover, this won't work. I don't think anything does, but, you never know. I'm pretty sure the pushrod that's activated by the clutch slave from the other side of the motor just pushes on the inside of the pressure plate, but looking at the inside of one of the covers it almost looks like part of it is there to keep the pressure plate from over extending.

What say you?

[SEBSPEED]

Good work, Seb! :goofy:

Anticipating the next exciting episode....

Thanks Ian. I'll work on the plexiglass template this week while waiting for the lexan to arrive. :goofy:

[TexOz]

... So there you have it, I screwed it up! Kinda, ...

Still got faith in ya mate - looks great!

[V4 Rosso]

This is going to look great. :fing02: I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

[Kel]

Could you have just put the plexi on the inside, setting it in the lip that's already there, Gasket material between the window and the case. I have a feeling it's going to stain and if it doesn't, the oil will still just drip down the plexi after you stop, clouding any view inside?

[SEBSPEED]

Could you have just put the plexi on the inside, setting it in the lip that's already there, Gasket material between the window and the case. I have a feeling it's going to stain and if it doesn't, the oil will still just drip down the plexi after you stop, clouding any view inside?

It might be possible, I'm not sure yet how close the pressure plate is to the inside of the cover. I can't put my window on the inside anymore, the screws are too close to the lip to bite the material well. Also, if the window is on the outside, then I can change it without pulling the clutch cover, in case it does stain or get scratched, etc.

This mod will only be easily viewed when the bike is parked, the oil should run off pretty quickly. There are videos on Youtube if you search "clear clutch cover" or clutch cover window", you'll see the oil isn't as bad as you'd think.

[SEBSPEED]

I still want to know if I can powdercoat the pressure plate or not(and have it last without sending powdercoat bits through my motor!).

[dutchinterceptor]

I still want to know if I can powdercoat the pressure plate or not(and have it last without sending powdercoat bits through my motor!).

Most powder coating is baked around 500 degrees. Obviously the water temp gets up to 220 but how hot does the oil get?

[Tightwad]

I still want to know if I can powdercoat the pressure plate or not(and have it last without sending powdercoat bits through my motor!).

Most powder coating is baked around 500 degrees. Obviously the water temp gets up to 220 but how hot does the oil get?

In petrol (gasoline) engines, the top piston ring can expose the motor oil to temperatures of 320 °F (160 °C).

This is a "max" value, Engine oil typically runs about the same temp as coolant, but doesn't take away as much heat as coolant can.

I would worry about dropping the bike...those covers get scuffed for a reason! Sure would suck to crack that window and not be able to ride home.

I do like it tho, it looks sharp!

[SEBSPEED]

Most powder coating is baked around 500 degrees. Obviously the water temp gets up to 220 but how hot does the oil get?

The other question is how will the oil react (if at all) w/ the coating... ?

I would worry about dropping the bike...those covers get scuffed for a reason! Sure would suck to crack that window and not be able to ride home.

I do like it tho, it looks sharp!

Yeah, that's a concern for sure. The lexan is very strong, but as strong as the original cover. I hope I never have to report back on how it performs.

There's still a chance that I won't be satisfied with the look of the final outcome - in that case I'm going to list the cover here for sale, and then it will be up to someone else to NOT find out how strong it is.

[Veefer800Canuck]

For coating the clutch pressure plate, I think that using a proven internal engine coating would be safest.

If you could use the same sort of dry film lubricant they use on piston skirts, but only on the outside of the pressure plate (not the business side of course), then you'd never have to worry about it dissolving or flaking off into the engine oil.

And your pressure plate would look a purdy black colour.

http://www.performance-design.net/performance_design_coatings.htm

http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/techline/ie.html#ie

http://www.techlinecoatings.com/Engine.htm

Or maybe ask these guys: http://www.glyptal.com/

Apparently some engine builders use their product to paint the inside of the lifter valley.

[dutchinterceptor]

I don't know anything about it but you might do a little research on Glyptal. Eastwood sells it.

