When climbing steep hills and needing to use the clutch it heats up quick and fades untill it cools. I know this shouldnt happen this fast the clutck fades as soon as you touch the damn thing and I'm personally getting mad because of the amount and how fast the clutch fades. I was told by a reputable motor builder that there is nothing you can do because it has and external oil sump pump and this only splashes the clutch with oil therefore it will heat up when climbing or even in technicall sections when clutch usage is necessary for more than a secound or two. Just wondering if heavier springs would help because they wouldnt heat up and fade as bad or should I go buy a whole new clutch, but once again I was told no matter what clutch/springs you put in there you will get fade which I understand but there is now way the clutch should fade like it does in stock form!

 

About a month ago, in 4-5" of snow on a hill, mine faded as well. But this is only after abusing the clutch for at least a half hour. Does your fading problem seem to be getting worse? Do you have to "fan" the clutch on EVERY steep incline? I run a 14 tooth front sprocket, and still ONLY have to fan the clutch on the gnarliest of hills. For the price of a spring kit and with the trouble you are apparantly having, you don't have anything to loose by giving it a try. Good luck.

 

Diogenes, A clutch is used for more than start and stop! Yes you must be old fashioned and are clearly not doing the same type of riding I am. I have raced mx for years and now xc and the raptor clutch heats up and fades alot faster than a clutch should. You need the clutch for getting the correct amount of power to the ground plus for cornering and staying in controll at max speed when exiting turns. Now for climbing when I say climbing I mean climbing hills that the majority of quad riders wont try! YOU need your clutch for once again correct power and wheel spin or your quad will end up at the bottom of everyone of these hills. I dont wanna here anyone of these inexpieranced riders say and I quote " shift to a lower gear" these people dont have any idea what there talking about when it comes to doing serious riding/racing. A 4stoke will not get the whell spin like a 2 storoke so clutching is required for proper quad controll on these hills and technicall sections. I bought a 300ex to ride while my raptor was getting some mods and I could climb on that without getting clutch fade and you had to use that clucth 2x as much, yes clutches do fade when heated or abused what I am saying is that the raptor clutch is weak and it heats up fast which = clutch fade.

 

gary660r, These hills arent your average hill climbs but even at that when riding technicall sections and I have a 12 tooth on mine with a pipe and carb work from TC which dropped the power down to aroung 2-3000 rpm range instead of the 5-6000rpm range that is stock. So I have more low end than most, The clutch just sucks and I am not abusing it in any way as you said after 30minutes of abuse yours heated up mine heats up in no kidding 10secounds. I am running Silkolene oil I might try another brand but I still think the clutch is weak I like the feel of the clutch it has an easy pull which leads me to believe that the springs are soft. Pull in a 400ex clutch and its alot stiffer and that quad also has a externall oil pump and it doesnt fade no where near as fast so I hope it is the springs. When riding normal the clutch is fine but once it has to be used for more than just shifting for a secound or two it fades then comes right back I think it is just getting hot quick.

 

I had the same problem with mine and switched back to YAMALUBE oil....problem solved. It is like day and night. I don't know if it is the cleaning adjents or what but it is back to normal.

 

I stand corrected, xtreme165!

Your riding environment clearly differs from my experience. I have "built" clutches for motorcycle racing (stronger/shimmed clutch springs, additional pairs of clutch disks), but these practices may have no application to the Raptor situation you describe.

Best wishes, and: ride on!

Diogenes

 

Bingo1, I am going to try a different oit for this weekend hopefully this will help. What kind of oil where you running before?

 

Xtreme165, How's this weekend still looking for you.

 

Xtreme165, If you are using regular motor oil then thats the problem, most of them have an anti-friction additive that make's it too slipery for ATV use! I have also had the clutch fade on some tight uphill trails with Yamalube, I have heard the barnet clutch springs will take care of the problem, I have some and are having my dealer put them in as they are replacing the transmision because it got stuck in two gears the last time I had the clutch fade! I'll let you know if this helps, PS. My neighbors Raptor hasn't had a problem with the clutch and it feels much stiffer then mine when you pull it in and we ride the same trails.

 

I just got my first hint of this problem on Sunday. I was climbing a short but pretty steep hill, not enough to cook the clutch but I thought I felt it slip and I definately smelled burned clutch. I was just staying into the gas and not really slipping the clutch lever either. When I first rode the Raptor I thought the soft clutch lever pull was suspect. A motor making that much tourque should need a pretty beefy clutch. I think stiffer springs should help/cure the problem. Clutch fade is from the plates slipping after all and stiffer spings would keep them from slipping. If anyone has already tried this let us know your results, and we'll just call this the Raptor Research and Design Forum. It does seem like we're part of the R&D department, doesn't it?