Has anyone tried or had any luck smoothing these out? I just took mine apart in the process of installing bandit clutch, which had me completely broke rn I didn’t realize they were 1500$ now, last time I checked they were like 800$? That’s crazy the price has doubled. But needless to say I don’t really have a lot of money, and this bike is a continuous money pit for me, so if anyone happens to have a used one they can sell me for a reasonable price, or can offer me a solution to this I would appreciate it greatly. I just don’t want to ruin my new 1500$ clutch installing it with this basket. If no one has a used one, where is the cheapest place to shop for another one at? Idk if a machine shop could take a lathe to it or something? Thanks all
Worn clutch basket…repairable?
- Thread starter Nwhicks21
- Start date
Mr. Wright
Knows some things
That doesn't look to bad. run a file over it if you want. That's a harden part, so the file won't cut much more than the high places.
41bigdawg
Let the Big Dawg eat !
Here is a link if you need to buy one:
I agree with Mr. Wright that yours does not look too bad
(28) CLUTCH BASKET Big Dog Motorcycle Clutch Basket 05 Up BDM120-00558 [000-003023-16] - $698.00 : WSW, Rule Your Ride!
Big Dog Motorcycle Clutch Basket 05 Up BDM120-00558
wildsteedworx.com
I agree with Mr. Wright that yours does not look too bad
I been talking to Curtis at wsw, he said send it… he thinks it’ll be fine so we’re gonna give it a shot. 
my hat is def off to that guy man, he’s been helping me with quite a bit of stuff today that I didn’t have no idea about or to even check in my primary, with gears, spacers, deflection, seals, suspension, etc… Curtis is a beast! On a Saturday at that! Thank you sir, much appreciated, as well as you guys on here! the only thing left to do is finish putting clutch together and change trans fluid I ordered. And then on to change valve cover gaskets that are leaking, and figure out why my suspension is so stiff with these progressive shocks.
my hat is def off to that guy man, he’s been helping me with quite a bit of stuff today that I didn’t have no idea about or to even check in my primary, with gears, spacers, deflection, seals, suspension, etc… Curtis is a beast! On a Saturday at that! Thank you sir, much appreciated, as well as you guys on here! the only thing left to do is finish putting clutch together and change trans fluid I ordered. And then on to change valve cover gaskets that are leaking, and figure out why my suspension is so stiff with these progressive shocks.Here's what happens dressing up the grooves. This is an increase of a bang-bang job of the steel/fiber tangs moving farther back and farther forward.
Imagine two moving bangs on lift and throttle up. Bang on throttle up is the engine load. Bang on lift is the throttle off and back wheel causing a bang on the slow down.
Engine is independent and rear wheel is independent. Meaning once locked together, rear wheel bangs both steels/frictions on the back and forth movement.. Meaning the non-separation to unlock the engine from the wheel.
Kind of get it? Next are the tangs from moving over a smooth surface, is now locked in a groove and can no longer slide in the channels, but are stuck in their groves and can't move away from the frictions. Thus, hard to find N, creeps when clutch lever is pulled in.
So now the tangs are narrower from the bang-bang. Even at idle, it's 'that in motion tend to stay in motion' of curling the tangs even more. Any kind of filing will have a longer channel than another channel, thus no tang hitting certain channels.
Ever have a multi carb'd inline 4 engine, and pulling the clutch lever in stops this bang-bang noise? It's caused by engine pulses on the instant loss of load, swaps the transition of the tangs hitting the lift side, then loads on the next engine pulse being out of sync. Thus the odd loss of motion between cylinder beats.
Hope I explained that so you can see how the grooves are produced.
Imagine two moving bangs on lift and throttle up. Bang on throttle up is the engine load. Bang on lift is the throttle off and back wheel causing a bang on the slow down.
Engine is independent and rear wheel is independent. Meaning once locked together, rear wheel bangs both steels/frictions on the back and forth movement.. Meaning the non-separation to unlock the engine from the wheel.