Recommended by many high performance engine rebuilding books, Glyptal seals the tiny pores left in metal after bead blasting and leaves the engine block interiors smooth. Helps keep the oil clean and flowing freely. Acid and oil resistant. Used on generator and alternator armatures, Glyptal has great electrical insulating properties, too!

[SEBSPEED]

For coating the clutch pressure plate, I think that using a proven internal engine coating would be safest.

If you could use the same sort of dry film lubricant they use on piston skirts, but only on the outside of the pressure plate (not the business side of course), then you'd never have to worry about it dissolving or flaking off into the engine oil.

And your pressure plate would look a purdy black colour.

http://www.performance-design.net/performance_design_coatings.htm

http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/techline/ie.html#ie

http://www.techlinecoatings.com/Engine.htm

Or maybe ask these guys: http://www.glyptal.com/

Apparently some engine builders use their product to paint the inside of the lifter valley.

I don't know anything about it but you might do a little research on Glyptal. Eastwood sells it.

Recommended by many high performance engine rebuilding books, Glyptal seals the tiny pores left in metal after bead blasting and leaves the engine block interiors smooth. Helps keep the oil clean and flowing freely. Acid and oil resistant. Used on generator and alternator armatures, Glyptal has great electrical insulating properties, too!

Nice! Thanks guys!! The Eastwood stuff is red too, BONUS!!! :goofy:

[Guest]

Then run a tap through all the holes and add fasteners to see how it will look. **Note to TexOz... this is where things went a little wonky... these are tiny little holes, material is a bit thin, and with my large tap handle some of the holes were threaded crooked. So there you have it, I screwed it up! Kinda, it's still useable. The sealant will do a good job of making up for the crooked screws, as will the number of screws.

Just a thought, but could you use your drill press to help tap the holes straight? I've used mine to tap holes in wood, so don't know if this would work on metal or not. All I did was disconnect the belt drive, put the tap in the chuck, and used my hand (large chuck) to turn the chuck. Result was a perfectly perpendicular tapped hole.

[SEBSPEED]

Just a thought, but could you use your drill press to help tap the holes straight? I've used mine to tap holes in wood, so don't know if this would work on metal or not. All I did was disconnect the belt drive, put the tap in the chuck, and used my hand (large chuck) to turn the chuck. Result was a perfectly perpendicular tapped hole.

I thought about it. I have some problems with my wrist and felt better doing them by hand.

[JETS]

There is a worry about polycarbonate Lexan surface cracking and structural failure if exposed to things that attack it, particularly at temperature. Max temp in use is 250F and melts at 300F. There is a heat resistant form available, but there is still a warning about chemical incompatibility with solvents and products of oils exposed to hight temps:

Resistance of polycarbonates:

Resistance to chemicals

Resistance to oils, greases, waxes and fuels

Makrolon® is resistant to most of the industrial oils,

greases and waxes tested in our laboratory over

6 days at 23 °C. A series of the products tested did

not produce any inadmissible changes in test

pieces made of Makrolon® 2800 after 6 days at

60 °C (140F) either. Resistance is only assured if the tech-

nical products are free of low-molecular, aromatic

and polar components and of other components

that trigger stress corrosion cracking. It should be

borne in mind that oils heated to a high temperature

can decompose and then form aggressive compo-

nents. Makrolon® is not resistant to the standard

carburetor and diesel fuels. The low-molecular,

aromatic hydrocarbons that are present in carbure-

tor fuel, in particular, cause cracking in parts that

are subject to stress.

Plexiglas and all its forms are limited to 180-200F in use, as it softens at 240F. I'd always wonder if hot oil was about to start oozing out. That would be a really bad rear tire day I think.

I'd say get the hight heat polycarbonate (such as Tuffak) which is rated to 270F and watch carefully for stress cracks around bolts or surface crazing and cracking, both of which warn of impending failure.Maybe every year or two you would need to replace the window. I think it is such a cool looking thing, I can't wait to see how it turns out. I wonder what the inside of the gen housing looks like? I have never had mine off.

[SEBSPEED]

I wonder what the inside of the gen housing looks like? I have never had mine off.

