The RD clutch, as you will all know, is cable operated. After
time, the cable stretches and if used during winter gets very sticky causing
heavy clutch action, sore wrists, until the cable eventually snaps. A hydraulic
clutch conversion will overcome all these problems and look pretty trick into
the bargain! How do you do it? Easy! This shows the conversion we carried out
on Caz’s RD400.
Shopping List :
1 x clutch side hydraulic master cylinder.
1 x clutch slave cylinder
1 x length of hydraulic pipe
1 x adaptor plate
1 x clutch pushrod extension
The master cylinder can be of any type you desire. The YZF750
remote reservoir one here was chosen to match the remote reservoir brake. Choosing
the slave cylinder requires a little more thought. It's hard to state the
specifics, but getting one similar to the pics (no idea what it came off!!)
should see you right. Don't get one that is too deep. You'll need to get an
adaptor plate machined up and a pushrod extension made. These items where done
by Martin Newlyn in Brightlingsea for a very reasonable price.
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Adapter plate and pushrod extender |
Clutch slave cylinder |
Putting it together:
The adapter plate is screwed onto the side cover from the rear.
The cover has to be modified slightly by grinding away some of the webbings to
allow the bolts to sit neatly inside. The old worm adaptor is not needed and
the 2 holes used to screw on the outer cover plate for the adjuster nut need to
be opened out to allow a 5mm bolt to pass through. Put the pushrod extender on
the end of the push rod, checking that it allows the pushrod to be pushed in
fully without fouling the pushrod oil seal. The length of the adjuster may need
to be fine tuned once the system is fully assembled. If it is too long, you
won't be able to engage the clutch! Fit your master cylinder and slave cylinder
and connect together with the hydraulic pipe and bleed away! This is pretty
much all there is to it!! It took us about 15 minutes to install this example.
The hardest part was bleeding the fluid though the system.
Close-up
of slave cylinder fitted to the side casing
New master
cylinder mounted on the handlebars
(C) Ric Naylor, December 2000