On Mon, 25 May 1998 21:05:14 EDT Bulgasbob (Bulgasbob "at" aol.com) writes:
>I recently purchased a 1995 Beta Techno. When I start the bike the
>clutch will not work until the motor heats up. I let the bike idle for five
>minutes on the stand and pump the clutch several times. When I put the bike
>in first gear, it takes off.

Chris L Johnson wrote:
Does the lever change after warmup? I.e., the hydralics are working fine. If lever is consistent and firm, the following applies:

Try holding the clutch lever in for one minute during warm up. Don't pump it, just hold it in. If that doesn't free the plates, take the plates out and sand all the plates on both sides with about 150-grit sand paper to rough the surfaces that have be made slick by wear. It's possible the plates are so smooth there is no "micropaths" for oil and the pressure on the plates cause them to stick together.

Chris (CJ) Johnson
Director of Engineering,
College Park Industries, Inc. http://www.college-park.com
(810) 294-7950 (at CPI), (616) 664-4173 (home office)
papazit "at" juno.com

From: Dan Williams (danwilms "at" tiac.net)
Taking the metal plates to a place that does bead blasting will also work. I've had the same problem on all my bikes because I'm too cheap to buy new plates. Fine emery cloth works well too. Make sure you wash all the grit off the plates before you reassemble. Just dress the plates to break up the surface glaze. There's no need to grind away at them. Check the sight glass in the tranny after riding and look for emulsification of water in the oil (looks like milk). I've noticed this accelerates the wear/sticking problem. I use Mobil1 in my tranny which doesn't emulsify easily. Other tranny fluids have different characteristics regarding water. And once again if you've got a DelOrto on that '95 ditch it for a Mikuni off a '96. Makes a world of difference.