About a week ago I posted "Raptor problem...need suggestions please." I just wanted to give an update. It turns out the clutch was wasted, with maybe only 15 hours on the machine. The second and third friction plates (counting from the inside out) were worn down the the metal. The third friction plate was broken in about 7 pieces. Yamaha uses an expander ring in the clutch to get more oil to lube the clutch. Since the friction plates were near this ring I wonder if this has anything to do with it's destruction. I also noted that the oil level in the reservoir was "over flowing" when I checked the level. Well there was so much clutch debris in the engine I believe the return flow was restricted, making the problem only worsen. Thanks for everyone's input who replied on this subject, and I would like to hear if anyone else has had a similar problem.

 

I had a fiber break on mine. But I was beating the heck out of it, shifting between 2nd and 3rd going across snowy fields (10-12" deep), shifting, never letting off the throttle.

Most of the fibers had the grooves worn flat, but the outside fiber was the one that broke. All of my steels were black, and the oil was cooked.

 

Im not braging on my Ride but I got one of the first Raptors to hit Louisiana and I have had none of the typical problems, clutch fade, carbs blowing off,jetting problems,ect. I drag race my Raptor more than anything, and I shift under full throttle almost every race.I have had it since late Sept of last year and it has yet to give me any problems whatsoever. Now that i posted this it will probably catch fire and implode the next time i ride it.

 

What a bummer! I've been lucky not to have any problems. I've allways wondered if the use of syn. oil could be the culprit. Other posts noted certain oils causing problems. What type of oil were you using? Thanks.

 

The machine has so few hours it hasn't had an oil change yet. I have add about half quart of 10w-40 (non-synthetic oil) after the second or third ride though.

 

hey vanna can I buy a B

how about vowel a
now get an r
now get an n
can I buy an e
now get an t
I'd like to solve t BARNETT!

 

SURE PAT!

That will will be $110 please.

 

I may have missed some of your post, but did Yamaha stand behind it? Did they dismantle the engine and remove the fragmentation? Thanks

 

The machine is out of the factory 6 month warranty. However we (my best friend and I) took it to the dealer and didn't tell them that it was out of warranty. The dealer (Anderson Honda in Michigan) never question the warranty. All they said they could do is pull the clutch cover off and have a Yamaha rep look at the clutch. Then it was at Yamaha discretion wheather it was rider abuse or part failure. If it was rider abuse, my buddy would have been stuck with the hourly service rate of $70 per/hour. So a minimum of $140. And even if we decided to let them do just that, who the hell wants another stock clutch in there bike after something like that happens. Apparently this is not a common thing so I am pretty sure Yamaha doesn't have any sort of an updated clutch. Oh and another thing, my buddies '95 300ex has never had a thing go wrong with it, especially the clutch so I highly doubt it's rider abuse.

 

I wouldn't buy a carbon fiber clutch. They are great while they work, but they they don't weat the same as regular fibers. Regular fibers slowly wear away as tiny particles. Carbon fiber doesn't. When carbon fiber wears away, it is in small strands. These small strands then are floating around in the motor oil. This oil (and the small strands of carbon fiber) are then injected into all your motors bearings, and "lubricate" the cylinder. I've heard and seen more than one motor die because of a carbon fiber clutch.