Thanks for the tech info. I got the idea to use lexan from people and businesses that have and/or do make these to sell to the public, so I don't think it will deteriorate very quickly. (ignorance is bliss!!) I've seen some that started to cloud up after 3-5 years of use. I plan to make a couple spare windows while I make hte first one, so there will be backups for a while.

I am pretty sure the stator winding bolts into the stator cover, so I would consider doing both side covers a no-go.

[chris2992]

I am pretty sure the stator winding bolts into the stator cover, so I would consider doing both side covers a no-go.

This is true. All you would see from the window would be a stationary stator. <---- say that five times fast.

[douglasthecook]

How thick is your Lexan, and where did you get it from? I have an idea in mind, and I'm looking to source some lexan, but don't need a complete sheet.

[SEBSPEED]

How thick is your Lexan, and where did you get it from? I have an idea in mind, and I'm looking to source some lexan, but don't need a complete sheet.

1/8" thick, from ebay. If plexiglass will do, I can send you some from my stash. It's also 1/8" thick. What's your application, if I may ask?

[douglasthecook]

How thick is your Lexan, and where did you get it from? I have an idea in mind, and I'm looking to source some lexan, but don't need a complete sheet.

1/8" thick, from ebay. If plexiglass will do, I can send you some from my stash. It's also 1/8" thick. What's your application, if I may ask?

Well...what I'd like to do is stock, heavy headlight unit with some projector units, located behind a piece of lexan. Ideally I'd like to maintain the stock look, but reduce a few pounds up front. I could fab up a frame/bracket to go around the lexan, and utilize the stock mounting points of the lexan. I just gotta source something durable, and chip resistant. What do you think???

[SEBSPEED]

How thick is your Lexan, and where did you get it from? I have an idea in mind, and I'm looking to source some lexan, but don't need a complete sheet.

1/8" thick, from ebay. If plexiglass will do, I can send you some from my stash. It's also 1/8" thick. What's your application, if I may ask?

Well...what I'd like to do is stock, heavy headlight unit with some projector units, located behind a piece of lexan. Ideally I'd like to maintain the stock look, but reduce a few pounds up front. I could fab up a frame/bracket to go around the lexan, and utilize the stock mounting points of the lexan. I just gotta source something durable, and chip resistant. What do you think???

Let me think on it a little tonight, I'll get back to you with a PM. Lexan and Plexiglass can both be thermoformed, but the Lexan is harder/more scratch and chip resistant. There are different grades of each, go to www.mcmastercarr.com and type "lexan" in the search bar, they give a nice breakdown of the individual grade qualities.

[shrek]

Seb, mu clutch cover has been in use for more than three years under pretty tough conditions with no problems with the Lexan window. There are hundreds of these in constant use on TL1000s' for the last 10 years and I've never heard of one fail. Also, lots of guys on the TL board used to powder coat their pressure plates before Vandriver began making custom billet ones, and again I've never heard of a problem that arose from that; so anecdotally I would say that you've got no problem.

At rest, the oil level sits well below the level of both the pressure plate and the window, and in motion, the spinning of the pressure plate keeps it clean. I can't think of any time where I've seen oil on my pressure plate except when adding oil to the cases after an oil change. Powder coat it and forget it.

Finally, when you start up, sometimes you'll see some condensation on the window that will dry up after the bike warms to temperature. This is completely normal. None of these components have much stress on them so any gloom and doom predictions are unjustified in my opinion. Good on you for doing something different.

[rdguy]

Anodize?

Glenn

I still want to know if I can powdercoat the pressure plate or not(and have it last without sending powdercoat bits through my motor!).

[Tightwad]

Anodize?

Glenn

I still want to know if I can powdercoat the pressure plate or not(and have it last without sending powdercoat bits through my motor!).

Is the pressure plate Aluminum? Steel doesn't anodize that I know of.

[gll429]

remove the clutch assembly..

polish the pressure plate. and maybe etch vfrd vfr750 or something on it... buy some long bolts.. thread into basket. cut off the bolt heads..buy some anodized nuts!!

assemble the clutch on a bench.. trim bolts to desired length and presto!!! you have color and cool custom logo when stopped too :beer: