LCGB Forums

Still looking at options for a new clutch. Been slightly put off the AF cassette after reading the mixed reports on them, MB 6 plate just shy of £500 now so not an option, Readspeed 6 plate £350 a bit more bearable but just found the cam lam 6 plate at £270 looks very much like the Readspeed, anyone using one and any good?

Scooterdude wrote:Still looking at options for a new clutch. Been slightly put off the AF cassette after reading the mixed reports on them, MB 6 plate just shy of £500 now so not an option, Readspeed 6 plate £350 a bit more bearable but just found the cam lam 6 plate at £270 looks very much like the Readspeed, anyone using one and any good?

Can only speak of my experience of AF clutch.
Nice and light, but with feel.
Well made.
Fitted it and forgot about it !

Not a popular opinion then?

Due to an involvement in racing, I believe the CamLam clutches evolved to their present state, principally to support Charlie Edmonds. He has not raced for some years now.

When they first appeared, being manufactured specifically thin with the friction plates as well as the steel plates, it was possible to fit nine friction plates in the space of an extended clutch of Lambretta, generic design.

However, racing is all about ragging the best from an engine & the thinner plates utilised would have badly burred edges after one meeting & require extensive tidying or replacement. That certainly was my experience, & in the case of trying to run nine plates, with virtually insufficient space for the plates to 'clear' when cold, it was all too easy to break teeth on first gear upon start up. (Hence, the last racer I built has a modified, alloy six plate clutch of my own design)

That said about CamLam clutches, & to use up NOS, I have fitted five & six plate versions in road going bikes ridden by the odd nutter, & they have been fine.

To add a little more information that may help your decision, I have personally used the ScootRS six plate clutch & that has also coped easily in a fairly torquey Rapido 240 plus that pulls GT200 top gear. Sadly, I believe they are no longer available.

I can't recall whose clutches the racers from RLC used, but they rated them highly......

I hope that helps

Thanks for the reply WT1. Great bit of information there.

I have 2 AF Cassettes (TS1 & Rapido) and 1 LTH 7 plate in a 283. All 3 have been fit and forget and work out of the box.

My earlier response was with the view of how to enable a stronger clutch on a budget, & if there are no financial constraints, there are undoubtedly 'fit & forget' clutches derived from motorcycles.

If money is tight, then a clutch can be done on the cheap that can work very well.

The old, two part, 46 clutch sprocket can be disassembled to enable the clutch ears to be depressed fully. Reassembly is best done with high tensile, button head socket screws (M5 I think) in the existing, ex rivet, holes tapping into the main sprocket body. I've done several like that, though 46 - 49 tooth sprockets are obtainable ready with deep pockets for the fitting of additional plates. Again, I have used them in conversions & they have been fine. I prefer to aim to fit six plates but five, in conjunction with good springs, can work well, say in a TS1. If modifications are to be made, you may as well try & fit the most plates that don't cause drag.

Inner clutch bells are obtainable designed specifically for more plates, & it is worth shopping around.

I hope that helps a little more, as not all of us can justify substantial funds & I am aware that the excuse of "only cost a tenner" cannot always fool the other halves.....

Warkton Tornado No.1 wrote:My earlier response was with the view of how to enable a stronger clutch on a budget, & if there are no financial constraints, there are undoubtedly 'fit & forget' clutches derived from motorcycles.

If money is tight, then a clutch can be done on the cheap that can work very well.

The old, two part, 46 clutch sprocket can be disassembled to enable the clutch ears to be depressed fully. Reassembly is best done with high tensile, button head socket screws (M5 I think) in the existing, ex rivet, holes tapping into the main sprocket body. I've done several like that, though 46 - 49 tooth sprockets are obtainable ready with deep pockets for the fitting of additional plates. Again, I have used them in conversions & they have been fine. I prefer to aim to fit six plates but five, in conjunction with good springs, can work well, say in a TS1. If modifications are to be made, you may as well try & fit the most plates that don't cause drag.

Inner clutch bells are obtainable designed specifically for more plates, & it is worth shopping around.

I hope that helps a little more, as not all of us can justify substantial funds & I am aware that the excuse of "only cost a tenner" cannot always fool the other halves.....

Thanks again WT1.

I know a few people running the AF race cassette clutch with no problems. I have a LTH which I love, again with no problems

Ok. I went for a new Italian deep crown wheel and find I can build it using 5 surflex 3.5 mm corks and 4 1.2 steels with the standard 3mm top plate, the problem is my mallossi springs become coil bound before i get any separation so ideally need some different but still strong or strongish springs. Any ideas?

I realise I could just bang a 5 plate kit in it but i like using what I already have lying around.

Scooterdude wrote:Ok. I went for a new Italian deep crown wheel and find I can build it using 5 surflex 3.5 mm corks and 4 1.2 steels with the standard 3mm top plate, the problem is my mallossi springs become coil bound before i get any separation so ideally need some different but still strong or strongish springs. Any ideas?

I realise I could just bang a 5 plate kit in it but i like using what I already have lying around.

Measure the springs that you have there:

Free length

Coilbound length

Wire diameter

Number of coils (eg 6-1/2 or whatever)

Tell us on here & @ least one of us will check if there is a similar set that has a shorter coilbound length for you to try

Warkton Tornado No.1 wrote:

Scooterdude wrote:Ok. I went for a new Italian deep crown wheel and find I can build it using 5 surflex 3.5 mm corks and 4 1.2 steels with the standard 3mm top plate, the problem is my mallossi springs become coil bound before i get any separation so ideally need some different but still strong or strongish springs. Any ideas?

I realise I could just bang a 5 plate kit in it but i like using what I already have lying around.

Measure the springs that you have there:

Free length

Coilbound length

Wire diameter

Number of coils (eg 6-1/2 or whatever)

Tell us on here & @ least one of us will check if there is a similar set that has a shorter coilbound length for you to try

Treat everyday as a school day - what does coilbound and coilbound length for a spring mean?

Thanks

Tony

Tony Hart wrote:

Warkton Tornado No.1 wrote:

Scooterdude wrote:Ok. I went for a new Italian deep crown wheel and find I can build it using 5 surflex 3.5 mm corks and 4 1.2 steels with the standard 3mm top plate, the problem is my mallossi springs become coil bound before i get any separation so ideally need some different but still strong or strongish springs. Any ideas?

I realise I could just bang a 5 plate kit in it but i like using what I already have lying around.

Measure the springs that you have there:

Free length

Coilbound length

Wire diameter

Number of coils (eg 6-1/2 or whatever)

Tell us on here & @ least one of us will check if there is a similar set that has a shorter coilbound length for you to try

Treat everyday as a school day - what does coilbound and coilbound length for a spring mean?

Thanks

Tony

Coilbound is when the spring is fully compressed and the length matters for clutch drag problems.
14mm is usually the best but can go up too 16mm which then starts causing problems.
Hope that helps
Shane

Cheers Shane.

Warkton Tornado No.1 wrote:

Scooterdude wrote:Ok. I went for a new Italian deep crown wheel and find I can build it using 5 surflex 3.5 mm corks and 4 1.2 steels with the standard 3mm top plate, the problem is my mallossi springs become coil bound before i get any separation so ideally need some different but still strong or strongish springs. Any ideas?

I realise I could just bang a 5 plate kit in it but i like using what I already have lying around.

Measure the springs that you have there:

Free length

Coilbound length

Wire diameter

Number of coils (eg 6-1/2 or whatever)

Tell us on here & @ least one of us will check if there is a similar set that has a shorter coilbound length for you to try

Thanks WT1. Although i have dropped a bit of a bollock here, I should have said LTH springs. I do have a set of mallossi ones that are shorter than the LTH though I’ve ended up building it with four surflex corks and three 1.5 steels and using the LTH springs.

I will be dropping the oil at 500 miles so will strip it out and measure it and report back with the length along with the mallossi ones and also the yz 80 ones i also have.

Warkton Tornado No.1 wrote:

Scooterdude wrote:Ok. I went for a new Italian deep crown wheel and find I can build it using 5 surflex 3.5 mm corks and 4 1.2 steels with the standard 3mm top plate, the problem is my mallossi springs become coil bound before i get any separation so ideally need some different but still strong or strongish springs. Any ideas?

I realise I could just bang a 5 plate kit in it but i like using what I already have lying around.

Measure the springs that you have there:

Free length

Coilbound length

Wire diameter

Number of coils (eg 6-1/2 or whatever)

Tell us on here & @ least one of us will check if there is a similar set that has a shorter coilbound length for you to try

Ok here are the measurements: LTH = 28mm free length, 19.9mm coilbound length, 6 coils and 2.15mm wire diameter.

Mallossi = 35mm free length, 16.5mm coilbound length, 8 coils and 1.75mm wire diameter.

Yam YZ 80 = 32mm free length, 15.5mm coilbound length, 7 coils and 1.95 mm wire diameter.

Hope this helps.