Kind of get it? Next are the tangs from moving over a smooth surface, is now locked in a groove and can no longer slide in the channels, but are stuck in their groves and can't move away from the frictions. Thus, hard to find N, creeps when clutch lever is pulled in.
So now the tangs are narrower from the bang-bang. Even at idle, it's 'that in motion tend to stay in motion' of curling the tangs even more. Any kind of filing will have a longer channel than another channel, thus no tang hitting certain channels.
Ever have a multi carb'd inline 4 engine, and pulling the clutch lever in stops this bang-bang noise? It's caused by engine pulses on the instant loss of load, swaps the transition of the tangs hitting the lift side, then loads on the next engine pulse being out of sync. Thus the odd loss of motion between cylinder beats.
Hope I explained that so you can see how the grooves are produced.
SKOGDOG
One of the old ones.
Just for conversation sake—that is the same issue I had with the Karata open primary I had. Exactly like BDM7250’s. Beautiful 4”. Couldn’t get more than 12-15K miles out of a clutch basket—in those days that meant one a year (+plates, etc). Damn thing would not disengage once the clutch tangs got slotted into the grooves. It would take off OK and shift just fine, but let out the clutch a bit to move forward and try to disengage it—no dice!! It would not disengage—damn thing pulled me across a parking lot. Had to hit the kill switch to stop it. Because if the plates can’t slide laterally in the clutch basket, off you go!! I called Jim (Karata owner) after basket #2 and he said I had been lugging the engine. BS. So I bought yet another new basket and clutch pack. Then removed the Karata and re-installed an OEM clutch/primary.
Then posted the Karata on this Forum for sale as a turnkey open primary—got zero offers and after a few weeks a guy building a show bike happed to see that post and bought it for under asking price. Blacktopper and I had to drive halfway to Wichita to close the deal.
The grooves in the basket are indeed occasioned by the load and coast action described above by Sven—they are caused by the basket not being of a hard enough metal (or the tangs being too hard).
Then posted the Karata on this Forum for sale as a turnkey open primary—got zero offers and after a few weeks a guy building a show bike happed to see that post and bought it for under asking price. Blacktopper and I had to drive halfway to Wichita to close the deal.
The grooves in the basket are indeed occasioned by the load and coast action described above by Sven—they are caused by the basket not being of a hard enough metal (or the tangs being too hard).
HMAN
I just like my Freedom
Looking at the direction of rotation, I'll assume soft is counterclockwise, not turning the perforated plate clockwise like he shows turning the tension tighter? For me, I'd clamp the shock in a vise and find 0. Then with a magic marker, a dot for zero, a ( / ) for half; and begin counting till it stops. I now know my count range. Say 0 to 5. I'd set it at 3 and go from there.
Length wise, I'd scissor jack the frame, find my ride height, lengthen the one shock into frame and swing so the bolt slides in thru the frame/swing effortlessly. Remove that, pickup the other shock and repeat. Slide the bolt back to install the other shock and see if both slide thru without any drag between the two. Fuck that thread count. Adjust either in or out with the one shock that goes in last.
Testicle ride to see if the plate needs more or less turns. The preset of compression/rebound is a non-adjust so all you are playing with is spring tension.
Length wise, I'd scissor jack the frame, find my ride height, lengthen the one shock into frame and swing so the bolt slides in thru the frame/swing effortlessly. Remove that, pickup the other shock and repeat. Slide the bolt back to install the other shock and see if both slide thru without any drag between the two. Fuck that thread count. Adjust either in or out with the one shock that goes in last.
Testicle ride to see if the plate needs more or less turns. The preset of compression/rebound is a non-adjust so all you are playing with is spring tension.
Extremely helpful, thank you!
Idk if this has anything to do with anything, but with the bike lifted, I can grab my swing arm by the 2 points in the back and lift, and there is a half inch of slack/play in my suspension
Rottweiler
Well-Known Member
That doesn't sound correct.
Yea I’m pretty mechanically inclined I been turning wrenches on cars for about 20 years, just don’t know a lot about bike’s and I am humble enough to admit that and ask for help from time to time, so with that being said I kinda figured that’s what was happening, and I appreciate all the advice. Just sucks for the price we pay for these things to have such terrible parts. I certainly don’t have 700 for a new basket, and was having creep and issues finding neutral, so without wasting my time on the new clutch I guess I will get to work with a triangle file and hope I can smooth this thing out to where the friction plates will slide smoothly and not get hung up and drag on me, which I assume will cause premature failure of my clutch (wearing out the frictions, and warping the steels from overheating) due to the clutch not engaging/disengaging properly. Curtis also helped me after I noticed I was missing both nut washers in my clutch and mainshaft sprocket gears that my deflection was a good 1/8 inch off so I removed a spacer behind my rotor and got that lined up correctly, hopefully there’s no damage to my transmission mainshaft bearing from riding it the last year with the deflection out of spec. I found a couple washers to use on the nuts. Changing to the bandit clutch is much more of a job than ppl made it sounds like, I must admit lol… def not a typical bolt on upgrade. Now hopefully I can do some adjusting on the shocks ands get that worked out, and praying the valve cover gaskets aren’t too difficult to change
I didn’t think so either. Curtis said these shocks weren’t meant for my model of big dog, I don’t remember exactly what he said but he thinks they are bottoming out hitting either the top or bottom bump stops. I don’t even know where they are or how to check, he has always helped me quite a bit so I didn’t want to tie him up any longer. I’m hoping maybe I can extend the ride height adjustment and it’ll take the slack out idk
Been using a 1/2" air gun on the mainshaft nut and crankshaft end sprocket. Use red loctite on both. Still can hand spin them on. So I know I'm not stretching the threads of the shafts.
Can't use the back wheel against the crank from moving. So, no air gun, send the frictions and steel into the clutch outer/clutch center. Push the last plate in and hold tight. Begin to tighten the nut/bolt.
Kind of see you need the plates in and locked down as if all assembled to use the back wheel? Have to have a disconnect at the basket to compensate the output shaft being piggybacked from engine to trans.
Trick: Find an old friction and a steel plate. Drill both then rivet both. Thus locking the clutch outer/center from moving while using the back wheel brake.
Can't use the back wheel against the crank from moving. So, no air gun, send the frictions and steel into the clutch outer/clutch center. Push the last plate in and hold tight. Begin to tighten the nut/bolt.
Kind of see you need the plates in and locked down as if all assembled to use the back wheel? Have to have a disconnect at the basket to compensate the output shaft being piggybacked from engine to trans.
Trick: Find an old friction and a steel plate. Drill both then rivet both. Thus locking the clutch outer/center from moving while using the back wheel brake.
knothead
Second Chance Customs
DO NOT IMPACT....engine sprocket use red loctite and torque 175 ft lbs... transmission main shaft red loctite and torque 80 ft lbs...transmission main shaft is hollow so NO IMPACT IS ADVISED...
Removing the nutswith a impact is fine but no impact to put rhem on !!!!!!!!!
Removing the nutswith a impact is fine but no impact to put rhem on !!!!!!!!!
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That’s kinda what I was thinking, I’m on eggshells with everything I touch on this bike now bc it has already cost me thousands of dollars for parts and due to mistakes on my part as well…so I’m very cautious. Luckily the ehc, wire harness, and clutch that I fucked up are all common failure parts that it seems like everyone ends up upgrading anyway, but I did have to buy a new Speedo and harness bc I ended up frying as well. I will just have to drill my old clutch plates so that I can lock the engine and trans together like mentioned above, and be able to use the rear brake to help torque everything down
knothead
Second Chance Customs
Just put some of the old plates in there you dont have to drill or any of that....just stick the old plate in there will be fine...stick all of them in if you want ...put the back tire on the ground... put a piece of plastic or something of the nature between the sprocket and chain....sit on the bike like your riding it...put your foot on the brake...set the torque like I stated above and torque...easy pezzy